Yankees overcome severe ump show, Chris Sale for George Lombard-fueled win over Braves

Where were you when one of Chris Sale's wacky antics finally helped the Yankees instead of hurt them?

After Gerrit Cole got barraged for four consecutive hits in the fifth inning to turn a 1-0 lead into a 2-1 deficit with no one out and the top of the order at the dish, it was hard to see how Saturday's Old-Timers' Day showcase, with nearly every iconic Yankee of the past 50 years in the building, wasn't going to turn into yet another big showcase game blundered away by this club.

Instead, Cole locked in and retired the next three fearsome batters in order, allowing this contest to go off the rails in a mostly-beneficial way.

After George Lombard Jr. challenged not one, but two "strike three" calls and won' em both/took his walk, Spencer Jones rocketed a triple left-on-left against Sale, who then breezed through Jose Caballero. Caballero took worse at-bats than 79-year-old Mickey Rivers during the pregame festivities in this one.

But fear not! Because home plate umpire Dan Merzel was not a fan of Sale's approach to the hybrid windup, calling a balk on him that resulted in Braves manager Walt Weiss' ejection and a whole lot of confusion.

For all you Braves fans in a tizzy, Austin Wells rocketed a line drive double before the AB was over. Fallacy of the predetermined outcome and all that, but the run probably would've scored anyhow.

But about that balk ... can you spot the difference between Sale's many deliveries with Jones on third? Bold call to nab the future Hall of Famer on this one. BOOOOOLD call.

But Merzel likes 'em bold, proving he had one more "Greatest Hit" in his playbook before the game was over. It's kind of old hat to beef with Jose Caballero at this point, but Merzel took it to a whole new level, calling an automatic strike one on him, then calling another one on Wells because Caballero's trot to first was too slow.

It came with a kindergarten explanation, and it almost got Aaron Boone tossed, too.

George Lombard Jr. steals Umpire Dan Merzel Show with one final Yankees Old-Timers' Day Miracle

Thankfully, this game ended with a proper tribute to the old timers instead of both managers getting run over nothing (though an umpire being a big, bad man for no reason was probably a solid tribute to old-time baseball, too).

In the end, it was the kid, George Lombard Jr., and the team's current best hitter, Ben Rice, who went yard for insurance. Lombard's went out to right, allowing Michael Kay to rub it in Mike Yastrzemski's face in a way he'd likely yearned to all game.

Who's having a better day in the spotlight: Kay or Merzel?

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