RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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NEW YORK — Yankees rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr.’s eighth-inning error was a focal point in manager Aaron Boone’s post-game news conference after the Yankees lost to the Astros 5-1 Thursday night. His streak of games with an error extending to six also came up when losing pitcher Gerrit Cole, first baseman Ben Rice and second baseman Jazz Chisholm took a turn talking in the middle of the clubhouse.
The man of the hour was the last to speak, and when the 21-year-old emerged from a back room for probably his first ever interview with tough questions, he didn’t look nervous or rattled. This was no deer-in-the-headlights stare.
“I think he’s handling it great,” Chisholm said. “Honestly, for a kid that age, 21 years old, first time in the league, playing for the Yankees in New York, the way he’s going about it, it doesn’t really faze him. He’s out there looking for the next pitch to go make the next play. He’s just playing baseball.”
The Yankees talk about how mature Lombard is for his age, and he sure took this inquisition in stride.
For Friday’s rivalry clash between the Yankees and the Red Sox, the over/under is set at 7 total runs on DraftKings . Our comprehensive DraftKings Sportsbook review shows you how to register and use their platform.
What’s going on?
“I don’t know,” Lombard said in a firm voice with his head held high. “It’s something I’m trying to figure out. Obviously, it’s not acceptable. It can’t happen at this level. You make your pitchers have to get extra outs, and it just makes it way hard on us. Teams are going to capitalize. So it’s something we’re definitely going to have to clean up and I’ve got to be better tomorrow.”
The first of four Yankees-Red Sox games over three days is Friday night at Yankee Stadium with AL East title and Wild Card Series home-field advantage implications.
Lombard doesn’t need a day off, Boone said, so he’ll be in the Yankees lineup with a chance to break a dubious record no one knew existed until now.
According to research by Sports Reference’s Katie Sharp, no Yankee had committed an error in six consecutive games since the Babe Ruth era. Chick Fewster last did it in 1921 playing second base and Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915 had been the last Yankees shortstop to do it.
What’s surreal is Lombard has the talent to become the Yankees’ best defensive shortstop since Hall of Famer Phil Rizzuto in the 1940s and ’50s, and Lombard is bigger, stronger and taller than the Scooter ever was.
Lombard looked the part in his first two weeks as a big leaguer following his Aug. 4 call-up from Triple-A showing off his range and arm. He made one error in his first 14 games, then his streak started last Friday night when he dropped a foul pop-up in a Yankees-Blue Jays game. He went on to boot groundballs last Saturday and Sunday, then he made a throwing error Tuesday when the Yankees opened a series against the Astros. Another boot Wednesday night made it five errors in five games.
On Thursday, Lombard had only one chance through seven innings, a first-inning liner that was right at him.
Then in the Astros eighth it happened again. After Christian Walker doubled with two outs, Yanier Diaz hit a four-hopper to short. With Lombard charging in, third baseman Jose Caballero headed over to try cutting the ball off.
Caballero stopped just in time to avoid a collision, but Lombard bobbled the ball trying to scoop it on the run. The ball bounced off Lombard’s glove, then his bare hand, then a foot away right to Caballero, who caught it on the fly, turned and whipped a bad throw to first, allowing Walker to score a run that put Houston ahead by four.
The official scorer correctly charged two errors on the play, one for Caballero and one for Lombard.
“The one today is it’s kind of that in-between ball,” Boone said. “You’re like, ‘Is third baseman getting there? Is he not?’ So there’s a little indecisiveness there. I think that played into that a little bit.”
Probably, but this still was a pretty routine play for a big-league shortstop that continued an alarming streak that no Yankee had reached in more than 100 years.
“Obviously it’s frustrating,” Lombard said. “It’s definitely not something I want to happen. But my main focus is to turn the page and want the next ball hit to you to make the next play. I’m definitely upset about it, but it is what it is. Another game tomorrow and I just have to be better.”
Boone thinks the errors are in Lombard’s head.
“Obviously, there’s something to that,” he said. “You start not wanting to make a mistake. The good thing about George is he’s so skilled and gifted out there, and foundationally he’s really good, too. He will get through it. You just got to get going, then start playing kind of carefree, free and easy a little bit.
“I’ve been there. Defensively you’re supposed to make every single play. You don’t make a couple, and instead of playing to go make every play, sometimes you guard against a mistake. We’ve got to make sure we guard against that. But over time he’ll be fine. He’ll get through it.”
Lombard doesn’t think he’s pressing.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “I’m going out there and playing my game every day. Obviously, the last few days haven’t been what I wanted them to be, but it’s baseball.
“There’s gonna be ups and downs on both sides of the ball. I’ve definitely had my fair share of times where I made my errors or whatever. I’m gonna have to bounce back and be better because I can’t keep having my pitchers have to get extra outs.”
Lombard’s gone through fielding struggles before. Playing 56 games at short in Triple-A this year, he had nine errors and a .955 fielding percentage, well below Anthony Volpe’s career-worst .963 with the Yankees in 2025.
Fielding struggles are part of Yankees history, but Derek Jeter developed into their greatest shortstop ever and won five Gold Gloves after committing 56 errors in 126 games playing High-A ball for the Greensboro Hornets in 1993.
Chisholm...
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