Another Yankee Rally & More Lombard Magic!

The Yankees won again Tuesday night, beating the Mariners 4-1 for their third straight comeback victory.

That’s the good news.

The other news? Can we please stop making “comeback” part of the nightly game plan?

Ryan Weathers deserved better than another night of waiting around for the offense to show up. He carried a one-hit shutout into the sixth and stretched his scoreless streak to 23 innings before Randy Arozarena finally got him with a solo homer. Weathers went 5.2 terrific innings, and the Yankee bullpen was spotless again.

And yet, there were the Yankees, trailing 1-0. Again. Thankfully, the bats eventually received the memo. In the seventh, Ryan McMahon delivered a two-run single and Trent Grisham followed with another two-run knock. Just like that, 1-0 became 4-1, and the Yankees had another win.

I love the fight. I love three straight comeback victories. But eventually, how about throwing the first punch? You can’t keep spending six innings wandering around offensively and expect to flip a switch every night. Score early. Give your pitchers a lead. Maybe even make a game comfortable once in a while.

Crazy concept, I know.

But the moment I can’t stop thinking about wasn’t a hit.

It was George Lombard Jr.

In the first inning, a ground ball up the middle ricocheted off the second-base bag and changed direction. Lombard adjusted instantly, grabbed it with his bare hand and fired to first for the out.

Beautiful.

And here’s what made it so impressive: it wasn’t showboating. It was instinct. Lombard didn’t barehand the ball because he wanted a highlight. He did it because his baseball brain immediately told him that’s how the play had to be made.

You can’t teach that. You can practice footwork, throwing mechanics and positioning. You can take 10,000 ground balls. But that internal clock — seeing something unexpected happen and reacting correctly without hesitation — is something special.

Lombard has it.

And I’m going to ask the question because every Yankee fan watching that play had to think about it:

After all the errors, misplays and routine grounders that somehow turned into adventures, do you think in a million years Anthony Volpe makes that play?

Come on. We’ve spent years being told how “elite” Volpe is defensively. Now we’re watching Lombard play shortstop, and seemingly every game there’s another defensive highlight. Great range. Smooth hands. Difficult throws made naturally. And now he’s barehanding a ball that ricocheted off second base like somebody forgot to tell him the play was supposed to be difficult.

We’re getting spoiled. Actually, maybe we’re not. Maybe this is simply how a Yankee shortstop is supposed to operate. What was Yankee management doing force feeding Volpe on us? What a waste of time!

There’s a difference between being told someone is an elite defender and watching someone whose instincts practically jump through the television. Lombard doesn’t look frantic. He doesn’t fight the position. He just plays it.

That’s what makes this kid so impressive. The Yankees won 4-1. Weathers was terrific. McMahon and Grisham delivered. The bullpen did its job.

Three straight comeback wins. I’ll happily take them. But tonight, maybe score before the seventh inning. And please, keep hitting the ball toward George Lombard Jr.

I want to see what the kid does next.

Source: http://bleedingyankeeblue.blogspot.com/2026/08/another-yankee-rally-more-lombard-magic.html