A troubling trend continued for a New York Yankees newcomer on Thursday night. George Lombard Jr. bobbled a ground ball in the eighth inning of a 5-1 loss to the Houston Astros. It marked the shortstop's sixth straight game with an error.
According to ESPN Research, Lombard tied the Yankees record for most consecutive games with an error. Chick Fewster also committed an error in six straight games in 1921, and no MLB player has endured a longer streak since Mark Lewis made an error in seven straight contests in 1992. Lombard acknowledged after the game that he must eliminate those defensive miscues.
"It's something we're trying to figure out," Lombard said, via SNY Yankees. "Obviously, it's not acceptable. It can't happen at this level.
If you make your pitchers have to get extra outs, it just makes it way harder on us, and teams are going to capitalize. So it's something that we're definitely going to have to clean up, and I've got to be better tomorrow." The 21-year-old made a grand entrance earlier this month, homering in his MLB debut. Lombard has held his own at the plate, batting .264/.316/.389 in 20 games.
Yet the Yankees will want steadier fielding from a shortstop replacing 2023 Gold Glove Award winner Anthony Volpe, who led the position with 19 errors last season. Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole supported Lombard after taking Thursday's loss. "Errors happen and unfortunately, sometimes they happen in groups for everybody," Cole said.
"I think it's just important to remember, he's a young player. And he's working his tail off to get better." Yankees manager Aaron Boone also expressed confidence that Lombard will fix his recent defensive struggles. "The good thing about George is, he's so skilled and gifted out there," Boone said.
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