Yankees Slide Past Rays, 6-4

A Crazy Wild Pitch and Lombard, Jr.’s Improv Routine Highlight Epic Comeback as Yankees Slide Past Rays, 6-4; Schlittler Draws Curtain on Epic Season

by John Nielsen

September 25, 2026

Photo Attribution: Robert Sabo for the New York Post

In a game that may come to be remembered as “The George Lombard Jr. Game,” the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 6–4, to take three of four games in the series that concluded Thursday night in the Bronx.

The outcome had no bearing on the AL East race—the Rays clinched the division in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, while the Yankees (92-67) are locked into the AL’s top Wild Card spot—but the Yankees nevertheless delivered a statement of their own: They remain very much relevant in their pursuit of representing the American League in the 2026 World Series and earning their 28^th world’s championship.

At the center of it all was Lombard, who showcased the myriad ways he can help the Yankees win—with his bat, glove, arm, legs and, perhaps most impressively, his baseball moxie.

He made a pair of sparkling defensive plays, including a strong throw that cut down a Rays runner at the plate. He then ignited a seventh-inning rally by corking a 110-mph line drive double to left, and later scoring on a wild pitch after a dazzling display of athleticism and heads-up baserunning. He capped the night with a dramatic two-run homer in the eighth—another 110-mph rocket that majestically carried into the second deck in left field—to provide the winning margin.

Over his last 10 games, Lombard has hit .310 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and a .969 OPS. As he has at every stop in his professional career, he’s adapted quickly to the next higher level of competition he’s faced. And the Heir’s timing couldn’t be better.

New York trailed 4–0 after 5½ innings before beginning its comeback. Austin Wells’ 14th home run put the Yankees on the board in the sixth, and they erupted for three more runs in the seventh. Lombard’s double and subsequent baserunning heroics helped spark the rally, which was capped by Paul Goldschmidt’s clutch two-out single, scoring Wells to tie the game at 4–4. Lombard’s seventh home run of the season in the eighth completed the comeback victory.

Cam Schlittler made his 33rd start of the season and, albeit in abbreviated fashion, delivered his 25th start—and ninth consecutive—allowing one or fewer earned runs, a major-league record.

Schlittler had his usual velocity, touching 100 mph with his four-seam fastball, but he wasn’t sharp. He lasted just three inefficient innings, throwing 70 pitches, only 47 for strikes, while walking two and striking out five. Rather than risk further damage or unnecessary wear and tear, Boone pulled him early, effectively treating the outing as an extended bullpen session and final tune-up before the postseason.

Nonetheless, Schlittler appears to have locked up the American League Cy Young Award, finishing 14–6 with a dazzling 1.95 ERA—the third-best mark in franchise history. The last Yankee to surpass Schlittler’s accomplishments was Ron Guidry, whose epic 1978 season produced a 25–3 record, 1.74 ERA and 9.6 WAR. Guidry finished second in the MVP voting that year as the Yankees captured their second consecutive World Series championship, defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In similar fashion, Schlittler has earned serious MVP consideration in 2026. With some luck, he’ll now have the opportunity to take his remarkable season deep into October.

The Heir and the Art of Improvisation

The best improvisational comedians share a simple philosophy: accept what happens, react to it and make something out of it.  Robin Williams knew the art and craft of Improv. So did Jonathan Winters, before him.

In Improv there is no script. No prepared lines. No opportunity to stop the scene and start over. A partner makes an unexpected move, an object winds up somewhere it wasn’t supposed to be, or something goes spectacularly wrong—and the performer must recognize the opportunity and run with it.

“Yes, and…”

Accept the reality that has suddenly been created, then build upon it.

George Lombard Jr. did precisely that Thursday night.

His seventh-inning dash to home plate in a game that seemed lost —and the acrobatic slide that narrowed the margin to a single run—may have been the play of the season for the Yankees. It was certainly one of those baseball moments that could never have been scripted.

New York trailed 4–2 with Lombard on third and one out when Tampa Bay catcher, Liam Hicks, was unable to corral a 101 mph wild pitch thrown by Rays reliever Brody Hopkins. Instead of ending up dozens of feet behind the catcher, the ball ricocheted almost directly back to Hicks within 8 to 10 feet of the dish.

For most players, that might have been the end of the opportunity.

For The Heir, it was an invitation.

The wild pitch was the unexpected offer. Lombard had no way of knowing where the ball would wind up. But the instant it bounced right back toward Hicks, Lombard recognized that the scene had suddenly changed.

And he responded with “Yes, and…”

Lombard didn't hesitate. He didn't wait to see whether the opportunity would remain available. He committed to the possibility that had suddenly appeared in front of him and raced for home.

