Volpe slam sparks comeback after Freeman homer, Yanks beat Dodgers 11-4 to force World Series Game 5

NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen years after little Anthony Volpe watched the Yankees parade with the World Series trophy, he saved their season and kept alive hopes for an improbable title.

New York had moved closer to getting swept in the World Series when Freddie Freeman hit another first-inning home run.

Volpe, a New York native whose family idolizes the pinstripes going back generations, turned on a knee-high slider and perhaps reshaped the Series, too. His third-inning grand slam sparked the Yankees to an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night that forced a Game 5.

“The place was shaking. I felt the ground literally shaking,” Yankees catcher Austin Wells said.

Wells and Gleyber Torres added homers for the Yankees, who broke open the game with a five-run eighth.

New York, which had scored just seven runs in the first three games, had some of its swagger back. Wells spoke after the game wearing a “Fully Operational Death Star” Yankees T-shirt, referring to general manager Brian Cashman's 2018 quip.

Fans in the sellout crowd of 49,354 chanted Volpe's name during the ninth inning.

“It’s like you finally got to see the top blow off Yankee Stadium in a World Series game,” Aaron Boone said after his first World Series win as New York's manager. “When Anthony hits that ball, it was like fun to see Yankee Stadium erupt.”

Wells said the dire situation after Monday's loss had relieved the pressure.

“Why not go out tomorrow and have fun?” he described as the mood.

Freeman homered for his sixth straight Series game when he deposited a slider from rookie Luis Gil into the right-field short porch following Mookie Betts’ one-out double. He became the first player to homer in the first four games of a World Series and his streak of long balls in six straight games is one more than Houston’s George Springer 2017 and ’19.

“I'll look back on it after hopefully we win and get this thing done tomorrow,” Freeman said. “Pretty cool. Obviously, hopefully I can keep it going tomorrow.”

Game 5 is Wednesday night, with the Yankees ace Gerrit Cole and the Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty meeting in a rematch of Game 1.

Seeking to become the first team to overcome a 3-0 Series deficit, New York surged ahead 5-2 on Alex Verdugo’s RBI grounder in the second and Volpe’s drive against Daniel Hudson.

“All it takes is just one swing,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said.

Volpe sent Hudson's first pitch into the left-field seats.

“I pretty much blacked out as soon as I saw it go over the fence," Volpe said.

A Gold Glove shortstop in his second big league season, the 23-year-old Volpe also doubled and became the first player in Series history with a grand slam and a pair of stolen bases in one game. He was 8 when the Yankees last won the Series.

Volpe scored New York’s first run when he walked after falling behind 0-2 in the second inning. He made a baserunning blunder when he headed back to second to tag up and failed to score on Wells' double off the center-field wall — pounding his own leg in anger. Verdugo followed with an RBI grounder.

“They’re going to fight,” Betts said. “If you made it this far, you have a resilient team that’s going to fight the whole time.”

Los Angeles closed within 6-4 in a two-run fifth that included Will Smith's homer off Gil and an RBI grounder by Freeman. Despite a sprained right ankle, Freeman beat a relay to avoid an inning-ending double play on what originally was ruled an out but was reversed in a video review.

Wells hit a second-deck homer in the sixth against Landon Knack, and Verdugo added another run-scoring grounder in the eighth — capping an 11-pitch at-bat — ahead of Torres' three-run homer off Brent Honeywell.

Tim Hill, winning pitcher Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Luke Weaver and Tim Mayza strung together five innings of one-hit scoreless relief with seven strikeouts, and the Yankees avoided what would have been their first losing Series sweep since 1976.

“As far as outcomes, to have six guys in your ’pen that are feeling good, rested, I feel good about that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Twenty-one of the previous 24 teams to take 3-0 Series leads went on to sweeps, all but the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics against the Chicago Cubs, the 1937 Yankees against the New York Giants and the 1970 Baltimore Orioles against the Cincinnati Reds. All three of those Series ended in five games.

The 2004 Boston Red Sox, sparked by a stolen base by Roberts, are the only team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in any round, beating the Yankees in the AL Championship Series.

Judge drove in his first run of the Series with an RBI single in the eighth and is 2 for 15 in the four games. Dodgers sensation Shohei Ohtani also is 2 for 15 after going 1 for 4 with a single, his first hit since partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2.

New York stopped a seven-game Series losing streak against the Dodgers dating to 1981. The Yankees got their first seven RBIs from the bottom three hitters in their batting order, Volpe, Wells and Verdugo, who had entered 4 for 32 with three RBIs in the Series.

Volpe was interviewed after the game by former Yankees captain Derek Jeter, now a Fox broadcaster.

“It’s my dream, but it was all my friends’ dreams, all my cousins’ dreams, probably my sister’s dream, too. But winning the World Series was first and foremost. by far. Nothing else compares. So still got a lot of work to do,” Volpe said.

