Lombard brothers punctuate simultaneous debuts with matching homers
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Aug. 4 will be a day to remember for the Lombard family for a couple of reasons.
Eldest son George Jr. -- MLB's No. 20 prospect -- made his Major League debut at Yankee Stadium as the Bronx Bombers took on the Cardinals while younger son Jacob took the field in his first professional game for Single-A Jupiter, against St. Louis' affiliate.
And not only that, both of them launched massive homers in their second plate appearances of the night.
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The roundtrippers were both pulled to left field off breaking balls. Jacob's mash came off right-hander Payton Graham and landed beyond the visiting bullpen. George Jr. turned around a sweeper from right-hander Hunter Dobbins and sent it into a sea of Yankees fans.
On the surface, the swings looked rather similar. Under the hood, it's undeniable. Both homers had 33-degree launch angles and exit velocities right around 100 mph. Jacob's was 99.9 mph. George Jr.'s was 100.2 mph.+
"You don't ever get these days back," proud father George Lombard said from his seat in the stands. "This was as emotional as any day we've had with our boys."
The Lombards had flights booked to watch Jacob in Jupiter until news broke of George Jr.'s promotion last night, and Jacob urged his parents to fly to the Big Apple.
"Just the fact that he's worked his whole life for this and that day had come, there was no words," mom Judy Lombard said in the stands. "For the first time in my life, I think, I didn't have words. I was just in shock."
The sons of former Major Leaguer and current Tigers bench coach George were both coveted for their high baseball IQs as amateurs. When he took the field in the top of the first inning, George Jr. became the youngest Yankees infielder (21 years, 63 days) to make his big league debut since Derek Jeter on June 11, 1995 (20 years, 350 days). He is set to man the six and bat eighth as the Yankees look for a spark after going 27-27 since Aaron Judge last played on May 31.
"Kind of brings me back a little bit," said Aaron Boone, who played in the Majors with his own brother, Bret. "When George walked into my office this afternoon, the first thing I asked was, 'Is your brother debuting today down in Jupiter?' He said 'yeah.' Pretty cool day for the family obviously.
"Congratulations to the Lombard family. Having two ballplayers, one making a professional debut and one making a Major League debut -- but also, getting to know George Jr. a little bit and his brother, less so but a little bit, they've raised amazing kids too."
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Identified as having Major League-level defense during Spring Training, George Jr.'s bat was his biggest question mark entering the season. While his 2026 campaign has been a bit streaky, the Yankees' No. 1 prospect was riding a heater prior to his callup. Over his past 14 Triple-A games -- since being activated from the injured list in mid-July -- the 21-year-old hit .377 (20-for-53) with a 1.081 OPS.
On the season, George Jr. was slashing .268/.405/.440 in 56 games at Triple-A with 16 doubles, six home runs, 44 runs, 21 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
"You're going to make mistakes. You're going to do well," Judy said she told George Jr. before his debut. "There's going to be a roller coaster of rides in this game. So, have fun, soak it all in."
Jacob batted second and played shortstop for Jupiter after entering pro ball as the No. 14 overall pick in the 2026 Draft. He was MLB's No. 5 prospect entering July and has a similar skill set to his brother. An elite athlete at shortstop, scouts think he can turn into a plus hitter with plus power, but he has swing-and-miss concerns.