Major League Baseball Player. For ten seasons (1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1960), he was a pitcher with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. After attending Thomas Jefferson High School in New Jersey, he played for two years with the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues. Two seasons after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League racial barrier in 1947, Newcombe made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 20, 1949, and recorded 17 wins that year. In 1951, he notched 20 wins and led the league with 164 strikeouts. In the 1951 sudden-death playoff game with the Giants, Newcombe was relieved by Ralph Branca, who immediately surrendered the walk-off home run to Bobby Thomson. He would lose two of his prime years while he served with the United States Army during the Korean War (1952 to 1953). In 1955, he experienced a world championship with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the following season (1956), he distinguished himself individually as he led the league with 27 wins, which earned him both the Cy Young Award and the MVP. He was the starting pitcher in Game 7 of the 1956 World Series, but he gave up two home runs to Yogi Berra as the Yankees won 9–0. He was a contributor to two additional NL Pennants (1949 and 1956) and during the course of his career, he achieved all-star status four times. In 344 career regular-season games, he compiled a 149-win, 90-loss record, with a lifetime 3.56 ERA, in 2,154 innings pitched. In addition to his pitching accomplishments, Newcombe was an outstanding hitter who produced 15 career home runs and a .271 lifetime batting average. He was one of the very few pitchers to be used as a pinch hitter. Off the field, he endured the struggles of alcoholism from which he recovered. Following his retirement, he served as the Dodgers' Director of Community Affairs.
Major League Baseball Player. For ten seasons (1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1960), he was a pitcher with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. After attending Thomas Jefferson High School in New Jersey, he played for two years with the Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues. Two seasons after Jackie Robinson broke the Major League racial barrier in 1947, Newcombe made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 20, 1949, and recorded 17 wins that year. In 1951, he notched 20 wins and led the league with 164 strikeouts. In the 1951 sudden-death playoff game with the Giants, Newcombe was relieved by Ralph Branca, who immediately surrendered the walk-off home run to Bobby Thomson. He would lose two of his prime years while he served with the United States Army during the Korean War (1952 to 1953). In 1955, he experienced a world championship with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the following season (1956), he distinguished himself individually as he led the league with 27 wins, which earned him both the Cy Young Award and the MVP. He was the starting pitcher in Game 7 of the 1956 World Series, but he gave up two home runs to Yogi Berra as the Yankees won 9–0. He was a contributor to two additional NL Pennants (1949 and 1956) and during the course of his career, he achieved all-star status four times. In 344 career regular-season games, he compiled a 149-win, 90-loss record, with a lifetime 3.56 ERA, in 2,154 innings pitched. In addition to his pitching accomplishments, Newcombe was an outstanding hitter who produced 15 career home runs and a .271 lifetime batting average. He was one of the very few pitchers to be used as a pinch hitter. Off the field, he endured the struggles of alcoholism from which he recovered. Following his retirement, he served as the Dodgers' Director of Community Affairs.
Bio by: C.S.
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