Frank Lobert

Baseball has its share of less famous brothers – Albert “Butts” Wagner, Henry Mathewson, and Frank Manush, to name a few. Paths to the big leagues are few and far between even for the most gifted players. Frank Lobert was the far less talented brother of Hans Lobert, a Deadball Era standout. Frank grew up in a part of Pittsburgh from which an abundance of professional baseball players sprang. Of all the ways players get to the Big Show, Frank Lobert achieved his goal as a favor to a friend. For a few weeks in June 1914, he got to feel what it was like to stand on a major league diamond (albeit in the short-lived Federal League). Then it was over. . .back to the sandlots before receding into the anonymity of private life.

Frank Joseph Lobert1 was born November 26, 1883, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He was one of six children born to cabinetmaker Michael Lobert and his wife Frances (née Olschefs), immigrants from Osterode, Germany. The Loberts emigrated to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1881, and then moved on to Williamsport.2

Some time before the 1900 census was taken, the family settled on California Street (now Cedarhurst Street), in the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Beltzhoover.3 The Loberts attended St. George Roman Catholic Church in the nearby Allentown neighborhood;4 Frank attended the parish grammar school as a youth. Thereafter, he entered the local workforce, employed as a helper at a dairy at age 17.5

Up the hill on Curtin Avenue lived Mrs. Pauline Schultz, Michael Lobert’s sister.6 Her son Joe “Germany” Schultz went on to have a solid 11-year career in the major leagues. Even though Beltzhoover consisted of no more than 10 square blocks, in the early 1900s this community sent numerous players into the professional ranks – and five of these men went on to play major league baseball. In addition to the Loberts and cousin Joe Schultz, there were Enos Kirkpatrick and Bill Doak. You can also add Lew Moren, Elmer Knetzer, and Otto Knabe, three young men who lived just outside the neighborhood boundary and played organized ball on the fields of Beltzhoover.7 Younger brother Aloysius “Ollie” Lobert was a local star of exceptional promise but opted for college rather than professional baseball.8

The first newsprint mention of Frank Lobert appeared when he played for the Beltzhoover Reserves in June 1902.9 A right-handed batter and thrower who stood six feet even and weighed 180 pounds, he was named captain of the Reserves in March 1903.10 Lobert continued to play local organized sandlot baseball for the Beltzhoover Athletic Club through the start of his professional career. He was considered one of the fastest men in the county league, and on a local field day11 was pitted against his speedy cousin, future minor leaguer Frank Schultz, Joe’s brother.12

In February 1909, Lobert entered the pro ranks, signing with the Hartford Senators of the Class B Connecticut State League.13 Also signed by Hartford was Beltzhoover Athletic Club teammate James “Red” McKenna. McKenna went on to have a 12-year minor league career. Apparently, Hans – by then the everyday third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds – wanted his brother to play under the wing of Senators manager Bob Connery. The younger Lobert was considered to “have all the marks of a comer.”14

Frank got off to a slow start, batting a tepid .200 (25-for-125) in 31 games for Hartford. On June 22, he was sold15 to the Bay City Cardinals of the Class D Southern Michigan League.16 By August 2, Lobert was wearing the uniform of another SML club, the Jackson Convicts.17 There he lasted just seven days; he finished the season with yet another SML team, the Kalamazoo Kazoos.18 In his debut with the Kazoos, Lobert went 3-for-4. For the season in that league, he batted a combined .213 (57-for-267).19

On Sunday. October 31, the local major league all-stars from Beltzhoover got together at Pittsburgh’s Martin Park to play the South Hills champion A. J. Martins in the annual gathering of big leaguers versus the sandlot champs. Over 8,000 fans jammed the field and nearby hillsides to watch the game. The All-Stars – which featured Lefty George, Otto Knabe, Frank and Hans Lobert, Enos Kirkpatrick, and Lee Fohl – won, 7-1.20

In January 1910 Lobert was traded to the Southern Michigan League’s Saginaw Wa-Was for pitcher Guy Chiesman. But the deal fell through when neither player reported to his new club.21 Lobert remained home and began the season playing for his Beltzhoover sandlot team.22

In late June, Lobert returned to Organized Baseball, joining the Lancaster Lanks of the Class D Ohio State League on the recommendation of Pittsburgh Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss.23 Frank drew his release after hitting an anemic .184 with just 16 hits in 87 at-bats,24 but was reprieved by another OSL club, the Newark Newks. Lobert’s six-week stay with the Newks ended on September 17, when he was sent home after a hand injury hampered his play.25 For the season, split between Lancaster and Newark, Lobert finished with a.183 batting average (42-for-227) and 11 stolen bases.26

Dissatisfied with the contract for the 1911 season offered by Newark, Lobert declined to re-up, choosing to continue his offseason profession as a civil engineer. On May 25, his father Michael passed away at age 58 from pneumonia.