That is the essence of improvisation: watch and react.

Lombard had to process the entire play in real time—the location of the ball, Hicks' position, the possibility of the catcher recovering and, most importantly, whether there was still a path to the plate. There was no predetermined script to follow. His next move depended entirely upon what happened in the previous split second.

Then came the punchline.

Beginning an improvised slide ten feet in front of home plate and coming to a dead stop several feet in front of the prostrate Hicks, Lombard launched himself into an extraordinary, evasive lunge as Hicks scrambled to make the tag. The rookie twisted away from the flailing catcher, somehow maintaining enough body control to graze the plate gamely with his right hand.

An improbable sequence that began with a mistake had become one of the most exhilarating plays of the Yankees' season.

And that is where the improv analogy becomes perfect.

Hicks was Lombard's scene partner. The catcher wasn't merely an obstacle; everything Lombard did depended upon what Hicks did next. As the ball bounced back toward him, Hicks reacted. Lombard reacted to Hicks. Hicks reacted again. Lombard adjusted again.

Neither player knew exactly how the scene would end.

That's the beauty of improvisation—and baseball at its most exhilarating.

The best improvisers don't try to force a scene back onto the script when something unexpected happens. They embrace the new reality and find a way to make it work.

Lombard did exactly that.

The wild pitch supplied the premise. Lombard supplied the “Yes, and…”

Hicks became the scene partner. And the acrobatic, improvised “slide” delivered the punchline.

Wayne Brady, Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles would have appreciated the command performance.

So would Derek Jeter.

Because sometimes the most memorable baseball plays aren't the ones anyone draws up beforehand.

They're the ones a player has the instincts, imagination and nerve to create after the script disappears.

Who Exceeded Expectations?

Paul Goldschmidt delivered in the clutch once again, collecting two hits, including his 13th double of the season. Goldie has enjoyed a remarkable age-39 season, providing unexpected production throughout the year, particularly against left-handed pitching. You can’t help but wonder if he still has some October magic left.

Austin Wells homered, walked and scored twice. With four September home runs, he, too, may have something significant to say in the postseason.

The Yankees also stole three bases, including Amed Rosario’s third of the season and a double steal executed by Anthony Volpe—his 12th—and Wells, his fourth. If there is a potential weakness in Tampa Bay’s game, it may be its ability to control the running game, an area the Yankees could look to exploit should the teams meet again in October.

The bullpen was mostly effective, covering the final six innings after Schlittler’s early exit. Collectively, the relievers allowed just two runs, only one of them earned. Little-used Bradley Hanner (1–0) recorded the final six outs to earn his first major-league victory.

Who Disappointed?

Cody Bellinger went 0-for-4.

Jose Caballero and Anthony Volpe were also hitless, Caballero going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and Volpe 0-for-3 with one.

Luis Gil somehow scuffled through two scoreless innings, but his command was anything but sharp. He threw just 18 strikes among 41 pitches, walked four and even committed a fielding error. Following the game, he was optioned to Triple-A, eliminating him from postseason roster consideration.

Heliot Ramos bungled yet another defensive play in right field. With a runner on first and nobody out in the third, Ramos fielded a ground-ball single by Yandy Díaz. Rather than keep the double play in order by throwing to second, he fired to third in an attempt to catch the speedy Taylor Walls. The throw had virtually no chance from the moment it left his hand. Not only was the decision questionable—the throw itself was disastrous, sailing over the cutoff man and handcuffing the already-unreliable glove of Rosario. When Schlittler compounded the mistake by failing to back up third, the Rays were handed an early gift run.  May I suggest that Spencer Jones (or Max Schuemann) would be a better option defensively in right?

Other Yankee Notes/News

Clarke Schmidt was placed on the Injured List.   He also will not be rostered in the postseason.  The Yankees have some sorting out to do over the next four or five days to determine how many position players to keep – it’s possible it could be as many as 15 – and which (11 or 12) relievers to carry. They also have to decide which 3 starters to deploy and in what order out of Schlittler, Fried, Cole and Rodon.  These are not easy choices. 

CC Sabathia’s number will be retired in a ceremony Friday, that was planned for Saturday.

What’s Coming Next?

The weather is expected to impact the Yankees’ final series of the regular season against Baltimore. A nor’easter bearing down on the East Coast is forecast to reach New York City on Saturday, forcing postponement of the planned second game of the weekend series.

Instead, the Yankees and Orioles will play a single-admission doubleheader Friday, with Game 1 scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The Yankees have not yet announced their starters for either game, although manager Aaron Boone said Will Warren will likely work in a follower role in one of the two contests.  You can safely expect that Warren will be working out of the pen when the Yankees face off in playoff round 1 against Boston next week.