“We shared the baseball dream. But I’m the only one alive to pursue it.” – Anthony Volpe
New York, NY – Anthony Volpe played the full nine innings at Yankee Stadium last weekend. No one knew that after he walked down the tunnel to leave the field, he collapsed on the bench, his hands shaking as he read a text message from his mother:
“Honey… Noah didn’t make it.”
Noah, Volpe’s childhood friend who grew up with him in suburban Dallas, Texas, died after floodwaters suddenly engulfed his family’s home. Noah was found clutching his dog in the basement the next morning.
“I’m still playing because he believed in me and kept going.”
Anthony Volpe and Noah formed a junior baseball team when they were 10 years old, sharing the dream of “making it to the MLB together one day.” When Volpe was drafted by the Yankees in the first round of 2019, Noah was the first to run up and hug him, even flying out to the Bronx for Volpe’s first MLB game.
“Every hit I’ve had this season, I promised I’d try to do it for you.”
The Yankees confirmed that Anthony Volpe had asked permission to wear a small black band inside his glove that read “N.O.” — Noah’s initials — for the rest of the season. In a brief social media post after the game, Volpe wrote:
“I was on the field, and you were alone in the flood. I’m sorry I didn’t get to call. But from now on, every game I play will be dedicated to you.”
No one was prepared for such an announcement in the middle of the MLB season. But when Anthony Volpe steps onto the field in the coming days, wearing a quiet name inside his glove, fans will know: not every home run is a celebration – sometimes, it’s a way to say goodbye.