In 1995, a young Derek Jeter walked his first steps in the iconic Bronx. A few years later, sitting restlessly in the crowd was a young baseball champion, who had already represented his country in global under-12 and 15 championships. Little did a young Anthony Volpe know that two decades later, he will prepare to walk his first step into the historic and storied Yankee Stadium.

After getting picked by the New York Yankees in the 2019 MLB draft, three seasons later, Anthony Volpe is ready to don the Pinstripes with #77 on his back. But being a Derek Jeter fan, what is the story behind Volpe’s jersey number?

The reason behind Anthony Volpe wearing the #77 jersey

All through the early days of his career, Anthony Volpe wore a jersey with the number seven. His affection for jersey number seven stemmed from his grandfather’s love for the New York Yankees legend, Mickey Mantle. As a result, when he finally got to pick his number, he wore seven.

Now, after finally getting named in the Yankees opening-day roster after outperforming Oswald Peraza and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, in an interview with the New York Post, while discussing the reason behind his jersey number, Volpe said, “Well, my grandfather, his favorite player, is Mickey Mantle. When I was little, ready to pick a number, I figured that’d be the best one to choose (smile). Yeah. I just showed up, and I walked in. That was what was waiting for me. It’s pretty cool.”

He continued to speak about watching the 20-time All-Star and seven-time World Champion Mickey Mantle and said “Yeah, definitely. I think watching all those older players, just how they didn’t have any of the stuff we had but how natural and how good their swings were. It’s pretty cool to watch.”

Read More: 22-Year-Old New York Yankees Star Addresses the “Added Pressure” of Following Derek Jeter’s Legendary Footsteps Amid Intense Battle

Notably, the New York Yankees retired Mickey Mantle’s jersey number seven and added a plaque with his name to Monument Park in 1969. Do you think Volpe will go near as close to Mickey Mantle in his career? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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