The New York Yankees start their American League Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. It will be a special night for Yankees rookie George Lombard Jr. The youngster is accomplishing something the team hasn't seen in more than 70 years.
“At 21 years and 119 days, George Lombard Jr. is the youngest Yankees player to start a postseason game since Mickey Mantle in 1952 WS Game 7 (20y 353d),” MLB reporter Sarah Langs posted to X, formerly Twitter.
This is quite a remarkable achievement. Yankees fans certainly hope Lombard has the kind of impact that Mantle did on the team. Lombard is starting at shortstop on Tuesday night.
“Mantle (9x) and Lombard are the only Yankees to start a postseason game at this young of an age,” Langs added.
The Yankees will be playing the Red Sox series without star Aaron Judge. Judge has been dealing with a calf injury, and isn't able to play. New York will look to Lombard and others to lift the offense.
Lombard has been learning a great deal from his Yankees teammates and coaches.
Article Continues Below“It's been so much fun,” Lombard said, per MLB.com, about playing in New York. “Just the amount that I've gotten to learn and the experiences just being around the guys every single day.”
Lombard will now get the experience of playing postseason baseball in the Bronx. The Yankees and Red Sox have met countless times in the postseason over the years. New York eliminated Boston last year from the playoffs.
This season, Lombard appeared in 42 games for the Bronx Bombers. He hit seven home runs, and drove in 22 runs. The Yankees infielder also posted 36 hits and 23 runs.
New York and Boston play Game 1 Tuesday at 8:00 ET. The game is at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. New York hasn't won a World Series since 2009.