Yank Rookies Spencer Jones & Lombard Support Cole. NY 5 Atlanta 4

August 9, 2026 paperbacklou 2026 0
George Lombard Jr. hits solo HR to opposite-field right in the 7th to give NY a 4-2 lead.

Yankee rookies Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr. both got 2 hits and combined for 3 runs scored and 3 RBI’s to back 7 strong innings by Gerrit Cole as NY beat Atlanta 5-4 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium — Old Timers’ Day.

The two rookies helped Cole outduel Chris Sale.

Spencer Jones singled in a run off Sale in the 2nd inning to give NY a 1-0 lead, then tripled in Lombard — who had worked an 8-pitch walk off Sale — in the 5th to tie the game 2-2. Jones then scored on a balk to make it 3-2 NY. Lombard hit a HR off reliever Victor Mederos to put NY up 4-2 in the 7th.

Ben Rice hit an insurance HR in the 8th to make it 5-3 NY, while Brent Headrick, Paul Blackburn, and David Bednar allowed Atlanta runs in the 8th and 9th but managed to save it.

“Excellent. Really excellent,” said manager Aaron Boone about Spencer Jones’s at bats. “I feel like he’s shown here over the last 10 days — he’s gaining experience. You can see some adjustments he makes; you can see some matchups that are more challenging for him — he can cheat to some things if he has to; back off if he has to; it’s been really good to see that — and today more good at bats against as tough as you’re going to face in Chris Sale.”

NY improves to 66-51, and remain 4.5 behind Tampa, but pull back to 1.5 over Boston. Atlanta drops to 70-47, in 1st in the NL Central by 8.5 games over Philly.

1. S Jones RBI Single Off Sale Puts NY Up 1-0 in 2nd

Chris Sale came in at 12-6 2.08. He’s having a great season and is a tough lefty to boot.

So it looked like it might be a long afternoon for NY when lefty Trent Grisham ripped a 1-out double in the 2nd inning off a first-pitch 97-MPH sinker. Sale struck out George Lombard Jr. in a 9-pitch at bat for the 2nd out, but lefty Spencer Jones hit a 1st-pitch 99-MPH fastball for a single up the middle and a 1-0 Yankee lead.

2. Sale Tough

Sale struck out Jose Caballero to end the 2nd, then started mowing thru the Yankee lineup — pitching a 1-2-3 inning in the 3rd and 4th with 2 strikeouts in each inning. He was throwing 99-MPH heat and tough off-speed pitches that induced groundouts when he wasn’t striking batters out.

3. S Jones RBI Triple Off Sale Gains NY 3-2 Lead in 5th

Atlanta got 2 runs off Cole in the top of the 5th to take a 2-1 lead.

But George Lombard Jr. led off the bottom of the 5th and again worked Sale — this time for an 8-pitch walk.

Spencer Jones then worked Sale in an 8-pitch at bat — in which he fell behind 0-2 then was called hit by a 1-2 pitch — which was overturned after he had walked to 1st. Spencer Jones returned to the batter’s box, took a ball, fouled off a pitch, and hit a 79-MPH slider for a triple to right center and 2-2 tie!

With Spencer Jones on 3rd, nobody out, and Jose Caballero up, Sale seemed to alter his delivery looking for a possible suicide squeeze.

Sale stuck out Caballero but then balked with Austin Wells up, allowing Spencer Jones to score.

Lefty Austin Wells then doubled to opposite-field left, and Paul Goldschmidt worked a walk, before Sale got Heliot Ramos to hit into a double play to end the 5th, NY up 3-2. Sale would pitch a 1-2-3 shutout 6th to finish with 6 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs, 8 K’s and 2 walks. He loses to go 12-7 2.20.

4. Cole Terrific — Out-Duels Sale

Meanwhile Gerrit Cole was on his game pitching a magnificent start on the beautiful sunny late afternoon with all the Yankee Old Timers watching.

Cole threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st, pitched around a 1-out double to Ozzie Ables in the 2nd, pitched around a 2-out single to Baldwin in the 3rd, threw a 1-2-3 inning in the 4th with 2 strikeouts and headed into the 5th with a 1-0 lead.

But in the 5th Cole ran into trouble — a leadoff double by leftfielder Mauricio Dubon and RBI double by rightfielder Mike Yastrzemski tied the game 1-1. A single by next batter Austin Riley put runners on 1st and 3rd with still nobody out.

Shortstop Jim Jarvis singled to right to make it 2-1 Atlanta with still nobody out and runners on 1st and 2nd.

