To find the last time a Yankees shortstop found himself in this kind of defensive mess, you would have to time-travel and go all the way back to July 1915. That’s 111 years of history, and yet somehow, a rookie whom the team lauded for years and scouts star-marked for more has landed there. And this is not the side of history that George Lombard Jr. wanted to make it to.
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Lombard has now committed an error in six straight games. The latest came Thursday night against the Houston Astros, as the Yankees fell 5-1 at Yankee Stadium. And Lombard didn’t try to sugarcoat the mess of the stretch he is having.
“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. Other teams are going to capitalize,” SNY Yankees posted Lombard Jr’s postgame interview clip on X.
“So, yeah, it’s something we’re definitely going to have to clean up. And, yeah, I’ve got to be better tomorrow.”
And he most definitely needs to clean up, because once you look back into those six games, there isn’t really one mistake you can point at and say, “this is the problem.” Because he has made different kinds of miscues almost every night. Starting against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
He missed a popup that dropped into foul territory. Then a day later, he couldn’t handle a backhanded grounder, and another ground ball got away from him Sunday. Tuesday against the Astros, he tried to make a throw he probably should have held into. Then on Wednesday, a grounder he ranged over to his left caught the heel of his glove. And then came Thursday, which rounded his total to six errors.
In the eighth inning, Lombard Jr. failed to grab the slow bouncer that Yainer Diaz sent to the left. Third baseman Caballero snagged the ball, but his throw to first went wide, allowing Walker to score. Meanwhile, Diaz reached first base safely. It marked Lombard Jr.’s sixth error in as many consecutive games, a record the Yankees have not seen in 111 years.
According to Katie Sharp of Stathead, Roger Peckinpaugh in 1915 was the last shortstop to commit errors in six straight games. In 1921, the Yankees’ second baseman, Chick Fewster, also committed fielding errors in six consecutive games. Plus, that streak is unusual beyond New York, too.
Lombard became the first MLB player since Cleveland shortstop Mark Lewis in 1992 to commit an error in six consecutive games. This is a strange fall, because this is the same player who made Yankees history this month. He became the first shortstop in franchise history to homer in his MLB debut. However, no matter how bad the slump is, Boone isn’t one to lose his faith in him.
“The good thing about George is that he’s so skilled and gifted out there. And foundationally, he’s really good. He will get through it; just gotta get a few going and start playing carefree,” Boone said, per SNY. “That’s why I hang my hat; foundationally speaking, he’ll get through this and put it in the rearview mirror.”
Well, this support isn’t new. The Yanks have lauded Lombard for his defense for years, and when the team promoted him on August 4, the bigger questions were about the bat, not whether he could handle shortstop. Cashman even described him as “plug and play” defensively. And honestly, that confidence looked justified, if you look at the first 14-game performance.
Lombard committed only one error during that span. Now, after just 20 games in the majors, he has seven. That is quite the change in a short time. Nevertheless, one thing is for sure: he has support, be it Cashman, Boone or even his teammates.
“Errors happen, unfortunately. Sometimes they happen in groups for everybody,” Gerrit 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.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. also praised the way Lombard has handled the slump.
“I think he’s handling it great, honestly. For a kid that age, 21 years old, first time in the league and playing for the Yankees in New York, the way he’s going about it, it doesn’t really faze him when he’s out there. He’s looking for the next pitch to go make the next play.”
However, it’s not simple to forget how quickly defensive struggles can become the main storyline. Volpe committed an American League-leading 19 errors at shortstop in 2025. The Yankees are desperate to leave that chapter behind, and Lombard Jr. must do his part.