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.

[2] Lombardi started his professional baseball career for his hometown Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League.

However, Brooklyn had too many quality catchers at the time and Robins' manager Wilbert Robinson contemplated using the strong-armed Lombardi as a pitcher.

He was again an All-Star the next two seasons, and his hitting skills and leadership helped the Reds to the National League pennant in 1939 and 1940, and the World Series title in 1940.

Hershberger, who thought he had been having difficulties playing as a replacement for an injured Lombardi for a few games in 1940, told manager Bill McKechnie in private that "my father killed himself, and I'm going to do it, too!"

After failing to appear at the stadium the next day, the Reds checked Hershberger's room at the hotel on August 3 to find that he had slit his throat and wrist.

The six foot, three inch, 230-pound Lombardi was legendarily slow-footed, and during the course of his major league career he grounded into 261 double plays.

[citation needed] Despite this, he became an outstanding catcher on the basis of his strong, accurate arm and his ability to "call" a game.

Yankees right fielder Charlie Keller, well known for his sturdy physique, beat the throw to catcher Lombardi and inadvertently hit "The Schnozz" in his groin.

He received blood transfusions and was initially listed in critical condition, but within a couple of days newspaper reports said that he would survive.

[7] He was honored along with four other Crosley Field Era Reds: Joe Nuxhall, Ted Kluszewski, Frank Robinson, and Pete Rose.