Phil Lombardi

Who is Phil Lombardi?

Phillip Arden Lombardi is a former professional baseball player. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1986 and 1989, for the New York Yankees and New York Mets. He was primarily a catcher, but also played the outfield.

Lombardi was drafted by the New York Yankees in the third round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft, and made his debut with the Yankees on April 26, 1986, replacing Ron Hassey behind the plate in the fifth inning. On his first fielding chance, he committed a throwing error on a stolen base attempt by Brett Butler. For the season, Lombardi batted .278 with two home runs and six runs batted in, and did not commit any more errors behind the plate.

He was acquired by the cross-town rival New York Mets with Steve Frey and Darren Reed for Rafael Santana and Victor Garcia following the 1987 season. He spent two seasons with their triple A affiliate, the Tidewater Tides, making only eighteen appearances with the big league squad in 1988. He was claimed on waivers by the Atlanta Braves on April 4, 1990. Five days later, Lombardi retired.