If I asked you before the season, “Who would hit the Yankees’ first grand slam of the season?”, I’m sure I’d have gotten plenty of answers. Most of them would be some form of Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton, maybe a Ben Rice or Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr., but I don’t think anyone would’ve had the gall to say George Lombard Jr.
For a long time, it actually seemed like the answer would be “nobody”. After all, we had gotten to September without a grand slam, something that seems unfathomable
for a slugging team like this. With the bases loaded this season, the Yankees were slashing just .255/.331/.302 in 133 plate appearances entering play, but that line got a boost tonight.
Lombard, who hasn’t hit very well since a tremendous first week in the majors, blasted his first major league grand slam in the third inning to blow things open in the Bronx on a day that also saw a quality start from Will Warren and the first two hits off the injured list by Aaron Judge in a 6-1 win.
Warren got things going with a mostly quiet first inning, pitching around a two-out walk to T.J. Rumfield. The most bewildering part of this game came early, as Tomoyuki Sugano, a man who generates fewer whiffs, chases, and strikeouts than almost any starter in the majors, tore through the top of the Yankees’ order. Six whiffs, four chases, and three strikeouts on 13 pitches. Woof.
Warren responded to his masterful first by tossing an even better inning, striking out the side on just 12 pitches to immediately give the bats a chance to make up for it. It took just three pitches into the second for someone to pounce, as Luis García Jr. walloped a 2-0 sinker into the right-field bleachers for his 29th homer of the season to make it 1-0 Yankees.
The Yankees nearly got some more that frame on a pair of walks by Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, but a frozen rope lineout by José Caballero stranded them. Warren got into trouble in the third after a leadoff double by Connor Norby and a walk to Zac Veen, but got a gift when Jake McCarthy inexplicably tried to bunt on 0-2, killing the Rockies’ rally as Warren got the next two to keep the Rox off the board.
That’d be pretty important because of a two-out rally the Yankees would go on. Aaron Judge got his first hit off the injured list in a pretty long at-bat and got to third on a rope of a double by García. With two in scoring position and two outs, Spencer Jones worked an eight-pitch walk to load the bases. All of that would set up the rookie Lombard, who got a hanging 1-0 slider and flicked it the other way for a big grand slam into the short porch to break the game open.
Now pitching with a big lead, Warren filled up the strike zone and got the next four outs with no trouble. Colorado would answer back in the fifth on a one-out homer by Norby and a pair of singles to flip the lineup over, suddenly putting the tying run on deck with nobody out. Needing to make a big pitch, Warren got Cole Carrigg to roll over a first-pitch sinker into an inning-ending 3-6-1 double play to extinguish the threat.
From there, the game would go into a bit of a slumber. Sugano, after allowing five runs in the first 2.2 innings, retired 10 in a row to end his outing with one of those old-school six-inning, five-run outings. Warren would get through six himself, tossing a second straight quality start and inching his ERA down to 4.05. He’s seemed to find it over the last few outings, something everyone in the organization is excited to see down the stretch.
John Schreiber and Juan Mejia got the ball first in their respective bullpens, both tossing 1-2-3 seventh innings. Paul Blackburn would get the eighth for the Yanks and pitch around a two-out walk thanks to a spectacular grab by Caballero at second base.
Looking for insurance to ensure David Bednar doesn’t come into the game, Cody Bellinger ripped a 3-1 hanging sweeper into the short porch for his 13th home run of the season to make it 6-1. A bullet single by Judge ended his night on a high note, and Jones doubled into the right-field corner, but the two were stranded sending this game to the bottom of the ninth.
Michael Fulmer was tasked with doing what Tim Hill couldn’t the night before: closing this out without needing Bednar to come in. He got some help with a great diving play by Lombard to start the inning and struck out Mickey Moniak, but, like Hill the night before, gave up a two-out baserunner with a triple by Kyle Karros. But Fulmer rebounded to induce a game-ending groundout from Brett Sullivan to play Sinatra.
The Braves were once again no help at all, losing to the Rays for a second straight night. The good news? Not only is the magic number for clinching a playoff spot down to five, but Boston lost the series to the Angels, restoring the four-game cushion the Yankees had after winning that series just under two weeks ago.
The Yankees will go for the sweep tomorrow night against the Rockies at 7:05 pm. It’ll be Max Fried (on a TBD pitch count) against Ryan Feltner at 7:05 EST on YES.
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