George Lombard Jr. played his first postseason game as if he had been doing it for years. The 21-year-old singled three times, scored twice and did not make a mistake in the field as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 9-0 in Game 1 of the American League wild-card series on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
In the Record Books
- At 21 years and 119 days, Lombard is the youngest Yankee to start a playoff game since Mickey Mantle in 1952. Mantle was 19 years and 349 days old at the time.
- He is the youngest player in franchise history to get a hit in his postseason debut.
- He is the fifth Yankee with at least three hits in his first playoff game. The last was Bernie Williams, in Game 1 of the 1995 ALDS against Seattle.
At the Plate
Lombard led off the second inning with a looping single into shallow center that fell just past a diving Nick Sogard. The inning produced the game's first run. His next time up, he beat out a chopper to the left side that former Yankees prospect Caleb Durbin could not turn into an out.
After grounding into a fielder's choice in the seventh, Lombard lined a single to center in the eighth and came around to score for the second time.
A Quick Climb
The composure was notable given how recently Lombard was in the minors. The former first-round pick was facing Double-A pitching as late as April, and his first weeks in the majors included errors in six straight games that raised questions about whether he was ready.
The organization has long compared his calm demeanor to Derek Jeter's. Asked about sharing a line with Mantle, Lombard called it an honor that he still has trouble believing. He said the team's shared goal keeps him focused, and he credited his comfort to the preparation done with teammates and coaches.
Based on reporting by the New York Post (nypost.com). Photo: Yankee Stadium from the lower-level concourse (Kanesue, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons).
