Thursday afternoon represents a proud moment for the Volpe family, as Anthony Volpe makes his Yankees debut at just 21 years old.
For Anthony’s parents, Isabelle De Leon and Michael Volpe, the moment will be an incredible capstone to a family bond that began when the two first met.
As highlighted by ESPN’s Joon Lee, Isabelle and Michael bonded as big Yankee fans before Anthony was born. Big, big Yankee fans. The two met in Brooklyn in 1990, and, as Lee describes, broke the ice by quizzing each other on Yankees trivia and going on dates in the bleachers at the old Yankee Stadium.
When it came time for the playoffs, the two would sleep outside the stadium in hopes of securing tickets right when they went on sale. When Anthony was born in 2001, Michael and Isabelle spent the night before watching the 2001 ALDS at the hospital, which was highlighted by Derek Jeter’s iconic flip play to turn the series around.
Now, Anthony is drawing comparisons to Jeter, while his parents try to wrap their heads around how all of this came to be. Particularly Michael, who told Lee he spent many years calling into local sports talk radio shows (including calling Boomer in the mornings!) to talk Yankees, and that rabid fandom was passed down to Anthony. Now, Anthony is suiting up for his childhood team, and his parents no longer need to camp outside for tickets, or watch from the bleachers.
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