Towards the end of July, the New Castle Nocks of the Class C Ohio-Pennsylvania League signed “two Lobert brothers, brothers of the famous Hans of National League fame.”27 Presumably, the club’s recruits were Frank and younger sibling Ollie, then on summer break after playing collegiately for Carnegie Tech.28 A July 31 New Castle Herald box score placed a Lobert at shortstop and a “Lobe” in right field.29

When New Castle proved unable to support the club, the franchise was removed to Sharon, Pennsylvania, and renamed the Travelers. The team ended the season with an abysmal 35-101 record. After another disappointing offensive season (.206 BA in 41 games), it appeared that a career in professional baseball was no longer in the cards for Frank Lobert.

In 1912 Lobert played briefly for the independent Lew Moren All-Stars at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park. He was joined on that team by his 19-year-old cousin Joe Schultz.30 Frank also continued to play sandlot ball with his brother Ollie for the Beltzhoover Athletic Club. Not much changed in 1913.

In 1914, the independent minor Federal League declared itself a major league circuit. Placed in charge of a new franchise located in Baltimore was former Philadelphia Phillies star Knabe, engaged as player/manager. In early June, Frank Lobert became a Baltimore Terrapin. He did not sign a long-term contract. Rather, Lobert was asked by his old friend Knabe if “he would help the team out by serving a few weeks.”31 Upon suiting up, he joined four other Pittsburgh area natives on the Terrapins roster: Knabe, Enos Kirkpatrick, Jack McCandless, and Frank “Piano Mover” Smith.

On June 6, 1914, Frank Lobert made his major league debut at Pittsburgh’s Exposition Park against the Pittsburgh Rebels. Facing sandlot friend Elmer Knetzer as a ninth-inning pinch hitter, Lobert flied out to Bob Coulson, another Pittsburgh area product. Nevertheless, he made a favorable impression on the hometown press. The Pittsburgh Gazette Times said, “Frank handled himself much like his brother Hans, and may prove a valuable man for Knabe.”32

On June 9 against the Indianapolis Hoosiers, Lobert registered his first major league hit, an RBI-triple off veteran right-hander George Mullin. He also scored in the 7-6 Terrapins win. Two days later, in the second game of a doubleheader, Lobert recorded his only game with two base hits and added another RBI in an 11-4 loss to Indianapolis.

Lobert made the final appearance of his brief major league career on June 22, scoring Baltimore’s sole run as a pinch-runner in a 3-1 loss to the St. Louis Terriers. In 11 games overall, he posted a.167 batting average (5-for-30), with two RBIs and three runs scored.33 Defensively, he made three miscues in 23 chances at third base (.870 fielding percentage) while playing without an error in a lone appearance at second.

Following his release by Baltimore, Lobert headed back home to resume his sandlot career. The last press mention of Lobert on the diamond was published on July 12, 1921, when the original Beltzhoover boys played against the Beltzhoover All-Stars at McKinley Park.34

In November 1919, Lobert married Elnor Moeslein from Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood.35 The union endured for the remainder of Frank’s life but yielded no children. The couple made their first home on Woodburne Avenue,36 then later Fordham Avenue, both in the city’s Brookline area. Lobert worked as a civil engineer for the County of Allegheny. Over the years, he could often be found with his friend Enos Kirkpatrick on the links at the South Hills Country Club in the Pittsburgh suburb of Whitehall, where Lobert was a top golfer.37

In late May 1932, Lobert complained of feeling ill. Removed to St. Joseph’s Hospital on the city’s South Side, he was diagnosed as suffering from a perforated appendix and ensuing complications. Upon receiving a telegram informing him that his brother was near death, Hans Lobert was on the first train from Jersey City. He arrived at the hospital two hours before the end came. “Keep up your courage, as you always did on the ballfield,” said Hans. Frank replied, “I’m putting up my best fight.” 38

Frank Lobert died from peritonitis on May 29, 1932.39 He was 48. Following a Requiem Mass said at the Church of the Resurrection, his remains were interred in the Lobert family plot at St. John Vianney Cemetery, Pittsburgh. The deceased was survived by his widow, elderly mother, brothers Hans and Ollie, and three sisters, Anna, Mary, and Clara.

Acknowledgments

This biography was reviewed by Bill Lamb and Rory Costello and fact-checked by Jeff Findley.

Sources

In addition to the sources shown in the Notes, the author used the following:

Find A Grave; https://www.findagrave.com/

Retrosheet; https://www.retrosheet.org/

Baseball Reference; https://www.baseball-reference.com/

Ancestry: https://www.ancestry.com/

Newspapers: http://www.newspapers.com/

Email correspondence from Giamatti Research Center, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Damer, Edward, Thirty-Three in Twenty-Three; The World of Rube Parnham and Other Baseball Stories, Kindle Direct Publishing, 3d ed., 2022.

