NEW YORK (AP) — George Lombard Jr. saw a sweeper over the middle of the plate, sent the 0-2 pitch over the left-field fence and made his highly anticipated big league debut even more memorable.A few hours later, Lombard was exchanging memorabilia with the fans who caught the first home run ball of his career.After being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier in the day, Lombard gave the Yankees a two-run lead in Tuesday night’s 2-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals by hitting a 392-foot shot off Hunter Dobbins in the fifth inning. Lombard rounded the bases as his parents cheered and hugged in the stands. His father, George Lombard Sr., is the bench coach for the Detroit Tigers and a former major league player himself.“It was really cool,” the younger Lombard said. “Being a close game, it was a big run. So it was probably a moment, a swing, a day I won’t forget.”
The 21-year-old Lombard became the first Yankees shortstop to homer in his major league debut. After the game, the touted prospect met in the hallway outside the clubhouse with the fans who caught the ball. He signed hats and traded a bat for the ball while posing for pictures.Lombard was the 14th player in franchise history to hit a home run in his big league debut and first since Jasson Domínguez went deep in his initial plate appearance against Justin Verlander in Houston on Sept. 1, 2023. The group also includes injured captain Aaron Judge (2016) and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra (1946).
