Ernie Lombardi
Catcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1931-1947)
- 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.
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
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 1792 hits.
- Is Ernie Lombardi in the Hall of Fame?
- Yes. Ernie Lombardi was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.