Rookie George Lombard Jr. manufactured a brilliant home-plate slide and a tiebreaking, two-run home run on Thursday night, powering the New York Yankees to a 6-4 comeback victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. With the win, the Yankees improved their record to 92-67 as pitcher Cam Schlitter wrapped up his regular season campaign holding an AL-best ERA at 1.95.
A Four-Run Deficit Erased
Tampa Bay, which secured the American League East title on Tuesday, established early control by building a 4-0 advantage. Junior Caminero drove in a pair of runs for the Rays to raise his season RBI total to 99, while the visitors capitalized on unearned runs aided by defensive miscues from Yankees right fielder Heliot Ramos and reliever Luis Gil. Facing a shutout in the middle innings, New York began chipping away when Austin Wells launched a solo home run off Jake Woodford in the sixth inning.
George Lombard Jr.’s Acrobatics Spark the Seventh
The Yankees completed their surge in the seventh inning, ignited by Lombard’s RBI double. Lombard, who made his major league debut on August 4, advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Brady Hopkins and scrambled home when another pitch ricocheted off the backstop. As the baseball caromed back to Rays catcher Liam Hicks, Lombard executed a high-flying, feet-first slide, popping up well in front of the plate, leaping over Hicks while contorting his body in fair territory, and reaching down to slap his right hand against home plate. Paul Goldschmidt followed immediately with a single that leveled the score at 4-4.
Tiebreaking Shot Secures the Victory
In the eighth inning, Lombard delivered the decisive blow against Tampa Bay reliever Steven Matz (5-6). The rookie drove a sinker deep into the left-field second deck for his seventh home run of the season, pausing briefly to watch the baseball travel before starting his trot. Bradley Hanner (1-0) subsequently retired Caminero with a runner aboard in the eighth and stranded another runner in the ninth to pick up his first major league victory, sealing the Yankees’ 6-4 win.
Cam Schlitter Finishes Season
Making his final preparatory start ahead of next week’s American League Wild Card Series, right-hander Cam Schlitter logged three innings, allowing two runs—only one of which was earned. The 25-year-old concluded his first full major league season with a 14-6 record and 239 strikeouts across 193 2/3 innings. According to the team, Schlitter’s 1.95 ERA stands as the third-lowest single-season mark for a qualified Yankees pitcher, trailing only Spud Chandler’s 1.64 mark in 1943 and Ron Guidry’s 1.74 mark in 1978.
Upcoming Schedule
The Rays head to Philadelphia to open a three-game series against left-hander Cristopher Sánchez (18-6, 2.92 ERA) on Friday night, with Tampa Bay turning to right-hander Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.56 ERA). Meanwhile, the Yankees return to the diamond on Friday to host Baltimore in a single-admission doubleheader.