Notes

1 Presently, modern authority such as Baseball-Reference and Retrosheet erroneously list Lobert’s middle name as John.

2 U.S., Passport Applications, 1795-1925 for John B Lobert, Ancestry.

3 The name of the street was later changed to Cedarhurst. Historic Pittsburgh, Mount Washington, Beltzhoover, Knoxville, Allentown. Plate 12, G.M. Hopkins & Company, 1916. https://historicpittsburgh.org/.

4 “Death Record,” Pittsburg Press, May 25, 1911: 24.

5 Per the 1900 US Census.

6 Edward F. Balinger, “Bucs Among Four Clubs Bidding for Van Mungo,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 4, 1937: 20.

7 F. P. Alger, “Beltzhoover Club, One of the Oldest in Local Field, Has Proud Record of Having Sent Seven to Majors,” Pittsburgh Sunday Post, June 11, 1922: 28.

8 “A Fast All-Around Youngster,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, July 31, 1910: 17.

9 “Among the Amateurs,” Pittsburg Post, June 20, 1902: 8.

10 “Amateur Baseball Notes,” Pittsburg Post, March 4, 1903: 8.

11 “Field Day on Hilltops,” Pittsburgh Post, October 24, 1908: 7.

12 “New Utility Player for Toronto Team,” Toronto Star, June 5, 1917: 11.

13 “Lobert and McKenna Sign,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, February 22, 1909: 7.

14 “News from Training Camp,” Hartford Daily Courant, March 8, 1909: 10.

15 “Chicksie Evans Goes to Pieces,” Hartford Daily Courant, June 22, 1909: 10.

16 “Herr Gets New Infielder,” Bay City (Michigan) Tribune, June 25, 1909: 8.

17 “Cricket Chirps,” Battle Creek (Michigan) Enquirer, August 3, 1909: 2.

18 “Clement Gives Champs Beating,” Detroit Free Press, August 9, 1909: 7.

19 “Lansing Swatters Do Not Occupy Lofty Places This Season,” Lansing (Michigan) Journal, September 27, 1909: 5.

20 “All-Stars Defeat A. J. Martins in Season’s Last Baseball Game,” Pittsburgh Post. November 1, 1909: 10.

21 “F. Lobert May Quit Organized Baseball,” Kalamazoo Gazette, February 26, 1910: 5.

22 “A Victory for Carbon,” Pittsburg Press, May 22, 1910: 20.

23 “Lobert’s Brother at Lancaster as 3rd Baseman,” Portsmouth (Ohio) Daily Times, June 30, 1910: 11.

24 “Batting Averages of Ohio State League,” Marion (Ohio) Daily Mirror, August 6, 1910: 3.

25 “Diamond Dust,” Marion (Ohio) Daily Star, September 17, 1910: 6.

26 “Batting Averages of Ohio State League,” Marion Daily Mirror, September 17, 1910: 3.

27 “Orphans Are Paid All Back Salaries,” New Castle (Pennsylvania) News, July 27, 1911: 11.

28 “Duquesne Takes Opening College Baseball Game from Carnegie Tech,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, April 13, 1913: 19. Baseball Reference does show an unknown player named Lobe who played 17 games that season. It is quite possible that Aloysius “Ollie” Lobert did play professional baseball despite evidence to the contrary. There is a possibility he was going under an alias to maintain his amateur status upon his entry to Carnegie Tech and to stay on the roster of the Pittsburgh Collegians.

29 “Wandering Nocks Lose to Canton Team,” New Castle (Pennsylvania) Herald, July 21, 1911: 2.

30 “All Stars Will Play,” Pittsburgh Post, July 27, 1912: 13.

31 “Terrapins Start West,” Baltimore Sun, July 7, 1914: 13.

32 “Rebels Bat Quinn Hard and Defeat Terrapins,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, June 7, 1914: 18.

33 Retrosheet game logs have him with five hits in 30 at-bats, his main page shows six hits in 30 at-bats.

34 “Beltzhoover’s Big Game,” Pittsburg Press, July 12, 1921: 21.

35 “Shower for Bride-Elect,” Pittsburg Press, October 21, 1919: 6. Per Ancestry, official documents show her first name as Elnor, despite references to Eleanor and Elinor.

36 U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 for Lobert, Ancestry.

37 “South Hills Country Club,” Pittsburgh Post, May 31, 1927: 15.

38 “Death Claims Frank Lobert,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 30, 1932: 18.

39 Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1973 for Frank Labert (Lobert), Ancestry.