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Anthony Volpe's Game 4 grand slam was bigger part of Yankees history than you thought

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees - Game 4 / Sarah Stier/GettyImages

There's no franchise record book that's more difficult to break into than the one that belongs to the historic New York Yankees -- but Anthony Volpe knows that all too well, of course.

After all, Volpe comes from a family of lifelong Yankee fans. The photo of an eight-year-old version of the Yankees' shortstop posing with his family and friends at the 2009 World Series parade (drought feel long enough yet?) has circulated for good reason. This kid has the genes, which have always helped carry him through rough patches in the eyes of Yankee fans.

Every moment means that much more to Volpe and his clan; just like Gerrit Cole, he is a true Yankee fan today, tomorrow, forever.

And, of course, it had to be him to tip the scoreboard in the Yankees' direction in Game 4. With a third inning rally on the verge of being extinguished, Volpe laid into the first pitch from a wild Daniel Hudson and took it into the bleachers in left field.

2-1 Dodgers to 5-2 Yankees. Life created, with one crack of the bat.

Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe smashes grand slam to flip lead in World Series game for first time in franchise history

How often has such an impactful grand slam occurred in the history of the World Series for these 27-time World Champions and 41-time AL champs?

Try "never"; Volpe is the first Yankee to ever hit a grand slam in such a situation, as noted by legendary stats guru Katie Sharp.

Some things feel uncommon, but the fact that they've never happened elicits a grunt of disbelief. This is one of those head-turning historical notes, especially for a franchise that's collected 'em all.

If the Yankees are somehow able to eke out a victory in Game 4, that'll get the ball to Mr. "Today, Tomorrow, Forever" himself, Gerrit Cole. He'll be focused on the "tomorrow" part immediately after the final out.

Of course, so will the rest of the team, too. Even with a franchise history this expansive, these Yankees know to take things one game at a time.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.