Age: 30 (Apr. 6)
7th season
with Reds
Bats – Right,
Throws – Right
Height: 6’3” Weight: 230
Prior to 1938:
The son of
Italian immigrants and a native of Oakland, California, Lombardi played sandlot
baseball as a boy and joined a semipro team at age 12 where his size (he would
prove to be excellent at blocking the plate), large hands, and strong throwing
arm made him a welcome addition as a catcher. He joined the Oakland Oaks of the
Pacific Coast League at age 18 in 1926, appearing in four games and getting two
hits. Following another brief stint with the Oaks in 1927, Lombardi joined the
Ogden Gunners of the Class C Utah-Idaho League where he batted .398 in 50
games. Returning to Oakland from 1928 to ’30, the good-natured backstop
acquired the nickname “Schnozz” due to his prominent nose. He averaged .377,
.366, and .370 over the three seasons, with 24 home runs in 1929 and 22 in
1930. He also performed well defensively, leading PCL catchers with 95 assists
in 1929 and 102 in 1930. Brooklyn acquired Lombardi for two players and $50,000
in 1931. As backup to Al Lopez, he appeared in 73 games and hit .297 with his
unorthodox batting grip in which he placed his left index finger over the
little finger of his right hand. Lombardi was traded to the Reds in 1932 as
part of a six-player deal and became Cincinnati’s starting catcher. A
notoriously slow runner who was also very strong, had a keen batting eye, and
hit the ball hard, Lombardi batted .303 in 1932 with 22 doubles, 9 triples, 11
home runs, and 68 RBIs. After hitting .283 in 1933, his average jumped back up
to .305 with 9 home runs and 62 RBIs in 1934. In 1935 he tied a NL record with
four doubles in a game against the Phillies on his way to 23 doubles for the
season, along with 12 home runs, 64 RBIs, and a .343 batting average. Lombardi
was an All-Star selection in 1936, when he hit .333 with 12 home runs and 68
RBIs, and 1937, when his average was .334 with 9 home runs and 59 RBIs. Despite
any defensive limitations, he was considered a good handler of pitchers.
1938 Season Summary
Appeared in 129
games
C – 123, PH – 7
[Bracketed
numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]
Batting
Plate
Appearances – 529
At Bats – 489
Runs – 60
Hits – 167 [9,
tied with Johnny Rizzo]
Doubles – 30 [13]
Triples – 1
Home Runs – 19
[7]
RBI – 95 [7]
Bases on Balls
– 40
Int. BB – N/A
Strikeouts – 14
Stolen Bases – 0
Caught Stealing
– N/A
Average - .342
[1]
OBP - .391 [7]
Slugging Pct. -
.524 [5]
Total Bases – 256
[8, tied with Harry Craft]
GDP – 30 [1]
Hit by Pitches
– 0
Sac Hits – 0
Sac Flies – N/A
League-leading
batting average was +.005 ahead of runner-up Johnny Mize
League-leading
times batted into double plays were +5 ahead of runner-up Al Todd
Midseason
snapshot: HR - 10, RBI – 42, AVG – .360, SLG PCT - .570
--
Most hits, game
– 4 (in 5 AB) at St. Louis Cards 8/22, (in 5 AB) vs. Pittsburgh 10/1
Longest hitting
streak – 11 games
HR at home – 10
HR on road – 9
Most home runs,
game – 2 (in 5 AB) at Brooklyn 9/14
Multi-HR games
– 1
Most RBIs, game
– 5 at Brooklyn 9/14
Pinch-hitting –
3 of 7 (.429) with 3 RBI
Fielding
Chances – 594
Put Outs – 512
Assists – 73
Errors – 9
DP – 8
Pct. - .985
Awards & Honors:
NL MVP: BBWAA
All-Star (Started
for NL at C)
Top 5 in NL MVP
Voting:
Ernie Lombardi,
Cin.: 229 pts. - 10 of 15 first place votes, 68% share
Bill Lee, ChiC.:
166 pts. – 5 first place votes, 49% share
Arky Vaughan,
Pitt.: 163 pts. – 49% share
Mel Ott, NYG.: 132
pts. – 39% share
Frank
McCormick, Cin.: 130 pts. – 39% share
Reds went 82-68
to finish fourth in the NL, 6 games behind the pennant-winning Chicago Cubs for
the team’s best finish since 1926.
Aftermath of ‘38:
Lombardi had
another solid season for the pennant-winning Reds in 1939, batting .287 with 20
home runs and 85 RBIs and garnering All-Star recognition for the fourth
straight year. In the ensuing four-game sweep in which Cincinnati lost to the
Yankees, Lombardi suffered an ignominious moment in the decisive Game 4. With
the score tied at 4-4 in the tenth inning and two Yankees on base, outfielder
Joe DiMaggio slashed a hit that drove in the go-ahead run and outfielder
Charlie Keller collided with Lombardi while scoring another run and causing the
big catcher to lose control of the ball while he lay sprawled behind the plate.
DiMaggio circled the bases and slid safely home past Lombardi’s attempted tag
as he regained his senses. The play came to be referred to as “Lombardi’s
Snooze” and ultimately resulted in a 7-4 Series-winning victory for New York. The
Reds recovered to again top the NL in 1940, with Lombardi contributing a .319
average with 14 home runs and 74 RBIs. A sprained ankle limited Lombardi to one
game in the World Series triumph over Detroit. He had a down year in 1941 in
which his batting average dropped to .264 along with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs.
Sold to the Boston Braves in 1942, Lombardi won a second batting title by
hitting .330 with 11 home runs and 46 RBIs for the seventh-place club. Holding
out for a trade in 1943, he was dealt to the New York Giants for catcher Hugh
Poland and second baseman Connie Ryan. He was an All-Star for the last time in
1943 during a season in which he hit .305 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs. Turned
down by the Army for World War II military service, the overweight Lombardi
batted .255 in 1944 although he rebounded to .307 in 1945. The arrival of
another catcher, Walker Cooper from the Cardinals, in 1946 cost Lombardi his
starting job. Appearing in 88 games, he hit .290 with 12 home runs and 39 RBIs.
Lombardi spent one more season with the Giants in 1947, continuing to back up
Cooper and playing in only 48 games, in which he batted .282. Released by the
Giants, he returned to the Pacific Coast League in 1948, playing for Oakland
and Sacramento. Overall for his major league career, Lombardi batted .306 with
1792 hits that included 277 doubles, 27 triples, and 190 home runs. He also
produced 990 RBIs. With the Reds, his totals were a .311 average with 1238
hits, 220 doubles, 24 triples, 120 home runs, and 682 RBIs. A seven-time
All-Star, Lombardi was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986, nine
years after his death at age 69. He was previously inducted into the Cincinnati
Reds Hall of Fame in 1958 and the Reds have placed a statue of Lombardi outside
of Great American Ballpark.
--
MVP Profiles feature players in the National or
American leagues who were winners of the Chalmers Award (1911-14), League Award
(1922-29), or Baseball Writers’ Association of America Award (1931 to present)
as Most Valuable Player.
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