Lobert was immortalized in the 1953 film Big Leaguer and in the 1966 Lawrence Ritter book The Glory of Their Times.

Lobert was one of six children, including brothers Frank and Ollie, who also became professional baseball players.

Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates, invited Lobert to try out for his team in September 1903.

Like shortstop Honus Wagner, a teammate as well as a neighbor of Lobert's when he first came to the major leagues, the German-American Lobert earned the nickname "Hans" as a familiar form of Johannes, the German version of his given name, and was dubbed "Hans Number 2" by Honus Wagner.

Lobert batted .274 for his career and played 14 seasons (1903, 1905–1917) with five National League clubs, including regular stints as a third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds (1906–1910) and Philadelphia Phillies (1911–1914).

The hit was during a game against the New York Giants with Joe McGinnity as pitcher, and Lobert bunted for a single.

The next season, the Reds led the National League in stolen bases with 280; however, Lobert's batting average suffered and went down to .212.

At this point, he considered signing with the Chicago Whales as part of the Federal League, but John McGraw, manager of the New York Giants, convinced him not to, and in January 1915, Lobert signed a three-year contract with the Giants that matched the salary the Whales had offered.

In addition to this, the Giants also traded pitcher Al Demaree, third baseman Milt Stock, and reserve catcher Bert Adams for Lobert.

Lobert went on to be the baseball coach of the United States Military Academy at West Point with the help of McGraw.

A 1953 film, Big Leaguer, set at a Giants training camp in Melbourne, Florida, was a fictional story, but starred Edward G. Robinson in the role of Lobert.