Rookie George Lombard Jr. hit an impressive tiebreaking two-run homer with two outs in the eighth inning as the New York Yankees overcame a four-run deficit and earned a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday night.
The Yankees (92-67) won for the 11th time in 16 games thanks to their late comeback that was sparked by Lombard.
Following a single by Amed Rosario off Steven Matz (5-6), Lombard snapped a 4-4 tie by lifting a 2-2 sinker into the second deck of the left field seats. It was Lombard’s seventh homer in 41 games since joining the Yankees last month and his fourth in the past seven games.
Lombard also hit an RBI double during New York’s three-run seventh and scored on a wild pitch to the backstop by Tampa Bay rookie Brody Hopkins.
Paul Goldschmidt had a tying RBI single in the seventh for the Yankees, who are 11-8 when tied through seven innings.
Austin Wells also homered for the Yankees, who had one hit through the first five innings and lost seven of 13 meetings with the top-seeded Rays (96-63).
New York ace Cam Schlittler allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in three innings as he was limited to 70 pitches in his final start before the postseason. The right-hander struck out five and finished with 239 strikeouts to go along with a 1.95 ERA in his first full season.
Bradley Hanner (1-0) retired Junior Caminero to end the eighth and stranded a runner in the ninth for his first career victory.
Caminero had an RBI single and a run-scoring double as the Rays held a 4-0 lead into the sixth. Caminero needs one RBI to become the fifth player in team history with multiple 100-RBI seasons.
Yandy Diaz added a pair of hits, including a hit that scored a run on a throwing error by New York right fielder Heliot Ramos in the third.
Caminero gave the Rays a 2-0 lead with a single to center field and followed with a double off the left field fence before Tampa Bay took a 4-0 lead on an error by reliever Luis Gil.
Tampa Bay’s Ian Seymour allowed one hit in five innings. He struck out three and walked none in a 58-pitch outing.
