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Baseball Hall-Of-Fame Catcher Ernie Lombardi’s Desperate Attempt To Take His Own Life
The former star MLB player shocked the sports’ world when he attempted suicide not long after his retirement as a player
Sadly, mental health and well being are often ignored or minimized. This was particularly true years ago, when such subjects were even more taboo than they are now. Despite a charmed career, Baseball Hall-of-Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi struggled massively, especially after he retired as a player, resulting in a shocking suicide attempt that made national headlines.
Lombardi enjoyed a stellar 17-year big-league career (1931–1947) as a catcher with four teams, playing his best ball during the decade he spent with the Cincinnati Reds. The right-handed batter hit a combined .306 with 190 home runs and 990 RBIs. He won batting titles in both 1938 and 1942, and the 1942 National League MVP award.
His numbers would have likely been even more impressive if not for his legendary slowness. Bill James once wrote of him that he was “the slowest man to ever play major league baseball well.”
An anonymous teammate once described exactly how slow he thought the catcher was:
