George Lombard Jr. turned a seventh-inning wild pitch into the Yankees’ third run Thursday, showing the quick feet that helped make him a standout soccer player before his climb to the majors.
The result
With Anthony Volpe at the plate against Tampa Bay right-hander Brody Hopkins, Lombard broke for home when a 99.9 mph fastball got away from the Rays pitcher and raced to the backstop.
The ball kicked back toward catcher Liam Hicks, who recovered and made a glove-first dive in an attempt to tag the rookie shortstop. Lombard came in feet first, then pulled up and slipped over Hicks before reaching back to touch the plate with his right hand.
Home-plate umpire Edwin Jimenez signaled Lombard safe right away. The run gave New York its third of the night.
Lombard, promoted by the Yankees in August, had already drawn attention from evaluators for an unusual kind of athletic background. His soccer experience was often mentioned as a reason for his balance and movement around the field. On this play, those instincts showed up in the dirt around home plate.
