George Lombard Jr. could be silver lining for this dreadful Yankees end

Several minutes after both the predictable and unthinkable — another team celebrating on the Yankees’ home turf, this time the Rays after sweeping through the ALDS — three Yankees lingered on the top step of the dugout.They stared.

They absorbed.They stored what will be used as fuel.Paul Blackburn peeled off the railing and began making his way to the clubhouse.

Soon after, Aaron Judge followed.Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees.

And finally, the last Yankee to force himself from watching the revolting sight was the youngest: George Lombard Jr.“I’m going to have to learn from it and keep this feeling with it and use that in the work next year,” Lombard said after the Yankees were eliminated Wednesday night in The Bronx.“… It sucks.

It hurts.There’s a lot of things that go into it, but yeah, it’s definitely a feeling that you don’t want to feel after your last game.“It’s definitely going to be on my mind a lot.”The Yankees will not fondly remember 2026, when Judge and Giancarlo Stanton missed much of the season, their replacements did not adequately replace them and yet another campaign ended in disappointment, but it is at least possible it will be recalled as the year Lombard earned his shot.A year that started in Double-A Somerset, where Lombard did not even last a month, ended as the everyday, playoff shortstop for the Yankees.He showed flashes of brilliance defensively, and his fourth-inning highlight — in which he charged a chopper that had leaped over Max Fried, barehanded and slung a throw to cut down Junior Caminero — might have been remembered if the game finished differently.

He also showed that he is 21 years old, both with his six-game error streak and in being part of the Game 2 defensive meltdown.Offensively, he performed better than expected.The Yankees would welcome further steps, but a prospect known more fo...