The New York Yankees played their 145th game of the season, having hit 194 home runs, ranking fourth in Major League Baseball, despite the absence of Aaron Judge for three months. However, none of those home runs had been grand slams until George Lombard Jr. hit one on Wednesday night, contributing to a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium.
Judge, returning from the injured list due to a broken rib, recorded two singles, one of which initiated the rally that led to Lombard’s grand slam. Judge played eight innings in right field before being replaced by a pinch runner in the eighth inning. The Yankees (83-62) are currently four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the division race and four games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the top American League wild card spot with 17 games remaining in the season.
Luis García Jr. and Cody Bellinger also contributed with solo home runs, with Bellinger’s shot ensuring that David Bednar did not need to pitch the ninth inning. Lombard's grand slam, hit off pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano, marked his first career grand slam and the Yankees' first of the season, preventing the team from potentially becoming the first in franchise history without a grand slam since 1990.
Will Warren pitched six innings for the Yankees, allowing one run and striking out eight batters. Sugano had a mixed outing, retiring the Yankees in order in four of his six innings but allowing significant runs in the others. García’s home run in the second inning put the Yankees ahead 1-0, and Lombard's grand slam in the third inning extended the lead to 5-0. Lombard, at 21 years and 99 days, became the second-youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam, following Mickey Mantle.
Connor Norby hit a solo home run for the Rockies in the fifth inning, but Warren managed to escape a later jam by inducing a double play, celebrating with Lombard after the play.