New York prospect George Lombard Jr. stunned Yankees fans on Tuesday night when he hit a sensational home run on his MLB debut.
Lombard Jr., New York’s first-round pick in 2023, was only called up from the minors by the Yankees on Monday and was immediately thrust into the spotlight 24 hours later.
He batted eighth and played shortstop against the St Louis Cardinals and immediately showed The Bronx what he’s made of.
And during just his second trip to the plate as a professional, Lombard Jr. smashed a home run into left field, sending Yankees fans wild during their 2-0 win.
Cameras quickly cut to his emotional parents in the stands as they embraced and watched their son round the bases.
Lombard’s father George Sr. played 144 big league games during a six-year career with Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa Bay and Washington.
New York Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. hit a sensational home run on his MLB debut
Lombard Jr. was immediately thrust into the spotlight just 24 hours after he was called up
Lombard Jr.’s parents, George Sr. and Judy, embraced as they watched their son’s home run
The elder Lombard has been Detroit’s bench coach since 2021 and was the first-base coach for the Dodgers from 2016 to 2020. He is married to wife Judy.
Lombard Jr. was returning from a long trip for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre on Monday when the highly touted shortstop found out he was joining the Yankees.
To make room for Lombard, longtime shortstop Anthony Volpe was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
On Monday, GM Brian Cashman implied the Tigers and Orioles asked for Lombard in potential deals for Tarik Skubal and Adley Rutschman, who were acquired by the Dodgers and Red Sox respectively.
Lombard began this season by hitting .312 in 20 games with Double-A Somerset. After getting promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Lombard batted .268 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 56 games.
‘He’s checked a lot of boxes,’ manager Aaron Boone said. ‘He’s put together an outstanding year. It’s kind of continued to get better throughout the year.’
Lombard’s time in Triple-A was interrupted by a left finger injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. In 14 games since returning, Lombard was batting .377 and went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in a 13-3 win over Iowa on Sunday.
‘It wasn´t any big adjustment,’ Lombard said. ‘Obviously I had the little thing with the hand, got ready, got back to Tampa, got myself back and playing again.
‘Felt good the whole time, baseball-wise I didn’t really felt I lost a step. I got back and I felt like I kept going from where I left off.’
