Ernie Lombardi
Catcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1931-1947)
Ernie Lombardi was a catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1947 for 4 teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, a span of 17 seasons. In 1,853 career games, he hit .306 with 1,792 hits, 190 home runs, and 990 RBI. Ernie Lombardi was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 and was a 8-time All-Star and an MVP. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 15,583.
- AVG (Batting Average):
- Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
- HR (Home Runs):
- Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
- RBI (Runs Batted In):
- Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
- OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
- On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.
Data updated
- Position
- Catcher
- Bats / Throws
- R / R
- Height / Weight
- 6'3" / 230 lb
- Died
- 9/26/1977 in Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- MLB Debut
- 1931-04-15
- Last Game
- 1947-09-17
- Hall of Fame
- Inducted 1986 (BBWAA)
- Awards
- 8× All-Star · MVP
Full name: Ernesto Natali Lombardi
Career Batting Statistics
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,853 | 5,855 | 601 | 1,792 | 277 | 27 | 190 | 990 | 8 | 430 | 262 | .306 | .358 | .460 | .818 | 15,583 |
Career AVG .306 vs. league average .269 across their career seasons — +13.9% above league average.
Career OBP .358 vs. league average .335 across their career seasons — +6.9% above league average.
Career SLG .460 vs. league average .379 across their career seasons — +21.4% above league average.
Career OPS .818 vs. league average .714 across their career seasons — +14.6% above league average.
Season-by-Season Batting
Click a stat to plot it across every season.
| Year | Team | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | BB | SO | AVG | Lg AVG | Lg OBP | Lg SLG | Lg OPS | PIV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | BRO | NL | 73 | 182 | 20 | 54 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 1 | 12 | 12 | .297 | .276 (+7%) | .338 (+1%) | .388 (+6%) | .726 (+4%) | 106.5 |
| 1932 | CIN | NL | 118 | 413 | 43 | 125 | 22 | 9 | 11 | 68 | 0 | 41 | 19 | .303 | .275 (+10%) | .335 (+11%) | .391 (+22%) | .726 (+17%) | 1374.8 |
| 1933 | CIN | NL | 107 | 350 | 30 | 99 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 47 | 2 | 16 | 17 | .283 | .270 (+5%) | .329 (-3%) | .377 (+1%) | .707 (avg) | -53.5 |
| 1934 | CIN | NL | 132 | 417 | 42 | 127 | 19 | 4 | 9 | 62 | 0 | 16 | 22 | .305 | .278 (+10%) | .340 (-2%) | .392 (+10%) | .733 (+5%) | 302.6 |
| 1935 | CIN | NL | 120 | 332 | 36 | 114 | 23 | 3 | 12 | 64 | 0 | 16 | 6 | .343 | .279 (+23%) | .342 (+11%) | .399 (+35%) | .742 (+24%) | 1474.8 |
| 1936 | CIN | NL | 121 | 387 | 42 | 129 | 23 | 2 | 12 | 68 | 1 | 19 | 16 | .333 | .283 (+17%) | .349 (+7%) | .404 (+23%) | .753 (+16%) | 1174.1 |
| 1937 | CIN | NL | 120 | 368 | 41 | 123 | 22 | 1 | 9 | 59 | 1 | 14 | 17 | .334 | .276 (+21%) | .342 (+6%) | .398 (+19%) | .740 (+13%) | 853.7 |
| 1938 | CIN | NL | 129 | 489 | 60 | 167 | 30 | 1 | 19 | 95 | 0 | 40 | 14 | .342 | .272 (+25%) | .341 (+15%) | .392 (+33%) | .734 (+25%) | 2366.9 |
| 1939 | CIN | NL | 130 | 450 | 43 | 129 | 26 | 2 | 20 | 85 | 0 | 35 | 19 | .287 | .274 (+5%) | .342 (avg) | .393 (+24%) | .735 (+13%) | 1044.6 |
| 1940 | CIN | NL | 109 | 376 | 50 | 120 | 22 | 0 | 14 | 74 | 0 | 31 | 14 | .319 | .267 (+19%) | .335 (+14%) | .387 (+26%) | .722 (+20%) | 1512.7 |
| 1941 | CIN | NL | 117 | 398 | 33 | 105 | 12 | 1 | 10 | 60 | 1 | 36 | 14 | .264 | .262 (+1%) | .332 (-2%) | .373 (avg) | .705 (-1%) | -58.2 |
