HOF Plaque- Damon Lombardi

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Born September 4, 1945 in the USA
Drafted in the 5th round, 116th overall pick by California in the 1973 MBBA Dispersal Draft
Debut April, 1973


Was selected to the 1973, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981 All-Star Games
Won OCA Reliever of the Year in 1980
Won Landis Memorial Series with California in 1979

Was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1987 with 23 of 29 ballots (79.3%) cast in favor of his induction.

Damon Lombardi grew up playing baseball on Chicago's south-side. As a boy he idolized Ernie Banks and one day dreamed of being a major leaguer like his hero. A talented infielder with a cannon of an arm in high school, Damon recieved a scholarship to the University of California after being named a high school All American at shortstop.

Unfortunately for Damon, he never played an inning as a shortstop in the NCAA, severly blowing out his knee working at his fathers butcher shop the August of 1964 before his first year at Cal. He forfeited his scholarship and despite his knee being successfully rebuilt he lost almost all of his lateral quickness. As such, it appeared his baseball career was over. That turned out not to be the case. While rehabbing his bum leg, he began to take an interest in pitching. After all, it would not place the same kind of lateral stress on his leg that playing shortstop would and it would allow him to continue playing the game he loved.

It turned out that his baseball skills were not limited to fielding and by the next spring Lombardi had a fastball with impressive velocity, an improving slider and a blossoming sinker in his arsenal. He slowly rebuilt his frame, adding the muscle necessary to allow him to throw hard constantly. Finally after two years had passed since his injury, he called up Cal coach Charlie Greene and asked if they would give him a try-out. The young coach agreed with the stipulation that the school could offer at most a partial scholarship, and Damon Lombardi packed his gear and headed out to California.

Arriving in California, Damon was soon throwing from the mound at the U of C campus in front of Coach Greene and a pair of his assistants. After a few free sessions, they put him in a full scrimmage and allowed him to pitch. He didn't disappoint, fanning several batters while allowing only 1 hit over 3 innings. However, by the time he started to work his fourth frame he was obviously suffering from a dead arm. Coach Greene decided to shut him down, shifting him from the starting rotation to the role of closer. A star was born with this move, allowing Lombardi to throw his electric stuff without worrying about tiring himself out.

He spent the next four seasons quietly starring for the Golden Bears baseball team. He picked up a pair of Pac-10 Conference Championships (1967, 1968) and captured the Stopper of the Year award as the nations best relief pitcher in 1969. Already 24 when he graduated from Cal, Lombardi drew little interest from MLB scouts. Instead, he ended up playing for the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League. Damon spent the next three seasons as the Grizzlies closer, pitching well but not tasting the same team success he had in college. He added two All-Star berths to his personal accolades however, and would soon be in for a suprise that would change his life.

In the early months of 1973, Lombardi learned that a new professional baseball league was forming to compete with Major League Baseball. The Monty Brewster Baseball Association was in the process of holding an initial talent draft, distributing the rights to players not currently under an MLB contract. Soon after, Lombardi himself was drafted in the 5th round (116th overall) by the California Crusaders. In addition to offering a higher level of competition the MBBA also offered a rather large jump in pay scale. After earning a little over 30,000 per season in the PCL Damon signed a two-year contract with the Crusaders for 4,990,000 per season.

It didn't take the 27 year-old righty long to make an impact as he was named to the Johnson League All-Star Team during the inaugural season. He finished second in saves with 42, posting an ERA of only 2.61 while helping the Crusaders nail down a playoff birth. He wouldn't get to contribute during their playoff series however, as the team was decimated by Honolulu and never called upon his services during the three game sweep.

Lombardi continued to pack on the saves the following seasons, notching 71 between 1974 and 1975 while holding opponents to a batting average below .200. Following the 1974 season he signed a lucritive long-term contract worth 49 million dollars over the next season seasons. Following that, he dropped his ERA to 2.03 in 1975 while earning his second All-Star appearance. 1976 didn't see an All-Star appearance but instead a chance to shine on a much bigger stage. The Crusaders claimed their first division crown as the now 30 year-old closer constantly slammed the door shut on hitters. California's success continued in the playoffs as they notched series wins over Washington (3-1) and Phoenix (4-3) before falling to the Las Vegas Hustlers in the Landis Memorial Series. Damon was flawless, putting together perhaps the defining run of his career. He appeared in 10 contests, pitching 11 innings and giving up only six hits. He didn't allow a single run while striking out nine and walking two. He converted five save chances in giving the Crusaders every chance to take him a championship.

Lombardi seemed to carry the momentum from his playoff performance forward as he put together three consecutive monsterous seasons. His 1.75 ERA in 1978 would be a career low, as would his .168 OAVG in '77. The Crusaders missed the playoffs in each of those seasons despite Damon notching 66 saves between them. 1979 saw the veteran closer return to the All-Star Game, picking up the third selection of his career. How he wasn't selected as an All-Star the two previous seasons is anyone's guess. In addition to more personal accolades, Lombardi reached the pinnacle of team success in the '79 playoffs by helping his club to it's first Landis Memorial Series victory.

Following that championship, Lombardi looked like he might be destined to retire with California. He was dominating again in 1980, leading the league with 45 saves and pitching the most innings of his career (83 1/3). He notched another All-Star berth as well as picking up the OCA Reliever of the Year Award for the only time in his distinguished career. Unexpectedly his game slipped in 1981 at the age of 35, when he posted his highest ERA since 1974 (3.00) and saw his OAVG increase for the 5th straight season to an unimpressive .260. After another All-Star appearance and despite leading the league with 40 saves while helping the Crusaders win 99 games, things soured between him and the club after the team lost 3 games to 2 to the Washington Bobwhites. Damon was seeking a long-term extension while the Crusaders were offering a two-year pact. He resolved to test free agency and that was the last time anyone saw the truly dominant version of Lombardi. He went on to pitch three and a half seasons for Salt Lake City/Long Beach where he continued to rack up saves but with far less impressive numbers.

Finally in 1985 he was traded back to California picking up save number 426 (and 342 as a Crusader) as he pitched in mostly a middle relief role. He retired after the 1985 season leaving the game as the all-time saves leader, an honor he still holds today with nobody on the horizon threatening to break it. His 866 appearances still rank 13th in MBBA history, proof of the durability of that rebuilt knee. He's the consumate big-game pitcher, picking up 9 saves in 18 post-season appearances with an ERA of just 0.92. Along with 5 All-Star appearances, a Reliever of the Year award and an LMS trophy in his trophy case in addition to being selected to the MBBA's 15th Anniversary Team, it's no surprise to see Damon Lombardi in the Hall of Fame.

Plaque written by Ryan Scott