The New York Yankees knew George Lombard could play defense. They also knew Luis Garcia could hit right-handed pitching. Everything else was considered a bonus.
Friday night, both newcomers delivered far more than that. Their defensive plays in the 10th inning helped save a 3-2 comeback win over the Atlanta Braves at Yankee Stadium.
Lombard Shows Off His Arm for the Yankees
GettyGeorge Lombard Jr. of the New York Yankees.
Lombard sparked New York’s rally throughout the game. He opened the ninth inning with an infield single, then advanced all the way to third on an error. A walk in the bottom of the 10th kept the pressure on.
Then, in the top of the 10th, he flashed his defense. Atlanta’s Sean Murphy led off the inning with a hard grounder into the shortstop hole, the exact spot where Lombard has already made a name for himself in his brief time in the majors. Lombard ranged to his right, backhanded the ball, and left his feet to make the throw. It wasn’t a spectacular leap, but the arm strength behind it was obvious.
Boone praised how effortless the 21-year-old rookie shortstop makes difficult plays look.
“He’s not even reaching for much there,” Boone said.
Garcia Makes a Diving Catch to Seal It
GettyLuis Garcia Jr. of the New York Yankees
Later in the same inning, with a runner on third and two outs, Ronald Acuna Jr. lifted a two-out bloop down the first-base line. Three Yankees defenders converged on the flare, which appeared destined to drop in no-man’s land.
Garcia didn’t expect to reach it.
“I didn’t think I had a chance,” Garcia said through interpreter Marlon Abreu.
He sprinted toward the ball anyway, extended his glove, and made the catch with his back to home plate to end the inning. Boone had a simple reaction to the play.
“What a play,” Boone said.
A Win Defined by Yankees Defense
Ryan McMahon’s sacrifice fly officially clinched the win for New York, but Friday’s game will likely be remembered more for its defensive plays than for how it was decided. Trent Grisham also contributed a strong throw to third base in the first inning that helped save a run earlier in the game.
Between Lombard’s range and arm strength, Garcia’s diving catch, and Grisham’s throw, New York’s defense carried a game that could easily have slipped away in extra innings.
Final Word for the Yankees
Friday’s win doubled as validation for one rookie and a pleasant surprise from a recently acquired addition. Lombard’s defensive tools were exactly what the Yankees expected when they called him up. Garcia’s instincts in right field went well beyond what New York originally projected when they acquired him for his bat.
Both players stepped up when it mattered most. New York walked away with a win it probably doesn’t get without them.
Extra innings, extra effort.
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