George Lombard put himself at the center of a historic moment in China.
As a nonroster invitee to the Los Angeles Dodgers' spring training camp in 2008, he went to Wukesong Baseball Stadium in Beijing for a two-game series against the San Diego Padres. On March 15, Lombard became the first American baseball player to hit a home run in China.
Those two spring training games were planned to boost the popularity of baseball in that area of the world, and Lombard remains remembered for his home run off right-hander Justin Germano in the third inning.