NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� 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 a career.
After being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Lombard gave the Yankees a two-run lead in Tuesday鈥檚 victory over the Cardinals by hitting a 392-foot shot off Hunter Dobbins in the fifth inning. His father George Lombard Sr. 鈥� the bench coach for Detroit 鈥� cheered from the stands with his mother as his son rounded the bases.
鈥淚t was really cool,鈥� Lombard said. 鈥淏eing a close game, it was a big run. So it was probably a moment, a swing, a day I won鈥檛 forget.鈥�
After the Yankees closed out the victory, Lombard met with the fans who caught the ball in the hallway outside the clubhouse. He signed hats and traded a bat for the ball while posing for pictures.
Lombard became the first Yankee to homer in his big league debut since Jasson Dom铆nguez homered in his first career at-bat against Justin Verlander Sept. 1, 2023. He is the 14th player in the team history to homer in his big league debut and part of a group that includes injured captain Aaron Judge (2016) and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra (1946).
At 21 years, 63 days old, Lombard became the sixth-youngest Yankees player since 1985 to make his debut and the second-youngest shortstop in that span. Derek Jeter debuted May 29, 1995, in Seattle at 20 years, 337 day
Lombard also turned a pair of double plays in the third and fifth.
鈥淥bviously a great first night for him,鈥� manager Aaron Boone said. 鈥淭he home run was great. The defense was tremendous.鈥�
In the third, Lombard ranged to his right, fielded Blaze Jordan鈥檚 grounder and made an off-balance throw to second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the first out. In the fifth, Lombard ranged to his left, fielded Nathan Church鈥檚 grounder behind second base, stepped on the bag and made a clean throw to first baseman Ben Rice.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those plays that you practice,鈥� Lombard said. 鈥淚鈥檝e made that play countless times in practice. Just getting to the game and it鈥檚 your body kind of takes over.鈥�
Lombard wasn’t the only Yankee to debut on Tuesday. Newly acquired outfielder Heliot Ramos went 0 for 4 and made a nice catch in left field with two on in the sixth after being acquired from the Giants before Monday鈥檚 trade deadline.
To make room for Lombard and Ramos, shortstop Anthony Volpe and Dom铆nguez were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.
On Monday, implied the Tigers and Orioles asked for Lombard in potential deals for Tarik Skubal and Adley Rutschman, who were acquired by the Dodgers and Red Sox respectively.
Lombard, New York鈥檚 first-round pick in 2023, began this season by hitting .312 in 20 games with Double-A Somerset. After getting promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Lombard batted .268 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 56 games.
Lombard鈥檚 time in Triple-A was interrupted by a left finger injury that sidelined him for nearly a month. In 14 games since returning, Lombard is batting .377 and went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in a 13-3 win over Iowa on Sunday.
Ramos joined the Yankees after batting .264 with nine homers and 34 RBIs in 74 games for the Giants.
鈥淲hen I first found out about the news I started shaking a little bit because obviously I didn鈥檛 know anything else,鈥� Ramos said Tuesday afternoon. 鈥淏ut then I realized, I鈥檓 like 鈥檓an I鈥檓 going to be a New York Yankee. Like that鈥檚 crazy.鈥�
Ramos is expected to see the bulk of his time in left field where he started 64 games. Ramos did not make any errors in 111 chances in left field after leading NL left fielders with nine errors in left last season.
Last season, Volpe batted .212 with 19 homers and 72 RBIs in 153 games. He sustained a in his left shoulder in early May that required offseason surgery on
Volpe batted .240 with one homer and 19 RBIs in 56 games. In his last five games, Volpe was 1-for-15 and he is expected to see time at second base in Triple-A.
Dom铆nguez batted .230 with six homers and 14 RBIs so far this season. He was initially called up April 28 and sprained his left shoulder when he crashed into Yankee Stadium鈥檚 left field scoreboard during a May 7 game against Texas.
Besides adding Lombard and Ramos, the Yankees promoted Yerry de Los Santos to replace Angel Chivilli in the bullpen.
Chivilli allowed three homers in the eighth inning Monday, including third homer of the game. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 3.78 ERA in 15 appearances for the Yankees, who acquired him from Colorado in January.
De Los Santos has a 1.04 ERA in five appearances for the Yankees.
___
AP MLB:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
