The New York Yankees’ clash against the Los Angeles Angels had a lot going on. For two teams that are on a wildly different trajectory, few expected things to be so explosive so quickly. But then, isn’t it on brand for Aaron Boone to bear the brunt of punishments? This time too, in his bid to fight for Juan Soto’s out in a decision similar to one a few days ago, Boone got ejected. But while that’s the highlight, Anthony Volpe’s story isn’t anything less exciting.

While in the case of Boone, the ejection forced him to stay out of the field, Volpe’s situation was different. The 23-year-old has been on a form of life and a streak worth remembering. With him now having 21 consecutive hitting games, Volpe is nearing a record set by legendary Joe DiMaggio. But first, it was Boone’s ejection that led to questions being raised on interference rules.

At the top of the first inning, the Bronx Bombers had all bases loaded with no outs. That’s when Giancarlo Stanton hit a pop-up to second base. With the infield fly rule called, Juan Soto gradually retreated to second base. But just as he was taking his final step, Angels’ shortstop Zach Neto collided with Soto while trying to catch the ball. The umpires called interference on Soto and made it a double play. The Yankees skipper was infuriated but then got ejected.

“Obviously a wonky play,” Boone said later, per New York Post. Though Boone agreed that technically the call was correct, he added that “some nuance and judgement” can go towards the rule. “Juan’s in jeopardy of getting doubled off if he doesn’t get there,” Boone said. “If you don’t nail the get-back in the right exact way, he just got stuck with Neto probably misjudging it a little bit and backing into him. What are you to do as a runner?” In the end, the New York Yankees ended up losing 2-1 to the Angels. But while that’s a disappointment, at least for Anthony Volpe, things are getting interesting.

Anthony Volpe nears a New York Yankees immortal’s record

As Anthony Volpe led off the game with a single, his hitting streak grew to 22 consecutive games. That tied him to No. 2 in the list of longest streaks by a Yankees player aged 23 or below. Above him sits the legendary Joe DiMaggio, with 23 consecutive games. And with Volpe also sits DiMaggio, with a 21-game streak. Interestingly, July 22 separates both of these streaks of DiMaggio. DiMaggio would’ve had a 54-game streak, had he gotten a hit that day!

But then even that would’ve been two short of DiMaggio’s 56-game streak in 1941! With two other 23- and 24-game streaks, DiMaggio certainly knew a thing or two about hitting streaks. However, while the No. 1 spot is quite far for Volpe, he can still be in the all-time top 5 in the New York Yankees, with number 5 being Roger Peckinpaugh with 29 games in 1919. For a player who is just starting his career, that certainly would be a great achievement. It would once again prove that the New York Yankees’ continued belief in Anthony Volpe was the right call.