The New York Yankees pulled off a four-run comeback at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, September 24, 2026, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4 in nine innings. George Lombard Jr. led the charge with a home run and three RBI, Austin Wells added a solo shot, and a patchwork bullpen slammed the door after starter Cam Schlittler gave the offense time to find its footing. In a division rivalry game where the Yankees trailed by four runs at some point, this one could have gotten away from them in a hurry. It did not.

Yankees Rally From Four-Run Deficit to Defeat Tampa Bay Rays

Ian Seymour was the story early — and not in a good way for New York. The Rays left-hander was borderline untouchable through five innings, allowing just one hit, walking nobody, and striking out three. The Yankees managed next to nothing against him, and Tampa Bay's 4-0 advantage looked plenty comfortable with Seymour on the mound.

But Seymour exited after five, and that's when the game changed completely.

Yankee Bullpen Cobbles Together the Win

On the pitching side, Thursday's game was a genuine collective effort. Schlittler opened and gave the Yankees three innings of one-run ball, striking out five while surrendering three hits and two walks. That's the kind of outing that keeps a team in a game it might otherwise have abandoned early.

Michael Fulmer followed with 1.1 innings, racking up three strikeouts before allowing a run. Tim Hill bridged a gap with 0.2 innings of scoreless work. Then Luis Gil came on and delivered two full innings without allowing a hit — though he walked four, which kept things uncomfortably interesting. Bradley Hanner closed it out with two clean innings, giving up two hits but no runs, and picked up the win.

Steven Matz took the loss for Tampa Bay, allowing two runs on two hits over 1.1 innings in relief, including the critical late damage that sealed the outcome.

Lombard Jr. and Wells Provide the Power

Once Jake Woodford replaced Seymour in the sixth, the Yankees went to work. Woodford was roughed up for three earned runs on three hits in just 1.1 innings, and Brody Hopkins gave up another run on one hit and two walks in a third of an inning. That's four pitchers for Tampa Bay over the final four frames, and the Yankees made each transition count.

George Lombard Jr. was the biggest bat on the night. He went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI — the kind of line that wins games. When you're down four runs and need someone to flip the script, that's the sort of performance that does it.

Austin Wells was equally impactful in a smaller sample. The catcher went 1-for-2 with a home run and an RBI, making his at-bats count in a big way. Paul Goldschmidt chipped in with two hits and an RBI in four at-bats, providing the steady contact the Yankees needed at the top of the order to sustain rallies.

For Tampa Bay, Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 and Junior Caminero collected two hits and two RBI in five at-bats, but the Rays' bullpen couldn't protect the lead once Seymour was gone.

What's Next for the Yankees

  • The Yankees remain at Yankee Stadium and will look to build on Thursday's comeback win as the 2026 regular season winds toward its conclusion.
  • Lombard Jr.'s multi-RBI performance will be worth watching — he delivered when the lineup needed it most.
  • The bullpen's workload Thursday was heavy, with five pitchers combining for six innings. Managing that depth in upcoming games will be a priority.
  • Gil's two hitless innings were encouraging despite the four walks — command will be the thing to monitor going forward.

Bottom line: this was a messy, grinding win that required everybody. The Yankees trailed by four, got practically nothing done through five innings against Seymour, then erupted the moment Tampa Bay's bullpen took over. That's a resilient effort in a division game, and on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium, it was more than enough.