Vic Lombardi – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Victor Alvin Lombardi isn’t exactly a household name these days, but the left-handed pitcher managed to carve out a solid six-year run in Major League Baseball during the 1940s. At just 5-foot-7 and 158 pounds, Lombardi surprised a lot of people by making it to the top level of baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1945 to 1950.

Lombardi hit his peak with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where folks started calling him the “Giant Killer” for how well he handled the team’s cross-town rivals. He even started two games in the famous 1947 World Series. His story, from being the son of a California farm worker to pitching in the biggest games, feels like one of those classic underdog tales from baseball’s post-World War II years.

If you look into Lombardi’s baseball career, you’ll find not just his achievements and stats, but also a second act as a professional golfer that stretched long after his days on the mound. His journey gives a glimpse into the challenges that smaller players face and the winding roads athletes often travel after they leave the game.

Overview of Vic Lombardi’s Baseball Career

Victor Alvin Lombardi pitched for six seasons in Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1950, suiting up for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Even though he stood just 5’7″ and weighed 158 pounds, he finished with a 50-51 record and started two games in the 1947 World Series.

Early Baseball Development

Vic Lombardi started building his baseball skills at Tulare Union High School in California. He played under Pete Beiden, who eventually became a coaching legend at Fresno State.

The Brooklyn Dodgers picked up Lombardi as an amateur free agent in 1941. Scout Tom Downey spotted his talent and brought him into the organization.

At just 18, Lombardi kicked off his pro career with the Johnstown Johnnies in the Class D Pennsylvania State Association. He was a force that season, striking out 19 batters in a game twice. He even had games with 18 and 17 strikeouts.

He wrapped up that debut year with a 12-3 record and a league-best 1.85 ERA, racking up 204 strikeouts. The Dodgers bumped him up to the Santa Barbara Saints in the California League, and he went 1-1 to finish out 1941.

Lombardi kept moving up in 1942. He went 9-4 with a 3.08 ERA for Santa Barbara before heading to the Durham Bulls in the Class B Piedmont League. With Durham, he finished 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA.

Entry Into Major League Baseball

Lombardi debuted in the majors on April 18, 1945, with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He tossed two hitless innings in relief against Philadelphia during his first big league outing.

World War II had thinned out major league rosters, and that opened a door for Lombardi. Dodgers president Branch Rickey even said, “If Lombardi does not make it, I will be the most surprised man in baseball.”

Despite his size, Lombardi turned in a solid first season. He went 10-11 with a 3.31 ERA in 38 appearances, pitching 203⅔ innings in 1945.

In 1946, Lombardi put up his best numbers. He notched 13 wins against 10 losses and finished with a 2.89 ERA. His knack for shutting down the New York Giants earned him that “Giant Killer” nickname.

For the 1947 season, Lombardi helped the Dodgers win the National League pennant. He finished 12-11 with a 2.99 ERA, earning starts in Games Two and Six of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. Manager Burt Shotton gave him those starts.

After the 1947 season, the Dodgers traded Lombardi to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He went to Pittsburgh with pitcher Hal Gregg in exchange for Preacher Roe, Billy Cox, and Gene Mauch.

Retirement in 1950

Lombardi’s performance dropped off during his last MLB seasons with Pittsburgh. In 1948, he went 10-9 in 38 appearances while the Pirates climbed to fourth place.

By 1949, he saw less time on the mound. He started just 12 games out of 34 appearances, wrapping up the year with a 5-5 record and a 4.57 ERA.

His last major league season in 1950 didn’t go well. Lombardi started just two games for the Pirates, who finished last, and went 0-5 with a 6.60 ERA. A rotator cuff injury nagged him all season.

At 28, Vic Lombardi stepped away from Major League Baseball after six seasons. He left with 50 wins, 51 losses, and a 3.68 ERA in 223 games. Out of his 100 career starts, he completed 42.

After leaving the majors, Lombardi kept playing in the minors until 1959. He bounced around teams in the Pacific Coast League and International League, including Hollywood, Toronto, Seattle, San Diego, and Portland.

