It’s a pinstripe fairy tale.
The photos speak volumes: There was a newborn Anthony Volpe in 2001, wrapped in a hospital blanket and donning a Yankees baseball cap from the start.
Fast forward to 2009, and there’s an 8-year-old Anthony playing hooky with his family, braving the chill Manhattan air to watch the Bombers’ celebrate their 27th World Series victory.
“I don’t remember too much about that day besides being freezing and having my mom wake me up super early telling me we were skipping school to go to the parade,” his cousin who was there with him said on Wednesday.
“And of course I remember bragging about being there for the parade the next day at school,” she said. “I don’t think I understood the impact of being present for that event back then, but looking back I am so grateful to have those memories.”
Volpe’s childhood dream came true last season, when he took the field with his beloved Yankees — and hit a new high on Tuesday, when helped propel the team to a Game 4 World Series win.
The 23-year-old shortstop went 3-4 on the day, with a grand slam and two stolen bases.
“It’s been really surreal growing up with these Yankees stories and memories and now watching them unfold from a different point of view,” his cousin said.
Volpe spoke about his grandfather and his Yankees roots during a post-game interview Tuesday.
“The Yankees are more than just a team, an organization for him,” he said. “His [father] fought in World War II and he was little and by the time he got back. His mom basically told him, ‘This is your dad.’ He didn’t know him, didn’t recognize him, didn’t anything.
“The way he got to know and get to know his father, was he sat on his lap every single night and they listened to the Yankees together,” he said. “So for him it’s more than sports.”
The kid from Jersey has now embarked on his own Yankees journey, even as his tenure to the team has just started — just ask former Bronx Bombers captain Derek Jeter.
“One, you should’ve been in school instead of being in that parade,” Jeter joked with his heir apparent at shortstop on Fox Sports Tuesday night.
“But right now just think about it man, you’re a few wins away,” Jeter said. “Keep it going. You got a lot of kids in the New York, New Jersey area that want to grow up and be you.”
Cue the next baseball fairy tale.
