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Anthony Volpe makes history in return for Yankees' rout
New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11). IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Anthony Volpe makes history in return for Yankees' rout

NEW YORK — Under the bright lights of the Bronx, Anthony Volpe returned to the New York Yankees lineup in a big, historic way on Thursday night.

Volpe, officially recalled from Triple-A before the game, bookended an emotional return to the Big Apple with an RBI single and a grand slam to pace the Yankees to a 10-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. The decisive win finished off a three-game sweep for the Yankees and moved to a season-best 22 games over .500 (now 84-62 on the year).

Talking earlier in the day about the mental adjustments he made in Triple-A after being sent down by the Yankees on Aug. 4, Volpe's swing looked every bit like the one that had impressed in recent Triple-A games. Hitting in the nine hole, he finished the night 3-for-4 with 5 RBI and granted Yankees fans a curtain call after his seventh-inning grand slam.

That grand slam put Volpe and the Yankees in MLB's record book. Volpe's grand slam came one night after George Lombard Jr. (who took over at shortstop in the wake of Volpe's demotion) hit his own grand slam, giving the Yankees not only two consecutive games with a grand slam but also turning them into the first team in MLB history to have a shortstop and a second baseman hit grand slams on back-to-back days (either order).

Additionally, per Sarah Langs, it was also the first time in franchise history the Yankees have received grand slams from players age 25 or younger in consecutive games.

Anthony Volpe's big night has Yankees thinking about potential

While it was just one night, the display that Volpe put on Thursday has the Yankees thinking that they not only have solved their second base issue with Jazz Chisholm Jr. on the injured list, but may have unlocked another weapon just in time for September's stretch run.

With Thursday's win, the Yankees are now just three games back in the American League East and have four games coming up in the Bronx against the front-running Tampa Bay Rays from Sept. 22-24. Additionally, 10 of their final 16 games of the season are at Yankee Stadium, a place where they are now 40-31 on the season.

If Volpe can be a stabilizing force at the bottom of the order as he was on Thursday night, it could not only be a remarkable individual turnaround story but could also be a big spark for the Yankees overall as October looms.

Kevin Henry

A member of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA), Kevin Henry has been covering MLB and MiLB for nearly two decades. Those assignments have included All-Star Games and the MLB postseason, including the World Series. Based in the Denver area, Kevin calls Coors Field his home base, but travels throughout North America during the season to discover the best stories possible

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