| 1942 | BSN | NL | 105 | 309 | 32 | 102 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 46 | 1 | 37 | 12 | .330 | .253 (+30%) | .323 (+25%) | .349 (+38%) | .672 (+32%) | 1832.5 |
| 1943 | NY1 | NL | 104 | 295 | 19 | 90 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 51 | 1 | 16 | 11 | .305 | .255 (+19%) | .324 (+7%) | .346 (+24%) | .671 (+16%) | 789.5 |
| 1944 | NY1 | NL | 117 | 373 | 37 | 95 | 13 | 0 | 10 | 58 | 0 | 33 | 25 | .255 | .261 (-3%) | .325 (-3%) | .357 (+3%) | .683 (+1%) | 33.0 |
| 1945 | NY1 | NL | 115 | 368 | 46 | 113 | 7 | 1 | 19 | 70 | 0 | 43 | 11 | .307 | .260 (+18%) | .328 (+18%) | .354 (+37%) | .683 (+28%) | 1984.5 |
| 1946 | NY1 | NL | 88 | 238 | 19 | 69 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 39 | 0 | 18 | 24 | .290 | .256 (+13%) | .328 (+6%) | .358 (+30%) | .687 (+18%) | 746.3 |
| 1947 | NY1 | NL | 48 | 110 | 8 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 9 | .282 | .262 (+7%) | .336 (-4%) | .376 (+16%) | .712 (+7%) | 97.6 |
| Career · 17 seasons | 1,853 | 5,855 | 601 | 1,792 | 277 | 27 | 190 | 990 | 8 | 430 | 262 | .306 | — | — | — | — | 15,583 | ||
Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.
Postseason Statistics
Playoff Career Batting
Playoff Batting by Year
Game Log & Splits
View full game log (1852 games) →Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).
Batting — Home / Away
| Split | G | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 963 | 2930 | 310 | 926 | 84 | 503 | .316 |
| Away | 889 | 2927 | 290 | 866 | 106 | 489 | .296 |
Last 10 Games — Batting
| Date | Tm | Opp | Res | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947-09-17 | NY1 | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-13 | NY1 | CIN | L | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-11 | NY1 | CIN | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-08 | NY1 | PIT | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-05 | NY1 | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-09-04 | NY1 | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-29 | NY1 | BRO | L | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-27 | NY1 | STL | W | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 1947-08-26 | NY1 | CHC | W | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1947-08-25 | NY1 | CHC | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Fielding Statistics
Career Fielding Totals by Position
| Position | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 1544 | 0 | 5694 | 845 | 143 | 107 |
Season-by-Season Fielding
| Year | Team | Pos | G | GS | PO | A | E | DP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | BRO | C | 50 | 0 | 218 | 23 | 4 | 5 |
| 1932 | CIN | C | 110 | 0 | 288 | 76 | 14 | 6 |
| 1933 | CIN | C | 95 | 0 | 223 | 52 | 8 | 3 |
| 1934 | CIN | C | 111 | 0 | 383 | 61 | 5 | 8 |
| 1935 | CIN | C | 82 | 0 | 298 | 49 | 6 | 4 |
| 1936 | CIN | C | 105 | 0 | 330 | 54 | 15 | 10 |
| 1937 | CIN | C | 90 | 0 | 333 | 58 | 11 | 3 |
| 1938 | CIN | C | 123 | 0 | 512 | 73 | 9 | 8 |
| 1939 | CIN | C | 120 | 0 | 536 | 63 | 10 | 7 |
| 1940 | CIN | C | 101 | 0 | 397 | 46 | 5 | 5 |
| 1941 | CIN | C | 116 | 0 | 496 | 70 | 10 | 9 |
| 1942 | BSN | C | 85 | 0 | 251 | 41 | 6 | 3 |
| 1943 | NY1 | C | 73 | 0 | 296 | 36 | 10 | 8 |
| 1944 | NY1 | C | 100 | 0 | 350 | 47 | 13 | 11 |
| 1945 | NY1 | C | 96 | 0 | 425 | 49 | 8 | 8 |
| 1946 | NY1 | C | 63 | 0 | 272 | 36 | 7 | 7 |
| 1947 | NY1 | C | 24 | 0 | 86 | 11 | 2 | 2 |
Career Games by Position
Circle size = games played at each position.
