Heading into Game 4 of the World Series, the New York Yankees looked deader than disco.

Historically, the series ended in Game 3.

Of the 24 previous World Series in which one team jumped out to a 3-0 lead, 21 ended in sweeps, with the other three ending in Game 5.

Forget about actually completing the comeback. No one had even really threatened to make it happen.

And there was nothing about the Yankees’ atmosphere in the previous two games to suggest they would be one of those teams to force a fifth game.

With every game on the line, nothing could go right as they continued to reel from Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1.

The Dodgers turned ducks into runs; the Yankees ended up with zero when they weren’t too busy striking out.

Freeman continued to rake, scoring as many runs in the series (seven) as the Yankees had scored as a team in three games.

That trend continued in earnest early in Game 4. For the second straight night, Freeman delivered a two-run dinger before the Yankees even saw a pitch. One inning later, a baserunning blunder left New York with a run on the board.

Lather, rinse, repeat…wipe?

In the blink of an eye – as fast as a fox – something changed.

In a moment that was *kinda* similar to that of former Red Sox speedster, current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stealing the base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, Anthony Volpe broke the dam with a grand slam of two out in the third inning, turning the Dodgers’ bullpen game into a crowded batting practice en route to an 11-4 victory.

Just one game that won’t change the big picture?

Or the first big step on an unlikely journey towards something historic?

Bringing the series back to LA

The next step starts with Gerrit Cole, both literally and figuratively.

New York had no answer for Los Angeles’ $325 million ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in Game 2, but the Yankees could make it another series if their $324 million ace does his thing in Game 5.

Although they ultimately wasted his effort, Cole was on point in Game 1, allowing just one run in six innings of work. Maybe it wasn’t vintage Gerrit Cole struck out just four, but he fought and he closed out a loaded LA lineup a lot better than any other Yankees starter has done to date.

Cole has now made four starts this postseason with a 2.82 ERA after finishing the regular season with a 2.25 ERA in his last 10 appearances.

Another gem in Game 5 wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

Maybe they’ll let him empty the tank in this one too, after he (and Derek Jeter) were frustrated by Aaron Boone’s decision to lift him after just 88 pitches.

The crime has risen from the dead

And now the Yankees bats are awake, which is a scary proposition for the Dodgers.

Judge isn’t quite there yet, but he’s at least starting to get moving, reaching base three times on a hit-by-pitcher, a walk and the aforementioned RBI single.

He didn’t strike out in Game 4, having whiffed 14 of his previous 25 ABs.

However, getting what they did from the bottom of the lineup on Tuesday night was huge. Volpe and Wells went a combined 2-for-22 with 11 strikeouts in the first three games before exploding for four extra base hits.

They can also imitate that. The July/August version of Wells practically walked away with the AL Rookie of the Year award. Volpe hit .382 with an OPS of 1.041 through his first 15 games this season before hitting .373 and 1.078, respectively, in his first 14 games after the All-Star Break.

Normally they’re tertiary characters in the 2024 Yankees’ story, but if either one gets into trouble, watch out.

Even if the No. 7 and 8 hitters don’t continue to hit, the fact that it could happen just might take some of the burden of the world off Judge’s shoulders, leading to the kind of tear over the last three games and one AB of the series that Freeman had for the first three games and one AB.

Lord knows it could happen soon with the surefire 2024 MVP judge, and Roberts’ decision to sign Brent Honeywell Jr. having him pitch in the eighth inning might have been a big mistake.

Remember that 16-game homerless streak late in the regular season, which was followed by seven home runs in a span of 35 at-bats?

Or the taters he crushed in back-to-back games against the Guardians a few weeks ago?

Despite all the criticism leveled at the home run king so far in October, he was able to ‘All Rise’ to a World Series MVP with a strong final chapter in a historic comeback.

Dodgers are still vulnerable

And friends, let’s not forget our minimal confidence in the Dodgers’ starting rotation heading into this World Series. Yamamoto’s postseason ERA was north of 5.00. Walker Buehler sat at 6:00. Jack Flaherty was above 7:00.

All those choices of Dodgers in 6 or Dodgers in 7 were rooted in the assumption that their high-octane offense would simply outscore the Yankees.

Instead, those Dodgers bats – apart from Freeman of course – were kind of… bad?

Shohei Ohtani is clearly not right about that left shoulder injury. Max Muncy hasn’t been able to buy a hit in the World Series after that incredible on-base streak in the NLCS. And while they have scored at least four runs in every game of this series, the Dodgers have yet to score five in regulation and have collected one run against the Yankees bullpen over the past three games.

If this trend continues, will that number of goals be enough to bury the Yankees?

Or, if it continues with Flaherty getting lit in Game 5 and the Yanks chasing Yamamoto early in Game 6, will it Evaders?

Look, it would behoove Flaherty to waltz into Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night and shove seven scoreless innings down their throats after they failed to trade for him due to concerns about his medical records.

However, if his Game 5 performance of the World Series is anything like his Game 5 performance of the NLCS (3 IP, 8 ER) and the Yankees become the first team in World Series history to force a Game 6 after a Down 3-0, suddenly everything becomes possible in LA.

It’s still quite unlikely that this will happen. DraftKings has the Yankees at +600 to win the series even after Game 4.

But before this series even started, I warned you that weird things always seem to happen in the Fall Classic during the presidential elections.

Even if they ultimately fail to get the win, New York’s rally from a 3-0 deficit for what could be the greatest Game 7 of all time would certainly qualify.

It would certainly be a comeback that would one day be worthy of its own documentary…