NEW YORK — George Lombard Jr. needed only a few weeks in the Yankees clubhouse before apparently deciding Spencer Jones belonged around his waist.
The Yankees rookie shortstop arrived at Yankee Stadium on Friday wearing one of the more unusual pieces of equipment seen during the club’s 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. His custom belt featured Jones’ face prominently across the front.
It looked strange enough to become a YES Network highlight of its own.
The timing explained most of it.
Friday marked the opening night of MLB Players’ Weekend, the annual three-day event that loosens baseball’s normal uniform restrictions and gives players room to show more of their personalities through custom cleats, bats and other equipment. MLB designated Friday’s theme as “Off-Field Interests,” with Saturday devoted to causes and Sunday to appreciation for people who helped players reach the majors.
Lombard turned the freedom into an inside Yankees joke.
There has been no public explanation from Lombard detailing exactly why he chose Jones’ face for the belt. But the game feed specifically identified the equipment as “George Lombard Jr.’s belt with Spencer Jones’ face,” and the choice fits a friendship that has become increasingly visible since Lombard reached the majors.
Jones returned the spirit of the bit in his own way. Images circulating during Players’ Weekend showed him wearing a belt featuring Ben Rice’s face, turning the Yankees’ young-player group into something resembling a chain of clubhouse tributes.
What happened once the game started made Lombard’s choice considerably more entertaining.
The face on his belt supplied nearly all the offense the Yankees needed.
Jones makes Lombard’s belt choice look perfectly timed
Spencer Jones came to the plate in the second inning with Trent Grisham aboard and the Yankees still scoreless.
He turned on a Spencer Arrighetti pitch and sent it toward the right-field line. The ball stayed fair and reached the second deck for a two-run home run, giving New York a 2-0 advantage.
It was Jones’ seventh homer of the season and his second in as many games after going deep Thursday in Baltimore. The rookie finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and scored one of the Yankees’ three runs.
Jones also contributed in right field late in the game, making a strong throw as Toronto tried to create pressure against the Yankees bullpen. His home run, however, provided the decisive swing.
That production has come at an important time.
Jones has been trying to establish himself as more than a temporary replacement while Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger work their way back from injuries. His recent offensive improvement has strengthened the argument for the Yankees to keep finding at-bats for him when the roster becomes crowded again.
The Players’ Weekend joke therefore came with an almost accidental message.
Lombard wore Jones’ face. The rookie sluggers returned it in kind, wearing a belt with Ben Rice’s face on it during Players’ Weekend and a Lombard shirt before the game, turning the Yankees’ young core into a chain of clubhouse tributes.
Jones also carried the Yankees offense.
Lombard contributes a run but has uneven night
Lombard did not match Jones’ power, but he still played a direct role in New York’s third run.
The shortstop singled and later scored in the fourth inning when Jose Caballero lifted a sacrifice fly to center, extending the Yankees’ advantage to 3-0. Lombard finished 1-for-4 with a run scored.
His night was not spotless.
Lombard struck out three times and was charged with his second major league error after dropping a foul ball. He was also involved in one of the Yankees’ two double plays.
That mixed performance offered another reminder of just how early Lombard is in his major league career.
The 21-year-old was playing only his 15th game after receiving his call-up Aug. 4. Yet he has already become an everyday part of a Yankees lineup trying to chase down Tampa Bay in the AL East.
His relationship with Jones has helped with that adjustment.
Jones has spoken about Lombard’s attention to detail and the little things he does on the field, particularly his exchanges and relay throws. Lombard, meanwhile, has been able to lean on younger Yankees teammates who recently made the same transition from the farm system to the Bronx.
Players’ Weekend simply put that connection on display in a much less subtle way.
Schlittler brings Star Wars, then crushes Blue Jays
The Yankees’ custom gear did not stop with Lombard.
Starting pitcher Cam Schlittler took the mound wearing two very different cleats built around a Star Wars theme. One represented the light side and the other the dark side, creating a mismatched look designed specifically for Players’ Weekend.
The design was hardly random.
Schlittler has identified himself as a Star Wars fan and told YES Network that “Revenge of the Sith” is his favorite movie. His custom footwear turned that interest into exactly the kind of off-field personality MLB wanted players to display on Friday.
His pitching was less flashy than the shoes but much more important.
Schlittler did not have his best command. He threw only 59 of 96 pitches for strikes and walked three hitters. Toronto collected six hits against him and repeatedly put runners on base.
It did not matter.
Schlittler held the Blue Jays to one run in six innings, struck out four and improved to 11-6. Toronto went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position as Schlittler repeatedly escaped trouble.
His ERA fell from 2.19 to 2.16.
Even more striking, it was Schlittler’s MLB-leading 19th start this season allowing one earned run or fewer. That tied Fritz Peterson for the third-most such starts by a Yankees pitcher in a season since 1913.
Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn and David Bednar protected the lead from there, with Bednar collecting his 30th save.
Yankees’ Players’ Weekend stars deliver when game starts
The Yankees could laugh about the equipment afterward because the players wearing it also delivered.
Jones supplied the winning swing.
Lombard singled and scored an insurance run.
Schlittler survived six innings despite rarely looking as dominant as he has during his breakout season.
Together, they accounted for all three Yankees runs either by scoring or driving them in, while Schlittler handled the first six innings on the mound.
The result extended New York’s winning streak to five games, its longest since Judge suffered his rib injury more than two months ago. The Yankees improved to 73-55 and moved within three games of Tampa Bay in the AL East.
Players’ Weekend was designed to show fans more of who players are when baseball’s usual uniformity is relaxed.
Friday accomplished that for the Yankees.
Schlittler brought Star Wars to the mound. Lombard brought Spencer Jones’ face to shortstop.
Then Jones brought the power.
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