Major League Career Highlights

Vic Lombardi’s major league career spanned from 1945 to 1950, and he made his mark with both the Dodgers and Pirates. His time with Brooklyn during their championship run stands out, especially his World Series appearances and steady pitching.

Brooklyn Dodgers Years

Lombardi made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 18, 1945, at age 22. Even though he was just 5’7″ and 158 pounds, he quickly proved he could handle big league hitters as a lefty.

His top season came in 1947. That year, he went 12-11 with a 2.99 ERA, striking out 72 and walking 65 in 174⅔ innings over 33 games.

He tossed three shutouts in 1947, helping the Dodgers clinch the National League pennant.

The 1947 World Series against the Yankees was the high point of his Brooklyn stint. He started two games, but struggled with a 12.15 ERA in 6⅔ innings.

After the World Series, Brooklyn traded Lombardi on December 8, 1947. He, Hal Gregg, and Dixie Walker went to Pittsburgh for Preacher Roe, Billy Cox, and Gene Mauch.

Pittsburgh Pirates Tenure

Lombardi joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1948 and finished his major league career there. He became a regular starter for the Pirates, who were trying to rebuild.

During his Pittsburgh years, he put up a 15-19 record over three seasons. The Pirates gave him more chances to start than he had in Brooklyn.

In 1948, he spent his first full year as a starter and won 10 games, matching his best from his Dodgers days.

Lombardi pitched his final big league game on September 24, 1950, against Cincinnati. He gave up three hits and two earned runs in one inning, closing out his MLB career at 28.

He averaged over 150 innings per season with the Pirates, showing his durability and consistency.

Pitching Performance and Notable Games

Lombardi finished his major league run with a 50-51 record and a 3.68 ERA. He tallied 340 strikeouts against 418 walks in 944⅔ innings over 223 games.

He threw five career shutouts, including three in 1947. His best years came between 1945 and 1947, when he won 10 to 13 games each season.

Strikeouts weren’t really his thing—he relied more on control and mixing up his pitches. Back in the minors, he had struck out 19 batters in a game twice in a single week during 1941.

He worked as both a starter and a reliever during his career. That flexibility made him useful to both the Dodgers and Pirates after the war.

Lombardi’s WHIP was 1.415, so he let a lot of runners reach base. Still, he managed to keep his ERA in a good range, even during a high-scoring era.

Statistical Achievements and Records

Vic Lombardi put together a 50-51 record over six MLB seasons, with a 3.68 ERA in 944.2 innings. His best numbers came with the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he even posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in both 1947 and 1948.

MLB Statistics

Lombardi’s career stats show a pitcher who brought steady value to two National League teams. He appeared in 223 games from 1945 to 1950, starting 100 and finishing 42.

His strongest stretch was with Brooklyn from 1945 to 1947. Over those three years, he went 35-32 with a 3.07 ERA. In 1946, he set his career high with 13 wins and 10 losses.

Key Career Numbers:

• Games Played: 223
• Wins: 50
• Losses: 51
• ERA: 3.68
• Complete Games: 42
• Shutouts: 5

After moving to Pittsburgh in 1948, his numbers dipped. Over three seasons, he won just 15 and lost 19, with a 4.60 ERA.

Strikeouts and Wins

Lombardi finished with 340 strikeouts in his MLB career, averaging 3.2 per nine innings. His best strikeout year was 1947, when he fanned 72 batters in 174.2 innings.

He reached his highest win total—13—in 1946. That year, he also posted his lowest ERA at 2.89, which was easily his most effective season. He managed double-digit wins three times.

As a lefty, he had a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 0.81 for his career. In 1947, he improved that number to 1.11, his best season for control.

Postseason Appearances

Lombardi pitched in the 1947 World Series with the Dodgers against the Yankees. He started two games, giving him a taste of the postseason spotlight.

He struggled in the Series, putting up a 12.15 ERA over 6.2 innings. He allowed 14 hits and nine earned runs, striking out five. The Dodgers lost the series in seven games.

His postseason record stands at 0-1, with the loss coming in the championship. Despite the rough numbers, getting to pitch in the World Series was the high point of his pro baseball life.

