Ernie Lombardi

Ernie Lombardi
Catcher
Born: (1908-04-06)April 6, 1908 Oakland, California, U.S.
Died: September 26, 1977(1977-09-26) (aged 69) Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
April 15, 1931, for the Brooklyn Robins
Last MLB appearance
September 17, 1947, for the New York Giants
MLB statistics
Batting average	.306
Home runs	190
Runs batted in	990
Teams
Brooklyn Robins (1931) Cincinnati Reds (1932–1941) Boston Braves (1942) New York Giants (1943–1947)
Career highlights and awards
8× All-Star (1936–1940, 1942, 1943, 1945) World Series champion (1940) NL MVP (1938) 2× NL batting champion (1938, 1942) Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame
Member of the National
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	1986
Election method	Veterans Committee

Ernesto Natali Lombardi (April 6, 1908 – September 26, 1977) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a catcher for the Brooklyn Robins, Cincinnati Reds, Boston Braves, and New York Giants during a career that spanned 17 years, from 1931 through 1947. He had several nicknames, including "Schnozz", "Lumbago", "Bocci", "the Cyrano of the Iron Mask", and "Lom". He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

Baseball writer Bill James called Lombardi "the slowest man to ever play major league baseball well." Lombardi was an All-Star for seven seasons,^[a] he hit over .300 for ten seasons and finished his major league career with a .306 batting average despite infields playing very deep for the sloth-like baserunner. He is listed at 6'3" and 230 lbs, but he probably approached 300 lbs towards the end of his career. He was also known as a gentle giant, and this made him hugely popular among Cincinnati fans.^[1]

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