Daily Report – 8/5/26
Yankees
History was made in the Bronx last night as George Lombard Jr. became the first Yankees shortstop to homer in his MLB debut. It was the perfect debut for Lombard, as the Yankees’ top prospect homered, walked, and turned two fabulous double plays.
It was also a memorable night for the Lombard family as George’s younger brother and recent Marlins draft pick, Jacob, homered in his first professional baseball game. Meanwhile, their father, also the Tigers’ bench coach, flew all the way from Seattle to watch George Jr.’s big moment, and he and his wife celebrated with Jacob over the phone.
The Yankees have committed to Lombard as their starting shortstop, and he rewarded them with power on both sides of the ball as the Yankees won 2-0. The Cardinals scored 13 runs on Monday, but in his second straight scoreless start, Ryan Weathers helped his team secure their American League-leading 12th shutout win.
Weathers hasn’t allowed a run in 17 2/3 innings. Yesterday, he struck out six batters in as many frames, using his fastball just 8% of the time. He prioritized his changeup, sinker, sweeper, and slider because he said his fastball gets hit out of the park too often.
Against Hunter Dobbins, Jazz Chisholm Jr. got the Yankees on the board in the second inning with his 17th home run of the season, a high-arcing solo shot to right field. However, if not for Lombard’s defense in the top of the frame, Chisholm’s home run might not have given the Yankees the lead.
With a runner at first base in the top of the second inning, Blaze Jordan drilled a grounder to shortstop. Lombard backhanded the ball, and as he faded, he fired a dart into Chisholm’s glove for one out and an easy throw to first base for two. In his first Big League game, Lombard looked like a veteran Gold Glove winner.
After the Yankees failed to score with runners at first and second and nobody out in the fourth inning, Lombard turned another gorgeous double play in the fifth. Compared to Anthony Volpe, whom the Yankees deemed their shortstop of the future in 2023, Lombard’s throws are sharper, his footwork is crisper, and his bat is stronger.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, the 21-year-old shortstop struck the hit of his life. With a 0-2 count, he lifted a breaking ball 392 feet to left field. As he rounded the base smiling from ear to ear, His joy and passion were palpable.
Then, the YES Network panned to a shot of him leaning on the dugout railing beside Aaron Judge.
Iconic.
“It was exciting,” Lombard said of his debut. “It was a tight game. The energy was awesome. A lot of people were here. It was just one of those awesome, tight games.”
In the seventh inning, Fernando Cruz gave up a quick double, but he and Brent Headrick worked to strand Nelson Velázquez. In the bottom of the frame, Lombard walked to put runners at first and second, but after a pitching change, Paul Goldschmidt flipped the first pitch he saw into a double play.
In the eighth, the Cardinals put runners on first and second base against Headrick. Then, JJ Wetherholt grounded into a what looked like a routine double play, but Lombard stumbled while racing to cover second base. He overcame that adversity, though, as he helped Headrick and David Bednar close out the inning and eventually the game.
“Obviously, a great first night for [Lombard],” Aaron Boone said. “The home run was great. The defense was tremendous. That play in the hole he and Jazz turned was a pretty special time to see how fluid he is out there, how physical he is. Certainly a night to remember for him and his family, too.”
Additionally, on WFAN yesterday, Craig Carton and Chris McMonigle interviewed Brian Cashman. Along with the questions he answered about how he approached Monday’s trade deadline, Cashman was asked about Aaron Judge’s status.
As Cashman told the media on Monday night, while he remains confident that Judge and Stanton will return, and the Yankees continue to operate under that assumption, there is always a chance the Yankees’ captain does not return in 2026. There will not be a clear timetable until he resumes baseball activities.
Cashman added that he knows when Judge will receive his next round of imaging, but he is not yet ready to disclose that information.
Tonight, at 7:05 PM, the Yankees will try to win the series against St. Louis (Prime Video). RHP Will Warren (8-5, 4.14 ERA) will start for the Yankees against RHP Andre Pallante (11-6, 3.72 ERA).
Schedule
7:05 PM: NYY vs. STL; Prime Video; SP: RHP Will Warren (8-5, 4.14 ERA) vs. RHP Andre Pallante (11-6, 3.72 ERA)
Cover Image Courtesy: New York Yankees