Minor League and Post-Baseball Life

After his major league days ended in 1950, Vic Lombardi played nine more years in minor league baseball. He eventually switched gears and became a successful golf professional. Teaching golf and playing in pro tournaments brought him a lot of satisfaction in his later years.

Minor League Teams and Achievements

After his MLB career, Lombardi went back to the minors at 28. He spent a season with Hollywood in the Pacific Coast League in 1951.

From 1952 to 1954, he pitched for Toronto in the International League. In Toronto, he mostly worked as a starting pitcher.

He headed back to the Pacific Coast League for the rest of his career. Lombardi played for Seattle from 1955 to 1956 and then for San Diego from 1956 to 1958.

His last minor league season came in 1959 with Portland. While pitching for San Diego, catcher Joe Astroth mentioned Lombardi was experimenting with new pitches, including a spitball.

Lombardi retired at 36, finishing his minor league career with a 104-80 record and a 3.42 ERA. That record covers both his early years before the majors and his post-MLB seasons.

Transition to Golf Professional

Lombardi got into golf while he was still playing baseball. The Baseball Register even noted that by 1950, he’d swapped hunting for golf as his main hobby.

By 1958, he became a teaching professional, even though he was still active in minor league baseball. He wanted to start building up a new career before fully stepping away from the game.

In January 1967, Lombardi won the National Left-Handed Open Golf Championship in Hollywood, Florida. That win really showed how much his golf game had grown.

He worked at several golf courses in California over the years. Some of these were Sierra View Golf Course in Visalia, and then Airways, Palm Lakes, and Riverside courses in Fresno.

Starting in the late 1980s, Lombardi took a job at Fig Garden Golf Club in Fresno, and he stayed there until he passed away in 1997. To boost his income, he played in money matches with partners, usually taking on other twosomes.

Personal Life and Hobbies

Lombardi married Adrienne Grimaud on December 18, 1942. They had two daughters, Victoria and Christine, and later divorced in 1951.

In November 1963, he married Bonnie Bryant, who was just 20 and one of his golf students. She later joined the LPGA tour in 1971, but, according to Victoria, the marriage ended in less than a year.

He always kept his competitive edge, even on the golf course. Jerry Hagopian, one of his golf partners, remembered Lombardi talking about facing tough hitters like Stan Musial, who Lombardi said was the hardest batter he ever pitched to.

Lombardi’s teaching style had a psychological angle. Patti Liscio, a golf instructor who worked with him from 1993 until he died, recalled his favorite line: “You lose your head, you lose your ass.”

He stayed active in golf right up until he died on December 3, 1997, at age 75. People in the Fresno golf community respected him for his drive and teaching, and he left a mark that lasted for decades.

Legacy and Remembrance

Vic Lombardi’s story in baseball lives on through several historical resources and memorial websites. His career documentation and final resting place still connect fans to his legacy.

Links to Historical Resources

Baseball historians and fans can check out Lombardi’s career stats in a few different places. Baseball-Reference has all his numbers from his six seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Society for American Baseball Research features a detailed bio about the left-handed pitcher. Their records cover his full professional career from 1941 to 1959, including all his major and minor league stats.

Baseball Almanac adds even more data and career highlights. You’ll find info about his 1947 World Series appearances and how he moved into professional golf after baseball.

The Baseball Cube lists player stats and biographical notes. All these resources together keep his 50-51 major league record and 3.68 ERA in the books.

Commemoration and Burial Site

Lombardi rests in Fresno, California. He spent his later years there as a golf teaching professional.

If you want to visit his burial site, Find A Grave Memorial has all the details. Some fans still stop by to pay their respects.

The memorial mentions his unique path as both a major league pitcher and a skilled golfer. His grave marker shows his birth date, September 20, 1922, and the day he passed, December 3, 1997.

In 1993, the Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame inducted Lombardi with Al Gionfriddo. They wanted to honor what he brought to the team during those three seasons from 1945 to 1947.

You’ll also find his name in the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. They celebrate his achievements in both baseball and golf, which is honestly pretty impressive.