Heartwarming images show Yankees star Anthony Volpe's pinstripe tale from baby fan to Bronx Bomber

It's a pinstripe fairy tale.

The photos speak volumes: In 2001, there was a newborn Anthony Volpe wrapped in a hospital blanket and wearing a Yankees baseball cap from the start.

Fast forward to 2009, and there's an 8-year-old Anthony playing hooky with his family and braving the chilly Manhattan air to watch the Bombers celebrate their 27th World Series victory.

“I don't remember much about that day except that I was cold and that my mother woke me up very early and told me that we were skipping school to go to the parade,” said his cousin, who was there with him on Wednesday.

“And of course I remember bragging at school the next day about being in the parade,” she said. “I don’t think I understood at the time the impact of being at this event, but looking back, I’m so grateful to have these memories.”

Volpe's childhood dream came true last season when he took the field with his beloved Yankees – and reached a new height Tuesday when he helped lead the team to victory in Game 4 of the World Series.

The 23-year-old shortstop went 3-4 on the day with a grand slam and two stolen bases.

“It was really surreal growing up with these stories and memories of the Yankees and now looking at them from a different perspective,” his cousin said.

Volpe spoke about his grandfather and his Yankees roots in a postgame interview on Tuesday.

“To him, the Yankees are more than just a team, an organization,” he said. “His (father) fought in World War II and when he came back he was still small. His mother basically told him, “This is your father.” He didn’t know him, didn’t recognize him, didn’t do anything.

“The way he met and got to know his father was he would sit on his lap every night and they would listen to the Yankees together,” he said. “So for him it’s more than just sport.”

The boy from Jersey has now begun his own Yankees journey, although his tenure with the team has just begun – just ask former Bronx Bombers captain Derek Jeter.

“First of all, you should have been in school instead of marching in that parade,” Jeter joked with his heir apparent at shortstop on Fox Sports on Tuesday night.

“But think about it, man, you’re just a couple wins away,” Jeter said. “Keep it up. There are a lot of kids in the New York, New Jersey area who grow up and want to be like you.”

Tell us the next baseball fairy tale.