Aside from the fact that the swing could ultimately prove to be a potential series-changer, it was a much-needed hit for Volpe. The 23-year-old was abysmal offensively in 2024, posting the seventh-lowest OPS among players with at least 500 at-bats during the regular season (.657). Volpe hadn’t fared much better in the postseason, either, having posted a .244 batting average through his first 12 games.
Even so, Volpe wasn’t the only unexpected Yankee to record a big hit. In the sixth inning, catcher Austin Wells, who was benched in Game 3 due to his prolonged slump, clubbed a no-doubt home run to right field to extend New York’s lead to 6-4. If the Yankees are going to pull off a miraculous comeback, they’ll need Volpe and Wells to continue to make an impact at the bottom of the batting order.
Dave Roberts’ bullpen mismanagement cost Dodgers a chance to clinch title
Tuesday’s contest played out similarly to Los Angeles’ 7-3 loss in Game 2 of the NLCS to the New York Mets, with Roberts seemingly punting after his team fell behind early. Just as they did in that game against the Mets, the Dodgers opted to throw a bullpen game on Tuesday, which didn’t pan out.
Right-hander Ben Casparius, Los Angeles’ Game 4 starter, avoided a disastrous outing, allowing one run on one hit with three walks in two innings. However, Roberts’ first gaffe came in the third inning. It was clear that Hudson didn’t have anything close to his best stuff, but Roberts chose to leave him in after he loaded the bases, only for Volpe to come through in the clutch.
As a result, Roberts then called on Landon Knack, who allowed five runs in his lone NLCS appearance, to eat some innings for the Dodgers. Although Los Angeles cut New York’s deficit to 5-4, Roberts questionably decided to stick with Knack instead of turning to his high-leverage arms. Knack escaped the fourth and fifth innings unscathed, but the sixth-inning homer he allowed to Wells helped the Yankees reclaim the momentum it seemed the Dodgers might have gained.
Despite trailing by only two runs, Roberts still didn’t send any of his top relievers to the mound, leaving Knack in for the seventh inning before Brent Honeywell came in to pitch the eighth. Honeywell went on to allow five runs in an eighth-inning explosion by the Yankees, derailing any chance of a come-from-behind victory.
While Roberts’ game plan paid off in the NLCS, as his team won Games 3 and 4, it’s still an extremely risky move that could backfire this time around. After all, 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole is set to start Game 5 for the Yankees.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman’s historic tear at the plate continues
Game 4 began with a script that was nearly identical to that of Monday’s Game 3. After Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts hit a one-out double in the first inning, the red-hot Freeman stepped up to the plate to face Yankees right-hander Luis Gil.
Freeman worked his way into a hitter’s count before sending a Gil slider 343 feet over the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium for a two-run homer.