NEW YORK (Interstat) — George Lombard Jr. hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the New York Yankees stormed back for a 6-4 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026, at Yankee Stadium II. The game took 2 hours, 51 minutes and drew 44,136. New York improved to 92-67, while Tampa Bay fell to 96-64. Bradley Hanner, now 1-0, earned the win in relief, and Steven Matz, now 5-6, took the loss. The Yankees finished with seven hits, while the Rays had nine. The result capped a back-and-forth series between the AL East rivals and gave New York a dramatic late win in the final regular-season meeting between the clubs.

Tampa Bay built its lead against Cam Schlittler and the New York bullpen. Schlittler, making his 33rd and final regular-season start, worked three innings and allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts. He finished his season with a 1.95 ERA, the lowest by a Yankees pitcher since Ron Guidry in 1978, and the lowest in the American League since Justin Verlander in 2022. The Rays opened the scoring in the third. Taylor Walls walked, Yandy Diaz singled to right and a throwing error by Heliot Ramos allowed Walls to score. Junior Caminero followed with an RBI single, giving Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead.

Ian Seymour kept New York quiet for five innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs while striking out three. He departed with the Rays ahead, but the New York bullpen kept the game within reach. Luis Gil threw two hitless innings, though he walked four. Michael Fulmer surrendered one earned run over 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts, and Tim Hill recorded two outs. Bradley Hanner later pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the win. Tampa Bay pitchers combined for 17 strikes, 69 balls and 17 balls in play. New York pitchers combined for 15 strikes, 42 balls and 15 balls in play.

Tampa Bay extended its lead in the fifth. Yandy Diaz singled, and Junior Caminero lined a sharp single to left that scored Diaz. The Rays added another run in the sixth when Liam Hicks grounded into a force out that allowed Ryan Vilade to score. A missed catch error by Luis Gil on the play let Hicks reach safely, and Tampa Bay carried a 4-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

Austin Wells finally put New York on the board in the sixth with a solo homer to center field, his 14th of the season. The blast trimmed the deficit to 4-1 and shifted the momentum at Yankee Stadium II. Jose Caballero struck out, Paul Goldschmidt doubled, and Cody Bellinger grounded out to move Goldschmidt to third, but Heliot Ramos struck out swinging to end the inning.

The Yankees broke through in the seventh. Ben Rice walked, Amed Rosario grounded out to move Rice to second, and George Lombard Jr. doubled to left to score Rice. Anthony Volpe then walked, and a wild pitch by Brody Hopkins brought Lombard home. Austin Wells walked, Jose Caballero reached on a fielder’s choice that cut down Volpe at home, and Paul Goldschmidt singled sharply to center to score Wells. The three-run rally tied the game 4-4 and set up the late drama.

Tampa Bay threatened in the eighth when Taylor Walls doubled to center. Yandy Diaz flew out to right, moving Walls to third. Liam Hicks then hit into a bizarre fielder’s choice out that saw Walls thrown out at home after a sequence involving shortstop George Lombard Jr., catcher Austin Wells, third baseman Amed Rosario, pitcher Bradley Hanner and Lombard again. Junior Caminero popped out to first baseman Ben Rice in foul territory, ending the inning.

New York completed the comeback in the bottom of the eighth. Heliot Ramos struck out, Ben Rice flew out to left, and Amed Rosario kept the inning alive with a sharp single to center. Lombard then drove a 1-1 pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run homer, his seventh of the season, scoring Rosario and giving the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Anthony Volpe struck out on a foul tip to end the inning, but the damage was done. Lombard finished 2 for 4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs. He had also homered in the series opener on Sept. 23 and entered the game with recent multi-hit and multi-RBI performances.

Steven Matz took the loss after allowing two earned runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings with two strikeouts. He retired the final out of the seventh before running into trouble in the eighth. Hanner, meanwhile, held the Rays scoreless over two innings and allowed two hits. The Yankees’ bullpen combined to keep Tampa Bay off the scoreboard after the sixth, allowing the lineup to complete the rally.

Tampa Bay finished with nine hits, while New York had seven. The Rays got two RBIs from Junior Caminero, who went 2 for 5. Yandy Diaz also had multiple hits and scored twice. Wells went 1 for 2 with a homer and an RBI. The Yankees’ late power display overshadowed a strong start by Seymour, who allowed just one hit over five innings. The loss was a costly one for Tampa Bay in the standings, though the Rays still own a 96-64 record. New York moved to 92-67.

The Rays will continue their road trip with a series at the Philadelphia Phillies beginning Friday. The Yankees will return home to face the Baltimore Orioles on Friday. Both teams have three games remaining in the regular season. New York’s win gave the club momentum as it prepares for the postseason, while Tampa Bay will look to regroup after letting a four-run lead slip away.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Tampa Bay 10, New York 6. Interstat’s ELO system had given New York a 56.2 percent pregame probability to win. New York had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -1.5. The total score of 10 went under the over/under line of 6.5.