George Lombard Jr. Homers in Yankees Debut at 21 as Brother Also Goes Deep 1,000 Miles Away
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Aug 5
George Lombard Jr. Homers in Yankees Debut at 21 as Brother Also Goes Deep 1,000 Miles Away
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Aug 5
Summary
A 2-0 Yankees win over St. Louis featured 21-year-old George Lombard Jr. homering in his second plate appearance, becoming the 14th Yankee to go deep in his major league debut.
About an hour earlier in Jupiter, Florida, 18-year-old brother Jacob Lombard hit a solo homer in his own professional debut; both drives came on hanging breaking balls with nearly identical 100.2 and 99.9 mph exit velocities.
Lombard also flashed the defense that helped earn his call-up, starting one double play with a backhanded stop and helping turn another at shortstop.
The promotion marked a clear Yankees pivot: they optioned Anthony Volpe to Triple-A after deciding Lombard's strong season and .377 Triple-A stretch over 14 games gave them a better chance in the AL East race.
Their parents changed plans at the last minute to reach Yankee Stadium, watching Jacob's homer on a phone before celebrating George's shot from the stands.