Ever since he was chosen as the Yankees shortstop, Anthony Volpe continues to make his presence felt both on the field and outside. When the 21-year-old hit his first career home run, it also scripted another piece of news.
No doubt Anthony Volpe’s bat has all the credit for his 394-foot homer over the left fence at Yankee Stadium. However, it will have another facet that Yankees fans will remember forever. It is the way Yankees voice John Sterling called the home run by the 21-year old.
The Italian-themed call of Anthony Volpe’s HR
After Anthony Volpe hit his first major league home run, longtime Yankees radio play-by-play voice Sterling came out with a signature home run shout for the player.
“Anthony Volpe! A spettacolo oggi! Oh, the fox socks one to left,” Sterling said. “And the Yankees take an immediate 1-0 lead.”
The Italian-themed call was certain to amaze many while sending Yankees fans to scramble for its meaning.
But it was Sterling’s way of praising Anthony Volpe’s Italian ancestry. Here’s the translation:
“Anthony Volpe! Today, at the show, oh, the fox socks one to left!”
“Volpe” means “fox” in Italian, while “A spettacolo oggi” can be translated to “Putting on a show today.”
Volpe’s Italian heritage
In a speech he gave last year to the Italian American Baseball Foundation, Anthony Volpe revealed that his paternal great-great grandfather immigrated to the United States from Naples. His mother, Isabelle, was an American immigrant whose roots are in the Philippines.
His parents were doctors and Anthony Volpe was aspiring to be a doctor. But the Yankees scouts were able to win him over to accept their draft proposal.
Not a first for Sterling
Anthony Volpe was not the first one to get such a call from the sportscaster. Whenever a new Yankees player scores his first home run, Sterling never forgets to come up with a memorable call.
As usual, Sterling began his home run call with his catchphrase when Anthony Volpe hit his first career home run.
It was a high fly to deep left-center,” Sterling said. Very so. The distance is enormous. Lost forever. The first career home run for Anthony Volpe.
“Swung on, a high fly to deep left-center,” Sterling called. “It is high. It is far. It is gone. Volpe’s first home run in the major leagues.”
He often uses the phrase “it is high, it is far, it is gone” to call a home run notwithstanding if the homer is worth that description.
Using a foreign language for a home run call was obviously not new for Sterling.
When Giancarlo Stanton homers, Sterling says “Giancarlo, non si può de stoparlo.”
In 2021, Sterling used “You are Odoriffic!; Je t’adore, Odor,” while calling Rougned Odor’s first homer with the team.
As he has done since 1989, the Yankees fans expect that Sterling, now 84 years old, will announce the majority of their games this season.
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