Bottom of the Yankees order leads the club to a season-saving victory

Thanks to the Dodgers' deep lineup, they are just one win away from a championship.

On Tuesday night, the back end of the Yankees lineup kept the Dodgers just one win away from a championship.

Seventh-place batter Anthony Volpe hit a grand slam in the third inning, and ninth-place batter Alex Verdugo used his 11-pitch bat to spark a five-run game in the eighth inning as the Yankees escaped defeat with an 11-4 win in Game 4.

Eighth-place batter Austin Wells also hit a home run in the sixth, ensuring safety for the Yankees, who took the lead for good with Volpe's home run, but after Freddie faced six straight at-bats with the tying or go-ahead runs at the plate Freeman (who else?) pulled the Dodgers to 5-4 with his RBI fielder's choice in the fifth inning.

The trio of Volpe, Wells and Verdugo finished 5 of 10 with seven RBIs, two walks and no strikeouts in 12 plate appearances. The Yankees' 7-8-9 hitters – Volpe, Wells and Verdugo, as well as first baseman Anthony Rizzo and backup catcher Jose Trevino – batted just .118 (4-for-34) with one home run, three RBIs and three Walks and 12 strikeouts in the first three World Series games.

“I think there were a lot of big stepping stones,” Verdugo said Tuesday night. “A lot of guys are starting to feel a little more comfortable, have a little more rhythm at the plate and get their swings. So this is something big for us.”

Verdugo's biggest shot may have been his fight against Brent Honeywell Jr. As crucial as Volpe's home run was, he had spent most of the postseason making encouraging plate appearances. The shortstop entered Tuesday hitting .244 (10 for 41) but with nine walks and 13 strikeouts.

But Verdugo hit .195 (8 for 41) with one home run and five RBIs to go, as well as five walks and six strikeouts in his first 12 playoff games. His home run was a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth inning on Monday as the Yankees lost 4-2.

On Tuesday, the Yankees led 6-4 with one out and Wells and Volpe at second and third when Verdugo fell into a 0-2 hole. He fouled six pitches and took two more before hitting a sharp grounder to second, where a drafted Gavin Lux Volpe couldn't throw to the plate.

“I think the biggest thing is just fighting, getting up there and competing,” Verdugo said. “I just tried to do everything I could to extend the offense and finish it with a productive out. Get those guys to third with less than two outs, you've got to find a way to get that run-in.

“And if we don’t do that (and) end up losing the game by one run, you’re kicking yourself.”

Gleyber Torres ended any possibility of a Dodgers rally by hitting a three-run home run three pitches later.

“I think it was good to come in,” Verdugo said. “And 'GT' at the top, feel free to do a 'GT' hack. And that’s what he did.”

Almost as important, Juan Soto followed with a double and scored on Aaron Judge's single. While Torres and Soto have been great this month – they're hitting a combined .290 batting average with six home runs, 17 RBIs and 21 walks against just 15 strikeouts – the RBI was the first of the World Series for Judge, who is batting .152 in the playoffs and .198 in 217 career postseason at-bats.

If Judge joins the bottom of the standings, the Yankees will become a much more dangerous candidate for their first comeback from a three-game deficit in the World Series.

Hitters ranked 7-8-9 in the order are batting .255 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs in 149 total at-bats this postseason for the Dodgers, who have scored a total of 88 runs – the ninth-most in playoff history.

It took the Yankees being on the brink of elimination to pull off a similar performance from the bottom of their rankings. Now this only has to happen three times.

“They are the guys who are going to set the table for the big boys,” Soto said. “Without them we wouldn’t be where we are now. I think they are a big part of it.

“We need every single guy in this lineup.”