The New York Yankees were tied 1-1 with the Tampa Bay Rays heading into the bottom of the fifth inning of ALDS Game 2 on Monday night. Ben Rice had just tied the game with a solo homer in the fourth. Cam Schlittler was grinding through a tough outing but keeping the Yankees within striking distance.
Then the fifth inning started. Tampa Bay scored four runs on the way to winning 5-2, and took a commanding 2-0 lead. Game 3 is set for Wednesday at Yankee Stadium.
Lombard on the Fifth Inning
With runners on second and third, Chandler Simpson bounced a ground ball toward the left side. George Lombard Jr. tried to backhand the ball and throw home. He never got a clean grip on it. The ball got past him, and the runner scored to make it 3-1.
When asked afterward whether he had a play at the plate if he fielded the grounder cleanly, the rookie was honest about his assessment.
“I’m not sure,” Lombard said. “It might have been one that I should have just gone to first…but yeah it was a tight one, I have to watch it back and see if I show something different.”
The error extended the inning and opened the door for everything that followed.
The Play Changed the Course of the Game
Before Lombard’s error, the Yankees were in a one-run game with their best pitcher still on the mound. After it, the situation spiraled. Schlittler was pulled soon after. Richie Palacios then drove both runners home with a line drive to center that blew the game open at 5-1.
Tampa Bay’s bullpen locked things down from there, with three relievers combining to allow just one run over the final four innings.
Lombard also reflected on the challenge of playing on the Tropicana Field turf, calling it different from dirt infields while noting the team had practiced on it beforehand. He acknowledged both sides contributed to the outcome, crediting the Rays for being a team that does not let up.
Final Word for the Yankees
Lombard is a rookie playing in his first postseason. The turf was fast, and a split-second decision went the wrong way. That is part of growing up in October.
The Yankees need Lombard on Wednesday. How he responds will say more than what happened Monday.
Yankees’ George Lombard Jr. Addresses Costly Decision in Game 2 Loss to Rays