'I couldn't have dreamed of this': Volpe prepping for WS with childhood team

NEW YORK -- Pressed against a metal barricade in front of a Duane Reade pharmacy on Broadway, Anthony Volpe craned his neck to catch glimpses of his Yankees heroes passing by on parade floats. There was Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte -- all the favorites for whom he’d emptied his 8-year-old lungs cheering during the club’s inaugural season at the new Yankee Stadium.

It was November of 2009, and the young Volpe -- dressed that mild, sunny afternoon in his favorite ballcap and a gray Bombers sweatshirt -- expected family trips to celebrate World Series victories would become an annual event. Fifteen years later, Volpe is the shortstop of a pennant-winning Yankees club, the first person to claim that title since his idol Jeter during that long-gone autumn.

“It’s a dream come true, but it’s better than anything I ever dreamed,” Volpe said on Saturday, as the Yankees toasted their American League Championship Series victory over the Guardians in a wet and wild celebration at Progressive Field. “To be part of this group of guys and this team, we have the opportunity to do something historic and special. I mean, I couldn’t have dreamed of this.”

Volpe credits his Yankees fandom to his parents, Michael and Isabella, quipping that he “never really had a choice” growing up in a household that bleeds pinstripes to this day. New Jersey is home now, but they lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side then, sharing a season ticket plan with other families in the 200 level down the left-field line -- prime foul ball territory.

Volpe remembers the jolt of adrenaline he’d feel when the 4 Train kissed daylight in the Bronx, where he'd arc his neck to see the gleaming new cathedral rising into view. He’d arrive early to watch batting practice -- almost always wearing Jeter’s No. 2 on his back -- and marvel at Rodriguez’s pregame throwing routine. More often than not, the home team would win.

“That year, there were so many walk-offs,” Volpe said. “We went to one of the games where Melky Cabrera hit a walk-off home run [April 22 vs. Oakland]. It felt like that year, there was a walk-off once a week -- and it was pretty cool to be there for one of those.”

Volpe’s memories are a bit hazy from that time period; he remembers attending at least one playoff game, noting that it was so loud, “it felt like the stadium was going to come down shaking.” But Volpe is certain he didn’t attend any of the six contests against the Phillies in 2009, meaning that his first World Series game will be one he plays in.

“It’s going to be electric,” Volpe said. “We’re ready for the moment. We’ve been through everything. I know when the time comes, we’ll be ready.”

After a debut campaign in which he won the American League’s Gold Glove Award at shortstop, joining Jeter as the only Yankees to do so at that position, Volpe has saved his best for last this year. The regular season saw him moved into the leadoff spot, then down in the order, completing the year slashing .243/.293/.364 with 12 homers and 60 RBIs in 160 games.

But Volpe has found his stroke in the postseason, bringing a blend of contact ability and aggressive baserunning to the bottom of the order. Yankees manager Aaron Boone credits the break between the club’s final regular-season game on Sept. 29 and the start of the AL Division Series against the Royals.

“I watch him every day from the side, and it was noticeable to me in the week off or the days off leading up to the Kansas City series,” Boone said. “It was like, ‘There you go. There it is.’ I think he's mechanically getting into a better position to get a good swing off. For me, he's just behind the ball. His load’s better.”

Volpe agreed with Boone’s assessment, saying the five-day break was significant. He used that time wisely during the club’s workouts at Yankee Stadium, including extra reps with the Trajekt machine, a high-tech pitching device that simulates live at-bats against actual big leaguers.

Through nine postseason games, Volpe is 9-for-29 (.310) with a double, eight walks and two stolen bases -- numbers that don’t tell the complete story, as he has also gone unrewarded for several well-struck balls to the right side.

“He's having really good at-bats,” said outfielder Alex Verdugo, who noted Volpe’s higher exit velocity in the postseason. “For me, he's controlling the bats really well. He's using all sides of the field, hitting balls to the right side, hitting balls to the left side and up the middle.

“I think when he's doing that and he's staying low with his trajectory of the ball, usually it winds up to be pretty successful for him. I know some of it was a little bit of tough luck with hitting right at guys, but you'd take those all day.”

Volpe explained there has been no significant change to his approach -- his recent success comes from trusting his abilities. He boiled it down to this: “I want to hit the ball hard. I want to barrel the ball up. So when that's happening, I feel like I'm in a good spot.”

Yes, World Series shortstop for the Yankees certainly qualifies as a "good spot." Volpe isn’t fully able to appreciate the scope of his journey yet, saying that “the story is far from over this year.”

But he knows how it should end.

“What makes the Yankees the Yankees is winning, and winning a World Series,” Volpe said. “For me, that was always the standard, at least from the outside. Getting drafted as an 18-year-old and coming up through the system, learning from the inside how they treat the players -- it's first-class for a reason, and all the reasons are to win.”