George Lombard Jr. has faced challenges in his MLB career after a strong start. He has committed an error in six consecutive games, the latest occurring during a 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Thursday night in The Bronx. This marks the first time a Yankees shortstop has made an error in six straight games since Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915.
Lombard acknowledged the need to improve, stating, "Obviously, it’s not acceptable, can’t happen at this level. If you make your pitchers have to get extra outs, just makes it way harder on us. Other teams are going to capitalize. Something we’re definitely going to have to clean up and got to be better tomorrow."
The error occurred when Lombard bobbled a grounder from Yainer Diaz in the eighth inning, leading to a run for the Astros. Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence in Lombard’s abilities, noting that errors are part of the game, especially for a young player. Boone stated, "He’s just happened to make a few kind of funky ones in the last few days. I think over time he’s going to be really steady."
Lombard, who is 21 years old, has previously experienced similar defensive lapses and emphasized the importance of continuing to work on his skills. He had shown promise earlier in the month after being recalled for his MLB debut on August 4 against the Cardinals. Boone commented on the mental aspect of Lombard’s performance, suggesting that players sometimes become overly cautious after making mistakes. He remains hopeful that Lombard will regain his confidence and perform well moving forward.