| Position | Games |
|---|---|
| Catcher | 1542 |
Awards & Honors
| Year | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C |
| 1938 | Baseball Magazine All-Star | C1 |
| 1938 | Most Valuable Player | |
| 1938 | TSN Guide MVP |
Award Voting History
| Year | Award | League | Finish | Points Won | Points Max | Votes First |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 24.0 | 336 | 0 |
| 1940 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 9th | 38.0 | 336 | 1 |
| 1938 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 1st | 229.0 | 336 | 10 |
| 1936 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 20th | 1.0 | 80 | 0 |
| 1935 | Most Valuable Player | NL | 13th | 8.0 | 80 | 0 |
Most Similar Players
Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.
Ernie Lombardi (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.
Compare Ernie Lombardi
Ernie Lombardi: the record in brief
The profile opens with Ernie Lombardi's first major league game on April 15, 1931; the last one listed came on September 17, 1947. The season rows list, in order, the Brooklyn Robins (1931), the Cincinnati Reds (1932 through 1941), the Boston Braves (1942), and the New York Giants (1943 through 1947). Lombardi played primarily as a catcher and both batted and threw right-handed. Born on April 6, 1908, in Oakland, CA, USA, Lombardi was listed at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds. Lombardi's death is recorded on September 26, 1977, in Santa Cruz, CA, USA. The bio lists the given name Ernesto Natali.
The batting record for Lombardi: 1,853 games, 1,792 hits in 5,855 at bats, and a .306 average, plus 190 homers and 990 RBI. Lombardi's career OPS of .818 combines a .358 on-base mark with .460 slugging. Measured against the leagues Lombardi played in, the .306 career average compares with a .269 league average over the same seasons, 13.9% above the league.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ernie Lombardi
- What years did Ernie Lombardi play?
- Ernie Lombardi played in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1947.
- Was Ernie Lombardi a pitcher?
- No. Ernie Lombardi was a position player (Catcher).
- How many home runs did Ernie Lombardi hit?
- Ernie Lombardi hit 190 career home runs with 1,792 hits.
- Is Ernie Lombardi in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Ernie Lombardi was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
- What teams did Ernie Lombardi play for?
- Ernie Lombardi played for 4 teams: the Brooklyn Robins (1931), the Cincinnati Reds (1932–1941), the Boston Braves (1942), and the New York Giants (1943–1947).
- How many MVP awards did Ernie Lombardi win?
- Ernie Lombardi won 1 MVP award, in 1938.
- What awards did Ernie Lombardi win?
- Ernie Lombardi won the MVP award (1938). He was selected to 8 All-Star Games.
- What were Ernie Lombardi's career stats?
- In 1,853 games, Ernie Lombardi had 1,792 hits, 190 home runs, 990 RBI, 601 runs, and 8 stolen bases, with a .306 batting average.
- What position did Ernie Lombardi play?
- Ernie Lombardi played primarily as a catcher, the position where he appeared in the most games.
- How tall was Ernie Lombardi and how much did he weigh?
- Ernie Lombardi was listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 230 pounds.
- How many home runs did Ernie Lombardi hit each season?
- Ernie Lombardi's home runs by season: 4 in 1931, 11 in 1932, 4 in 1933, 9 in 1934, 12 in 1935, 12 in 1936, 9 in 1937, 19 in 1938, 20 in 1939, 14 in 1940, 10 in 1941, 11 in 1942, 10 in 1943, 10 in 1944, 19 in 1945, 12 in 1946, and 4 in 1947. His most in one season was 20, in 1939.
- What was Ernie Lombardi's career batting average?
- Ernie Lombardi batted .306 over his career, with 1,792 hits in 5,855 at bats.
- How many RBI did Ernie Lombardi have?
- Ernie Lombardi drove in 990 runs in his career.
- How many All-Star Games did Ernie Lombardi make?
- Ernie Lombardi was selected to 8 All-Star Games.