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Yankees, Anthony Volpe roller coaster continues with 452-foot home run
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- Yankees, Anthony Volpe roller coaster continues with 452-foot home run
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Anthony Volpe 's night encapsulated the full experience of a rising star still learning the ropes — defensive miscues and all — but it ended with a thunderous statement. Volpe launched the longest home run of his career Tuesday night , a 452-foot rocket to center field that gave the Yankees a crucial insurance run in a 7-5 win over the Rays in the Bronx.
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It was a much-needed bounce-back moment for the 23-year-old shortstop, who committed two errors in the game , including a costly throwing mistake in the ninth that nearly cracked the door open for a Tampa Bay comeback. But Volpe's bat delivered, not just with the eighth-inning homer, but also with a key RBI single in the fourth and some heads-up baserunning in a wild sequence that helped swing momentum New York's way.
The win, combined with Toronto 's doubleheader sweep at the hands of Baltimore , allowed the Yankees to gain 1.5 games in the AL East standings. Now just four games behind the Blue Jays, the Yankees are slowly clawing back into contention.
Yankees bounce back in game 2 vs Rays
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
New York didn't exactly cruise to the win, though. Starter Max Fried overcame a rocky start — including Volpe's early fielding error that led to two unearned runs — to deliver 6.2 innings of gritty, effective pitching. Fried allowed four runs (two earned), struck out nine, and threw a career-high 111 pitches before handing things over to a short-handed bullpen. His ability to settle down and retire 14 straight batters after giving up a third-inning homer to Jonathan Aranda gave the Yankees stability on a night where they desperately needed length from their starter.
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Offensively, the Yankees finally showed signs of life. Down 3-0 early, Cody Bellinger erased the deficit with a three-run homer in the third. In the fourth, Jasson Dominguez sparked a rally with a single and a stolen base, later scoring on Volpe's RBI knock. A double steal involving Volpe and Austin Wells led to a throwing error by newly acquired catcher Nick Fortes , allowing another run to score. Paul Goldschmidt capped off the four-run frame with an RBI single.
Still, the Yankees couldn't quite put the Rays away. After Fried exited, relievers Jonathan Loáisiga and Devin Williams combined to make the final six outs more dramatic than necessary. Williams, in particular, looked shaky in the ninth, surrendering a triple, a walk, and a run before Volpe's second error nearly blew the game wide open. With the tying runs in scoring position, Williams struck out Aranda to seal the win.
It was messy, stressful, and at times frustrating — but it was a win. And for Volpe, it was a reminder that his growing pains come with flashes of brilliance. The Yankees will need both his glove and his bat to show up consistently down the stretch if they hope to stay in the race.
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