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NEW YORK — Top prospect George Lombard Jr. accomplished something only a few players in Yankees history can claim in his major league debut Tuesday night while nearly syncing up exactly with his little brother making his professional debut 1,000 miles south.
About an hour after Jacob Lombard crushed a hanging breaking ball in his second plate appearance in a Single-A game in Jupiter, Florida, his older brother did the same in his second plate appearance in front of a buzzing Yankee Stadium crowd. Both homers came off a hanging breaking ball, and both solo shots had nearly identical exit velocities (100.2 mph for George, 99.9 mph for Jacob) with the same launch angle (33 degrees).
They even shared a similar opponent. The St. Louis Cardinals for George and their minor league affiliate, the Palm Beach Cardinals, for Jacob.
“I haven’t talked to him yet, but I heard. It’s pretty awesome,” George Lombard Jr. stated of his younger brother’s homer after the Yankees’ 2-0 over the St. Louis Cardinals. “I mean, it’s probably awesome for my parents. I would bet they were watching the game on their phones. I was really excited for them too.”
The 21-year-old shortstop had already showed off his vaunted glovework with a smooth backhanded stop and off-balanced throw to initiate a double play to end the second inning. Moments later, he followed that up with the home run off St. Louis Cardinals starter Hunter Dobbins that doubled New York’s lead.
“It was probably a moment, a swing, a day I won’t forget,” Lombard stated.
With the swing, Lombard became the fourth-youngest Yankees infielder to ever homer in a game, the third-youngest Yankee to ever homer in his debut, and the 14th Yankee to ever homer in his debut, joining a group that includes Yogi Berra and Aaron Judge. Lombard grounded out in his first at-bat and walked in his third plate appearance to finish the night 1-for-2.
“I felt pretty relaxed,” Lombard stated. “I think everybody around me, everybody here just helped me feel comfortable from when I got here and welcomed me.”
The Lombard family had planned on attending Jacob’s professional debut in Jupiter, Fla. on Tuesday, a few weeks after the Miami Marlins selected him in the first round of the draft. Those plans changed late Monday night when Lombard was notified of his promotion to the big leagues. He quickly FaceTimed his parents — Judy and George Sr., the Detroit Tigers’ bench coach — and brother to let them know. And both parents, with the 18-year-old Jacob’s urging, booked flights to New York City.
George Lombard Jr. watches the first home run of his Major League career in the fifth inning of his debut at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon SportswireSo Judy and George Sr., who traveled from Seattle where the Tigers began a series against the Mariners on Tuesday, watched Jacob’s home run on a phone in the stands at Yankee Stadium. When George Jr. connected for his milestone homer, they embraced. Moments later, Yankees manager Aaron Boone looked up towards them from the home dugout and shared a smile with George Sr., a former outfielder who played for four teams in a six-year major-league career.”Happy for their family,” Boone stated. “George Sr., I know him a little bit. Great guy. Obviously, someone I respect in this game. I think it’s great that he was able to get here across the country to see his son play. It looked like they had a ton of family up there. I was just trying to drink in a couple of those moments and see how they were taking them in. I can only imagine how exciting of a night it was for him.”The Yankees’ decision to call up Lombard, the organization’s top prospect, represented a shift in thinking. Not only did they promote Lombard, they optioned Anthony Volpe, himself once the hyped top prospect who was given the keys to shortstop in the Bronx, to Triple-A.The message is clear: The Yankees believe Lombard — a first-round pick in 2023, months after Volpe made his major-league debut as the Yankees’ Opening Day shortstop — gives them a better chance to win as they look to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays for the American League East crown.
“He’s checked a lot of boxes,” Boone stated. “He’s put together an outstanding year.”
First and foremost, the Yankees have long believed in Lombard’s maturity and makeup, which benefits from having grown up in clubhouses, especially in Los Angeles where George Sr. spent five seasons on the Dodgers’ coaching staff through 2020.
Defensively, the Yankees entered the season believing Lombard, who began the year in Double-A, was more than ready. That impressive glovework was apparent Tuesday when he made several plays with ease, including the double play in the second inning and a 6-6-3 double play in the fifth.
“Just the ease with which he makes throws,” Boone stated. “It doesn’t feel like he’s ever having to reach for it, yet there’s plenty of life on it. He can be on the run. He can be off balance a little bit. I just think the athleticism … the physicality that he can play it with is really what stands out. Like a puma.”
The question entering the season was when Lombard’s bat would be ready for the next step. His recent stretch — he batted .377 with a 1.081 OPS in 14 games in Triple-A after missing nearly a month with two sprained fingers — made the Yankees believe he was ready for the chance.
With one swing Tuesday, he proved it.
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