Former Boston star David Ortiz, also a Fox commentator, gave Volpe a shirt.

“I’ve got it in my locker,” Volpe said. “I can’t wear it. It’s got him and Red Sox stuff on it.”

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Cole allowed one run over six-plus innings in the opener -- Kiké Hernández tripled in the fifth as right fielder Juan Soto took a poor route, then scored on Smith’s sacrifice fly. Flaherty gave up two runs in 5 1/3 innings, a two-run homer by Giancarlo Stanton.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB

Los Angeles Dodgers players watch from the dugout during the ninth inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the New York Yankees, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe (11) and Gleyber Torres celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 11-4. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo, left, Aaron Judge, center, and Juan Soto celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 11-4. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton (27) and Juan Soto celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 11-4. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Alex Verdugo (24), Aaron Judge and Juan Soto celebrate after Game 4 of the baseball World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. The Yankees won 11-4. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe reacts after scoring against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees pitcher Luke Weaver throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Austin Wells hits home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman hits a two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning in Game 3 of the baseball World Series, Monday, Oct. 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman celebrates his two-run home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe celebrates after hitting a grand slam against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe celebrates his grand slam home run with Aaron Judge against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe celebrates his grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe hits a grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

New York Yankees' Anthony Volpe celebrates his grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 4 of the baseball World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

GABORONE, Botswana (AP) — Polls opened in an election in Botswana on Wednesday and a country was set to decide if one of Africa's longest-ruling parties stays in power for another five-year term.

The Botswana Democratic Party has been in power in the southern African nation for 58 years since independence from Britain in 1966. The one-day election will decide the makeup of Parliament and lawmakers will later elect the president.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi, a 63-year-old former high school teacher and United Nations employee, is seeking a second and final term.

Botswana has been held up as one of Africa's success stories as a peaceful and stable democracy with one of the best standards of living in the region, but it is facing new economic challenges that have pushed the BDP to concede that policy change is needed.

That's largely because of a global downturn in demand for diamonds, which Botswana's economy relies on. Unemployment in the nation of some 2.5 million people has risen to 27% this year, and it's significantly higher for young people.

The BDP says it has listened to the concerns of voters and is open to policy changes that could diversify an economy where diamonds account for more than 80% of Botswana's exports and a quarter of the GDP, according to the World Bank.

Three men have registered to challenge Masisi for president: Duma Boko of the main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change party, Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party and Mephato Reatile from the Botswana Patriotic Front.

Counting is expected to start straight after polls close Wednesday evening and the results could be announced within days.

While the BDP has dominated Botswanan politics since independence, recent economic uncertainty has closed the gap between it and the opposition, analysts say.

Botswana is the second biggest producer of diamonds behind Russia and has been responsible for all the biggest rough gems found in the past decade. But sales of rough diamonds at Debswana, the company the Botswana government jointly owns with the De Beers Group and a critical source of state revenue, were down nearly 50% in the first half of 2024, according to authorities. That has put a dent in the public purse and raised criticism of Masisi and the BDP for not taking steps to diversify the economy.

Government employees have received their salaries late as a result of the tight financial position, taking the shine off of Botswana’s reputation for efficient government.

Ahead of the election, the BDP said it would now put emphasis on processing mineral resources for new revenue streams, while also building the agriculture and tourism sectors.

Just over a million people have registered to vote, according to the Independent Electoral Commission. Botswana is larger than France but has a small population, with the Kalahari Desert covering large portions of the landlocked country that borders South Africa. Drought and desertification threaten Botswana’s development and the livelihoods of many of its people.

The election could also revive Masisi’s feud with former President Ian Khama, the man he succeeded as Botswana’s leader and then fell out with.

Khama, the son of Botswana’s founding president, quit the BDP and went into exile in South Africa in 2021, accusing Masisi of taking an authoritarian approach to criticism. Khama was charged with illegal possession of a firearm and receiving stolen property in a criminal case he said was politically motivated to silence him.

Khama returned to Botswana in September to attend a court hearing and has campaigned for the Botswana Patriotic Front in an attempt to oust Masisi.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Members of the Botswana Democratic Party sing and dance as they arrive for their election rally, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Members of the Botswana Democratic Party cheer their leader during election rally, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Botswana's President and Democratic Party leader Mokgweetsi Masisi dances during his election rally, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Posters showing election party candidates, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A man walks passes election posters, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Members of the Botswana Democratic Party sing and dance as they arrive for their election rally a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Members of the Botswana Democratic Party sing and dance as they arrive for their election rally, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Botswana Democratic Party president Mokgweetsi Masisi speaks during his election rally, a day before elections in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

A woman and a child passes an election poster of ruling party Botswana Democratic Party president Mokgweetsi Masisi in Gaborone, Botswana, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)