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Historic Grand Slam Parade Continues Thanks to Yankees' Anthony Volpe

The 2024 MLB postseason has featured a record-breaking six grand slams so far, and the one Anthony Volpe hit in Game 4 of the World Series helped the New York Yankees secure a win.
Sam Connon|
Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning during Game 4 of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium.
Oct 29, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) reacts after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning during Game 4 of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

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New York YankeesLos Angeles DodgersNew York MetsCleveland Guardians

To a point it never has been before, October has been grand.

New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the third inning of Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday night, giving his team a 5-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Yankees went on to win 11-4, avoiding the sweep and forcing a Game 5 on Wednesday.

It wasn’t the first grand slam this postseason, nor was it the first of the World Series.

Teoscar Hernández hit the first bases-loaded home run of the playoffs in Game 3 of the NLDS against the San Diego Padres. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor followed that up with a grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS, eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies in the process.

Cleveland Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas, meanwhile, knocked out the Detroit Tigers with a grand slam in Game 5 of the ALDS.

The only grand slam of the ALCS and NLCS belonged to Mets third baseman Mark Vientos, who helped blow out the Dodgers in Game 2 of that series with his second-inning bomb.

Then came the walk-off grand slam that Freddie Freeman hit in Game 1 of the World Series, setting the tone and starting the Dodgers on the path to their eventual 3-0 lead in the series. Volpe delivered an answer in Game 4, making it six grand slams across the entire playoffs thus far.

That breaks the all-time record, which previously belonged to the 1998 and 2021 postseasons.

According to MLB.com's Sarah Langs, there have now been four World Series that have featured multiple grand slams. The last time it happened was when Kent Hrbek and Dan Gladden did so with the Minnesota Twins in 1987, while Yankees legends Yogi Bera and Bill Skowron were the first to achieve the feat back in 1956.

The only other time each team has hit a grand slam in a single World Series came in 1964. Ken Boyer hit one for the St. Louis Cardinals and Joe Pepitone hit one for the Yankees.

Maybe the trend will continue in Game 5 of the World Series, either to keep the Yankees alive or help the Dodgers clinch a title. First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.

Full playoff schedule in real time

  • MLB POSTSEASON SCHEDULE: The 2024 playoffs are finally coming to a head, with the AL and NL pennant-winners now set in stone. Here is the latest on the schedule, with dates, game times, TV information and pitching matchups. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer covering baseball for “Fastball on SI.’’ He previously covered UCLA Athletics for On SI’s All Bruins site, and is a UCLA graduate, with his work there as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for On SI’s New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Sam lives in Boston.

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