George Lombard Jr. didn’t just hold his own in the Yankees’ wild-card opener. He carved out a place in franchise history while helping New York roll past Boston in Game 1 on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
The rookie shortstop went 3 for 4 and scored twice in the Yankees’ nine-run outburst against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, becoming the youngest player in the 124 seasons of Yankees baseball to record a hit in a postseason game. Lombard’s single gave him that mark at 21 years and 119 days, topping the previous record held by Jesus Montero, who was 21 years and 310 days old in 2011 ALDS Game 4.
He also became only the second-youngest player ever to pile up three or more hits in a postseason debut. The only player younger was Gregg Jefferies, who was 21 years and 64 days old when he collected three hits in Game 1 of the 1988 NLCS for the New York Mets.
Lombard’s night stood out even before the records started falling. He had made his major league debut in August, and after the call-up he posted a .699 OPS with a 92 OPS+ in 152 regular-season at-bats. His glove carried real weight too: Baseball Reference credited him with 1 WAR in his first 42 games, a pace that points to nearly 4 WAR over a full season.
The matchup also fit him. Lombard had a .910 OPS in 30 plate appearances against left-handers this season, and Boston sent lefty Payton Tolle to the mound. That made the choice to start Lombard over veteran Jazz Chisholm Jr. easier, with Anthony Volpe, another right-handed hitter, also in the lineup at second base.
Still, the biggest swing in the Yankees’ win came from Ben Rice. The Cohasset, Massachusetts native went 4 for 5 with two home runs and six RBIs to power New York’s offense.
With the victory in hand, the Yankees can clinch the best-of-three series with a win in Game 2 on Wednesday.
In Other News...
Yankees Capitalized On A Red Sox Decision Fans Will Debate
Bostons decision point in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series came with the kind of postseason tension that gets second-guessed almost immediately. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy went to the bullpen in the fifth inning with Payton Tolle still in a one-run game, even though the starter had worked 4.2 innings and allowed just five hits and one earned run. In October, every move gets magnified, especially when a young starter has kept his team close and the margin is still narrow.
The Yankees made sure the debate did not stay theoretical for long. After Tolle gave way to left-hander Erik Miller, Ben Rice jumped on the matchup and delivered a solo home run, the kind of swing that turns a managerial call into a talking point all over again. The larger question hanging over the night is whether Boston moved on Tolle too quickly for the setting, or whether the bullpen decision simply reflected the pressure of protecting a game that was already slipping into the late innings. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Have Created A Huge Roman Anthony Problem For The Bronx
Roman Anthonys return for the Boston Red Soxs final regular-season game looked like a significant step toward getting one of their most talented young hitters back on the field, but it did not come without concern. Anthony had already missed much of the season because of a right hand injury, and even in a game that was supposed to help set the tone for October, the hand became an issue again.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said the hand was uncomfortable and flared up on a check swing, which is the kind of development no team wants to hear this time of year. For the Yankees, the bigger question is not just whether Anthony can play, but whether Boston can count on him being anywhere close to fully functional if these clubs end up seeing each other in the postseason. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Judge Just Became A New Yankees Optics Problem
Aaron Judges postseason absence already changed the look of the Yankees Wild Card Series roster, but the larger issue was how far that decision seemed to reach beyond the field. Judge was left off the 26-man roster because a right calf injury kept him from being ready for playoff action, and manager Aaron Boone said the captain had made progress even if he still was not ready for the full demands of October baseball. Boone also made a point of saying Judge remained involved with the team away from the field, which only underscored how unusual the whole situation felt.
What caught attention, though, was Judges absence from the pregame introductions as well. The Yankees did not publicly explain that choice, and for a player who normally sits at the center of everything the club does, the omission created a separate optics problem on top of the roster issue. In a postseason built on symbolism as much as lineup cards, leaving out the face of the franchise from the opening ceremony only invited more questions about how the Yankees wanted to present a sidelined star. [Read more 🡒]