NEW YORK — George Lombard Jr. had already given the Yankees a reason to learn something important about him before the loudest swing of his young career.
Less than two weeks ago, the 21-year-old shortstop was in his first major league crisis. Lombard committed an error in six straight games, tying a franchise record last reached by Chick Fewster in 1921. The last Yankees shortstop to do it was Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915.
That skid struck at the strength New York trusted most. Lombard reached the majors with a reputation for advanced defense and composure. The Yankees had repeatedly rejected trade inquiries involving their 2023 first-round pick before the deadline because they viewed him as foundational. A rival scout had also predicted Lombard could struggle after reaching a new level before eventually “flipping the switch.”
Boone resisted treating the mistakes as a reason to retreat from Lombard. The manager kept emphasizing the rookie’s defensive foundation and expected him to work through the stretch.
That patience mattered because the Yankees had promoted Lombard directly into one of baseball’s most scrutinized positions during a postseason race, not into a low-pressure evaluation period. Lombard’s confidence also remained intact as the Yankees waited to see whether his glove and routine would stabilize.
Then came a right knee scare Aug. 29. Imaging showed no structural damage, but Lombard missed four games. He returned with the Yankees protecting the top American League wild-card position and still chasing Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Colorado at Yankee Stadium changed the picture again. What Lombard did in the third inning mattered immediately. What he said afterward about failure and Anthony Volpe’s impending return may tell the Yankees even more.
The swing ends a 194-homer Yankees oddity
The Yankees entered Game 145 with 194 home runs, fourth most in the majors, but zero grand slams. They were threatening to finish without one for the first time since 1990.
With two outs in the third, Aaron Judge singled, Luis García Jr. doubled and Spencer Jones walked. Lombard then drove a 1-0 slider from Tomoyuki Sugano the opposite way into the right-field seats.
The Statcast-projected 353-foot shot made it 5-0. It was Lombard’s first career grand slam, his third MLB homer and New York’s first slam of 2026. It was also the Yankees’ first grand slam since Ben Rice at Baltimore on Sept. 21, 2025, and their first at home since Cody Bellinger against the Mets on May 18, 2025.
Boone welcomed the end of the season-long drought.
“Hopefully, they come in bunches,” Boone said.
“It’s a big swing to put us in front and give us a good lead,” Lombard said. “[Sugano] has got a bunch of different pitches and gets a lot of weak contact, so just looking for something in the middle of the zone that I could drive.”
One swing rewrites three Yankees age lines
Lombard was 21 years and 99 days old, making him the second-youngest Yankees player to hit a grand slam because only Mickey Mantle did it younger.
There is a more precise wrinkle. Lombard’s slam is the third-youngest grand-slam occurrence in Yankees history. Mantle owns the two younger marks, at 20 years and 280 days on July 26, 1952, at Detroit and 20 years and 283 days on July 29, 1952, at the White Sox.
Lombard also established a Yankees home record. He became the youngest player in franchise history to hit a grand slam at home, surpassing Volpe, who was 22 years and 12 days old when he did it against Oakland at Yankee Stadium on May 10, 2023.
Before Lombard, the five Yankees grand slams hit by players under 22, including the postseason, had all come on the road. Four belonged to Mantle. Mantle and Lou Gehrig are also the only other Yankees since 1920 to record at least four RBIs in a game at a younger age than Lombard.
“It’s obviously pretty special,” Lombard said. “That’s up there – a legend in the game, and especially here.”
The defensive crisis becomes part of the payoff
The Yankees were just as interested in how Lombard reached this moment. He homered in his MLB debut Aug. 4 and went 18-for-63, a .286 average, through his first 18 games. Then his bat cooled as the defensive errors mounted, followed by the knee issue.
A veteran rival scout had described that adjustment pattern before Lombard’s promotion and cautioned not to expect much immediate offense, despite his raw power.
Lombard said the error streak became a lesson.
“I think it was good in a way for me to get through that,” Lombard said. “Obviously, it wasn’t good for the team; it put us in a bad spot. But I think I just learned from it. That’s all you can do, is just gain that experience and see how it is to bounce back from that and deal with that. I’m definitely in a better place.”
Teammates saw the same response. Will Warren said Lombard’s preparation and professionalism stood out even when his results did not.
“He’s young, but he carries himself like he’s been around for a long time,” Warren said.
Aaron Boone’s praise centered on the same trait.
“Just his maturity [stands out],” Boone said. “Physical kid, talented, I think he’s going to be a really good player in this league for a long time. But right now, it’s just his maturity. Doesn’t seem to speed up for him. He handles success and failures within the game, which you’re always going to have every single night, maturely.”
Lombard’s Volpe reaction adds another test
With Jazz Chisholm Jr. headed to the injured list because of a sprained right thumb, the Yankees are bringing Volpe back from Triple-A. Volpe has also been getting work at second base.
Asked whether it was awkward to have Volpe return after Lombard took over at shortstop, Lombard declined to frame it as a rivalry.
Lombard said, “We’re all in the baseball world. We know what the baseball world is like – anything can happen. Excited to have him, excited to work together”
Volpe has batted .284/.381/.642 with 10 homers, seven doubles and 21 RBIs in 28 Triple-A games. Lombard is batting .240/.299/.375 with three homers and 11 RBIs through 28 major league games.
The answer matched the even-keeled response teammates and Boone have repeatedly cited, while leaving the Yankees flexibility to use Volpe elsewhere in the infield.
New York improved to 83-62, a season-high 21 games over .500. The Yankees remained four games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and four games ahead of Boston for the top AL wild-card spot with 17 games left.
Lombard’s slam ended a season-long Yankees oddity and created a new home age record. His path from a century-old error streak to that moment, and his calm response to Volpe’s return, may matter even more to a club deciding how much of its present and future to place in his hands.
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