But just when it was looking dicey — Cole got back to business — striking out catcher Drake Baldwin, getting DH Ronald Acuna Jr. to line out to right, and striking out 1st baseman Matt Olson to end the threat.

Cole then retired the next 6 batters in a row (9 batters in a row overall) for a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th and 7th, striking out 3 of the last 4 batters he faced. Cole was helped in the 6th by a tremendous leaping catch of a liner at 3rd by Amed Rosario.

Cole line: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 runs, 9 K’s, 0 walks. He wins to go 6-5 3.35.

5. Lombard HR Puts NY Up 4-2 in 7th

Atlanta brought in 25-year-old, 6’2 righty Victor Mederos to start the 7th, and George Lombard Jr. greeted him by hitting a 2-2 cutter into the short porch in opposite-field right for a huge insurance run and 4-2 Yankee lead.

6. Ump Merzel Goes After Caballero

Two batters after Lombard’s HR, Jose Caballero was called for a pitch-clock violation for strike 1, then worked a 4-pitch walk off Mederos, As he was walking to 1st he was called for a pitch-clock violation by home plate umpire Dan Merzel — causing a strike to be called against next batter Austin Wells.

This caused manager Aaron Boone to come out arguing from the dugout.

“They got him for circumvention,” said Boone afterwards about the strike. “No warning. And they have to warn him.” When asked about the pitch-clock violation that caused the strike to Austin Wells, Boone said “There’s some petty stuff going on. I thought that was uncalled for.”

Mederos then hit Austin Wells with a pitch, before striking out Paul Goldschmidt. Caballero and Wells then executed a double steal off Mederos — but Heliot Ramos struck out to end the threat.

7. Headrick Stumbles But Blackburn Bails Him Out

Brent Headrick came in for the 8th — and got the 1st out but Ronald Acuna Jr. clipped him for a 383-foot HR to left center for a 4-3 game.

Headrick got a fly out for the 2nd out, but allowed a single and was pulled for Paul Blackburn to face the righty Ozzie Albies. Blackburn got Albies to hit a groundout to shortstop to end the inning. Phew.

8. Rice Insurance HR in 8th Makes It 5-3 NY

And Ben Rice gave the Yanks another important insurance run with a solo 431-foot BLAST to center off off 6’3 lefty Danny Young leading off the bottom of the 8th to make it a 5-3 Yankee lead.

9. Bednar Perseveres

David Bednar came in for the 9th, and got a groundout to start the inning, walked Mike Yastrzemski — who took 2nd on fielder’s indifference while Bednar was striking out Austin Riley for the 2nd out.

But with 2 outs, Smith singled in Yastrzemski to make it a 5-4 game.

With the tying run on 1st, Bednar got Baldwin to hit a liner to right that Spencer Jones — looking into the sun — caught for the old ballgame.

Etcetera

Yankee stars from prior eras — especially the late 90’s championship teams — were in attendance for Old Timer’s game. Mariano Rivera, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neill, Luis Sojo, David Cone, etc.

Thurman Munson‘s wife was interviewed by Meredith Marakovits, and asked about Austin Wells wearing Thurman Munson-like attire on the anniversary of his tragic death a week ago. She said “It was perhaps the most beautiful tribute I’ve ever seen…it just knocked me out.”

The Old Timer’s game featured some amazing coverage of conversations — for example this one between former Yankee and Cy Young winner David Cone with current Cy Young candidate Cam Schlittler.

Other Cy Young winners on the field included CC Sabathia, Ron Guidry, and Gerrit Cole. Max Fried has finished 2nd and 4th in Cy Young voting. Andy Pettitte should have won it in 1996.

Current Yankee TV analyst and former Yank Todd Frazier — from Tom’s River NJ — announced while on the field as Jeff Nelson pitched.

David Cone also reported from the dugout and field.

Yankee old timer’s present included:

Hall of Famers:

Retired Numbers:

Monument Park Inductees:

Core Yankee Old Timers:

Johnny Damon, Dwight Gooden, Alfonso Soriano, Nick Swisher, Chris Chambliss, David Cone, Orlando “El Duque” Hernández, Bucky Dent, Mickey Rivers, Luis Sojo, Roy White, Hideki Matsui, Lee Mazzilli, Ramiro Mendoza, José Molina, Jeff Nelson, Mike Stanton, Shane Spencer, Mickey Rivers, and Roy White.

First-Time Old Timers:

Special guests:

Widows of legendary Yankees:

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401816441

 

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