Ernie Lombardi, Bobby Doerr Elected to Hall of Fame by Veterans Committee

The late Ernie Lombardi, a catcher and lifetime .306 hitter in the National League for 17 years, and second baseman Bobby Doerr, a member of the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s, were elected Monday to baseball’s Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Lombardi, who played most of his career with the Cincinnati Reds, died in 1977 at 69. He and Doerr, 67, now living in Junction City, Ore., each received the necessary three-quarters of the vote--at least 13 of the 17 committee members who attended the annual meeting.

They will be inducted in August at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., along with Willie McCovey, who was elected in January by the Baseball Writers Assn. of America.

Lombardi, a 6-foot 3-inch, 230-pounder, was a National League All-Star from 1936 through 1940. In 1938, when he hit .342 with 19 home runs and 95 runs batted in, he was the league’s Most Valuable Player. He shares the National League record for most doubles in a game (four) in 1935. He had six consecutive hits on May 9, 1937.

Doerr, who played on Red Sox teams with Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio, Frank (Pinky) Higgins, Rudy York and Vern Stephens, was a nine-time American League All-Star. He posted a lifetime batting average of .288 in 14 seasons, hitting 223 home runs and driving in 1,247 runs.