George Lombard Jr. carved out a small but lasting place in New York Yankees history Wednesday night, becoming only the second-youngest player in franchise history to hit a grand slam.
The 21-year-old shortstop cleared the bases in the third inning of a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium. It was his first career grand slam and the Yankees’ first of the 2026 season.
Lombard was 21 years and 99 days old when he connected. The only Yankee who did it younger was Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, who hit grand slams at 20 years and 280 days and again at 20 years and 283 days in July 1952.
The moment put the rookie in rare company with one of the most famous names the franchise has ever produced.
“It’s obviously pretty special,” Lombard said. “That’s up there – a legend in the game, and especially here.”
The homer came with two outs after Aaron Judge singled, Luis Garcia Jr. doubled and Spencer Jones walked. Lombard jumped on a 1-0 slider from Tomoyuki Sugano and sent it the other way into the right-field seats, a 353-foot drive that made it 5-0.
Garcia had already given New York the lead with a solo homer in the second. Cody Bellinger added another later. Will Warren worked six innings and allowed one run, giving the Yankees a comfortable night.
Lombard now has three home runs in 28 major league games. He went deep in his debut against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 4 and added another four days later. Through those 28 games he has 23 hits and is batting .240 with 11 RBIs.
Manager Aaron Boone has seen enough of the young shortstop’s frame and swing to believe the power will keep coming.
“He’s a strong, physical kid that, I think over time, is going to hit for some power,” Boone said.
The grand slam also ended an odd drought. The Yankees led the American League in home runs most of the year but had not hit a slam all season. With 17 games left, they avoided going an entire year without one for the first time since 1990.
“Hopefully, they come in bunches,” Boone said.
Defense remains a work in progress for Lombard. He has committed seven errors this season. The organization liked his work in the minors and still believes the consistency will arrive with more big-league innings.
The Yankees improved to 83-62. They sit four games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and hold a 10-game lead in the American League wild-card standings. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five.
New York will try to complete a three-game sweep of the Rockies on Thursday night before turning to a weekend series against the Mets.
For a player who has been up only a little more than a month, the night offered another reminder of why the Yankees have long viewed him as a potential everyday shortstop. Moments like this tend to stick around in this ballpark.
Lombard is still learning the league. The average is modest and the errors are real. But he has already homered in his first game and now sits next to Mantle on a short list that does not get many new names.
That is a decent start for a 21-year-old trying to make the Bronx his home.
