Anthony Volpe plays “sick” to secure Yankees win in Game 3

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the spring of 2023, the Yankees named Anthony Volpe to the Opening Day roster even though he had only played 22 games at the Triple-A level.

At the time, Aaron Boone noted Volpe's “energy” and “obvious instinct.”

Over the course of his two seasons in the Bronx, Volpe has been through his fair share of adversity, but so far this October he has lived up to Boone's expectations.

Also in Wednesday night's 3-2 win over Kansas City in Game 3 of the ALDS, which gave the Yankees a road win over the ALCS, Volpe reached base three times and made a great diving catch on a Vinnie Pasquantino liner in the bottom of the eighth, with the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead.

“It was strange,” Volpe said of the play. “I thought he hit harder and went for cover to get the cut at third, but I realized it was soft and I went for it.”

Luke Weaver ultimately escaped the inning without harm.

“That would have been trouble right there,” Weaver said.

Volpe, who dreamed of playing shortstop for the Yankees as a kid, described his first playoff experience as simply “a lot of fun.”

“We had a lot of days off,” Volpe said of the playoff experience. “I’m looking forward to all the games. I wasn’t able to take a step back.”

If he does that, Wednesday will likely be a highlight. Not only did he lead off with a single to center to start the fifth and lead off later in the inning, but he also walked twice later in the game.

However, his biggest impact on the win came with one out in the bottom of the eighth.

After Tommy Kahnle opened the inning by striking out Michael Massey, Weaver came in and gave up a single to Bobby Witt Jr. through the left side of the infield.

Pasquantino followed with a softliner down the middle. Volpe, tailed in this manner, made a diving catch behind second base.

If the ball had gone up the middle, the Royals would have had runners on the corners with one out. Instead, Witt retired to first, and although Weaver gave up another hit to Salvador Perez, he left the inning with the Yankees still ahead.

“It was sick,” Jazz Chisholm Jr. said.

“That’s why he’s our Gold Glove (winner),” Juan Soto said. “It's unbelievable. He does it every day. It doesn’t matter how things go for him, he always plays the defense we need.”