New York Yankees shortstop George Lombard Jr. is in danger of joining an ignominious group of players after committing errors in six consecutive games. He is one error away from matching the seven-game streak by former infielder Mark Lewis in 1992, a mark that has stood for decades. Lewis' streak occurred during his tenure with the Cleveland Indians.
Lombard's streak began on August 21 against the Toronto Blue Jays. He has since made errors in various ways, including bobbled ground balls, dropped balls, and errant throws. The rookie acknowledged the unacceptability of his recent performance, stating that it makes the pitchers' jobs harder and allows opposing teams to capitalize. "Something we're definitely going to have to clean up and got to be better," Lombard said following a recent loss.
This six-game error streak is the longest by a Yankees shortstop since Roger Peckinpaugh committed errors in six straight games in 1915. Peckinpaugh, however, later went on to win the American League MVP award in 1925. Lombard is also the first Yankee since utility player Chick Fewster in 1921 to have six consecutive error-filled games in a single season.
Despite his recent struggles, Lombard had shown flashes of excellent defense earlier in his rookie season, including a play that started a double play against the Cardinals. His defensive metrics had been noted as particularly strong in the early stages of his career.
Manager Aaron Boone expressed confidence that Lombard's skills will lead him to overcome this slump. "You're going to make errors at that position," Boone said. "He's just happened to make a few kind of funky ones in the last few days. One where a ball gets ricocheted, he picks it up and throws it in the dirt that he probably shouldn't have. You have one on a transfer. I think over time he's going to be really steady, as well as doing all the other things that'll wow you with his range and his strength and all that. His work's great. He's fundamentally very good. I expect this to be a bump, or a little blip on the radar. That's my hope."
Mark Lewis committed 10 errors during his seven-game streak from April 28 to May 5, 1992, with the Indians posting a 2-5 record during that period. The Yankees have gone 1-5 in games during Lombard's current error streak.