The Summer of George Continues! NY 5 Baltimore 3

August 20, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
George Lombard Jr. went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's including the game-winning infield RBI single with 2 outs and bases loaded in top of 8th.

George Lombard Jr. beat out an infield hit with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the top of the 8th to put the Yankees ahead 4-3 and Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored on a wild pitch to the next batter to catapult the Yankees to a 5-3 win over the Orioles on a beautiful Wednesday night in Baltimore.

Earlier Lombard got a big sac fly to put NY ahead 2-0 in the 2nd inning and went 2 for 3 on the night with the 2 RBI’s. He is now batting .318.

Will Warren started and pitched 4 solid innings — leaving after 90 pitches, and the Yankee pen came in and was again amazing — 5 innings of 1 run ball.

Controversy flared when Pete Alonso hit a Towering drive over the leftfield foul pole off Brent Headrick in the bottom of the 7th that was ruled foul but appeared fair to Alonso and the Orioles. They challenged the call but the replay center said it was foul. One video angle showed it fair; others showed it foul.

“More good stuff tonite out of them,” said manager Aaron Boone about the Yankee bullpen. “Starting with Timmy Hill coming in and getting 4 big outs in the middle of the game on a night where we were a little shorter from the starters.”

“Couple walks there in the 1st — they made him work,” said Boone about Warren. “High pitch count. And that’s a good lineup. It’s a heavy lineup; it’s dangerous. It’s not always going to be perfect — but when that is the case to be able to hold them down, and do your part to keep us right there and keep us in the game — there’s a lot to be said for those outings. I thought he did a good job making pitches and getting some big outs and limiting some of the damage.”

NY improves to 71-55 and remain 5 behind Tampa and are 3.5 ahead of Boston. Baltimore drops to 61-66, and are 15.5 back.

1. McMahon & Lombard Put NY Up 2-1 in 2nd

Chris Bassitt was on the mound for the Orioles  — a tough pitcher having a so-so year, coming in at 4-4 5.11.

Trent Grisham and Ben Rice led the game off with consecutive singles, but Bassitt got Luis Garcia Jr. to hit into a doubleplay and Heliot Ramos to ground out to end the inning.

But NY kept going at him in the 2nd — a leadoff walk by Jazz Chisholm Jr., a single by Spencer Jones, and an RBI single to right by Ryan McMahon — McMahon thrown out trying to leg it into a double.

With 1 out and Spencer Jones on 3rd, George Lombard ripped a drive to deep right for a sac fly and 2-1 Yankee lead.

2. Rice BLAST Puts NY Up 3-1 in 3rd

Ben Rice followed in the 3rd with a 1-out BOMB to right center — 447 feet for a 3-1 Yankee lead.

3. Warren Hangs Tough thru 4

Meanwhile Will Warren wasn’t at his best but managed to hold the lead. He allowed a run in the 1st on 2 walks — one to leadoff batter Jackson Holiday and one to Gunnar Henderson. With runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 outs, they executed a double steal — Holiday stealing home.

Warren pitched a shutout 2nd (allowing just a 1-out infield single), then allowed a HR to Pete Alonso in the bottom of the 3rd to make it a 3-2 game, Yankee lead.

After the Alonso HR, Warren allowed a double to Gunnar Henderson and hit Samuel Basallo with a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out.

But Warren hung tough — getting a strikeout and lineout to right to end the inning — then pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th — although the 2nd out came on a line drive to deep left that Heliot Ramos made a nice running catch on — to maintain the 3-2 Yankee lead.

4. Hill Excellent

Tim Hill relieved Warren, who was at 90 pitches, for the 5th, and pitched a 1-2-3 inning.

Hill got the first out of the 6th then handed the baton to Fernando Cruz, who got a strikeout — then allowed a solo HR to Dylan Beavers to tie the game 3-3.

5. Alonso Hits 2nd HR Ball Of Night — FOUL in 7th

Brent Headrick came in for the 7th in a 3-3 tie and got the first 2 outs.

Next batter Pete Alonso hit a HIGH DRIVE over the foul pole in left — Alonso thought it was a HR — the home plate ump didn’t and called it foul. The Orioles challenged the call, and lost. Headrick then struck out Alonso to end the inning.

6. Lombard Clutch Single Puts NY Ahead in 8th

The Orioles brought in 6’2 righty Cam Sanders for the 8th. He got the first out but hit Heliot Ramos with a pitch and walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. Sanders struck out Spencer Jones but then hit Jose Caballero (pinch hitting for McMahon) with a pitch to load the bases with 2 outs.

Yanier Cano came in, and George Lombard Jr. hit a squibbler into no-man’s land between home and 1st and beat it out for a 4-3 Yankee lead!

Cano then threw a wild pitch that allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score. NY 5 Baltimore 3.

7. Blackburn & Bednar Close

Paul Blackburn got into a little trouble in the 8th — allowing a 1-out single to Sam Basallo and a 2-out walk to Dylan Beavers. But got Leody Tavares to pop out to end the inning. Phew. NY 5 Baltimore 3.

And then David Bednar pitched yet another 1-2-3 non-agita 9th — groundout, strikeout, fly out — for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816589

 

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