As the Yankees went into the first half break last Sunday, Anthony Volpe stood looking a bit shell-shocked in the locker room at Camden Yards after a defensive error cost his team the win.
Five days later, the young shortstop was a key part of the Yankees’ winning start to the second half of the season.
With all three of the team’s biggest stars enjoying a big game on Friday night, it was Volpe who delivered the hit that mattered most, a three-run double in a 6-1 win over the Rays in front of a sellout crowd of 47,036 in the Bronx.
“He came out ready to go tonight and was a game-changer for us,” said Gerrit Cole, who allowed just one run over six innings for the second straight game.
After a forgettable end to the first half for Volpe and the Yankees (59-40), they started the second half on a much better note, ensuring outstanding efforts from Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Cole were not in vain.
The Yankees have now won four of their last six games and are coming off a dismal 6-17 losing streak.
“I think that’s a great sign that we’re capable of doing this,” Volpe said. “When Gerrit steps on the mound and pitches like he does, it gives everybody a lot of confidence.”
Manager Luis Severino may have been right when he joked Friday that the Yankees now have “only two good hitters: Judge and Soto,” as he responded to a group chat with former teammates who were lamenting their lack of participation in next week’s Subway Series.
Both All-Stars were big on Friday, with Soto going 4-for-4 with two doubles and one walk and Judge going 2-for-4 with one walk and one RBI. But in the series opener against the Rays (48-49), Soto and Judge at least got some help from Volpe and Austin Wells (three walks).
Volpe has batted just .171 with a .433 OPS over his last 35 games, marring a strong start to the season and making matters worse on Sunday with a ninth-inning error in a blowout loss to the Orioles.
But the 23-year-old took two days off to get fully rested before returning to work and putting in a strong performance on Friday.
“That’s just the kind of guy he is,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Obviously, it was a tough way to end the first half. He’s such a great pro and very caring. … Big hit with two outs. I feel like we’ve been in a lot of games in the past where we’ve been congested and put pressure on the opponent and just haven’t been able to get that big hit. That was the big blow we needed.”
After hitting a line drive single in his first at-bat, Volpe came to bat in the top of the third inning with the bases loaded and two outs and the Yankees leading 1-0.
They missed golden opportunities to score in the first two innings and came close to letting Rays right-hander Zach Eflin get away again in the third inning, when they managed just one run on an Alex Verdugo grounder.
After Eflin led 1-2, Volpe smacked a double down the third base line to clear the bases and put the Yankees up 4-0.
“It’s a big deal for us and it’s a big deal for him,” Wells said.
That was plenty of scoring support for Cole, who struck out eight batters and looked strong in his second straight start.
Wells received a pitch clock violation for throwing his final warm-up pitch too late early in the second inning, but base umpire Quinn Walcott showed patience as he helped Cole keep his cool as the catcher feared he would be ejected for arguing.
The Yankees then added two more runs thanks to Soto, who hit a Little League home run, doubled the other way and scored after two errors on that play, then doubled again and scored on Judge’s single.
But the Yankees are counting on Soto and Judge to have nights like this.
If they can get Volpe back on track in the second half, it would be a key addition to the team’s lineup.
“I’m going to take a break and step back and work on some things,” Volpe said. “When I’m in control of myself and my movements, I feel like I can be dangerous.”
