Rookie George Lombard Jr.’s third-inning grand slam was more than enough for the host New York Yankees to pull out a 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.
New York (83-62) won for the 15th time in 22 games thanks to Lombard’s first career grand slam, which gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
The Yankees loaded the bases, all with two outs, on a single by Aaron Judge, a double by Luis Garcia Jr. and a walk to rookie Spencer Jones. Lombard hit his third career homer in 28 games since making his major league debut last month when he sent a 1-0 slider from Colorado starter Tomoyuki Sugano (12-9) into the right field seats.
At 21 years, 99 days, Lombard became the second-youngest Yankee to hit a grand slam. Only Mickey Mantle was younger when he did so twice in a four-day span in July 1952 at 20 years old.
It was also the Yankees’ first grand slam of the season.
Garcia opened the scoring with a 413-foot homer off Sugano to lead off the second, and had his 10th multi-hit game since being acquired from Washington at the trade deadline. The first baseman also started an inning-ending double play in the fifth, when the Rockies had three hits.
In his second game back from a fractured rib, Judge had a pair of singles and played eight innings in right field.
New York starter Will Warren (10-6) allowed one run on four hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out eight and walked two.
John Schreiber, Paul Blackburn and Michael Fulmer followed with a scoreless inning of relief work apiece, allowing two combined baserunners.
Connor Norby homered and had a double for the Rockies (55-90), who had five hits and reached 90 losses for the fifth straight season.
Sugano allowed five runs on four hits in six innings. The right-hander struck out five, walked three and lost his fourth consecutive decision.
–Field Level Media
