Don Newcombe

Played For
Brooklyn Dodgers (1949-1957)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1958)
Cincinnati Reds (1958-1960)
Cleveland Indians (1960)

Best Season: 1957
Newcombe was dominant in 1956, hurling 27 victories and winning the first-ever Cy Young Award.

Factoids
With the Nagoya Dragons of the Japan League in 1962, Don Newcombe played first base and batted .262 with 12 homers in 81 games.

Don Newcombe is the only pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year Award, Cy Young Award, and MVP Award.

The 12 Black Aces
Through 2004, twelve African-American pitchers had won 20-games in the major leagues. Of course, black pitchers had won twenty many times in the negro leagues, but these dozen, who, under the direction of Mudcat Grant, called themselves the "12 Black Aces," are an exclusive club:

1. Don Newcombe
2. Sam Jones
3. Bob Gibson.
4. Mudcat Grant
5. Earl Wilson
6. Fergie Jenkins
7. Al Downing
8. Vida Blue
9. J.R. Richard
10. Mike Norris
11. Dwight Gooden
12. Dave Stewart

1. Don Newcombe... 1951, 1955
2. Sam Jones... 1959
3. Bob Gibson... 1965,
4. Mudcat Grant... 1965
5. Earl Wilson... 1967
6. Fergie Jenkins... 1967
7. Al Downing... 1971
8. Vida Blue... 1971, 1973, 1975
9. J.R. Richard... 1976
10. Mike Norris... 1980
11. Dwight Gooden... 1985
12. Dave Stewart... 1987-1990

Where He Played
Newcombe was probably a good enough hitter that he could have been a position player in the big leagues.

Born
Donald Newcombe was born on June 14, 1926, in Madison, NJ.

Batted:  Left
Threw:  Right

Primary Position:  P

Primary Team:  BRO

Major League Debut
May 20, 1949

Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1949
Monte Irvin
Minnie Minoso
Roy Sievers
Smoky Burgess
Del Crandall
Bobby Avila
Walt Dropo
Don Newcombe
Morrie Martin

Nicknames
Newk

Related Players
Roy Campanella, Jackie Robinson

Hall of Fame Voting Year Election Votes Pct 1966 BBWAA 7 2.3% 1967 BBWAA 18 6.2% 1967 Run Off 2 .7% 1968 BBWAA 9 3.2% 1969 BBWAA 3 .9% 1970 BBWAA 5 1.7% 1971 BBWAA 8 2.2% 1972 BBWAA 7 1.8% 1973 BBWAA 11 2.9% 1974 BBWAA 7 1.9% 1975 BBWAA 11 3.0% 1976 BBWAA 21 5.4% 1977 BBWAA 43 11.2% 1978 BBWAA 48 12.7% 1979 BBWAA 52 12.0% 1980 BBWAA 59 15.3%

Post-Season Appearances
1949 World Series
1955 World Series
1956 World Series

The Pitches He Threw
Stan Musial called Newcombe's fastball the most frightening pitch he ever faced.

Post-Season Notes
Newcombe started Game Three of the historic 1951 NL Playoffs, leaving the contest with a 4-2 lead and two runners on base in the ninth. Bobby Thomson took care of the rest.

Awards and Honors
1949 NL Rookie of the Year
1956 ML Cy Young
1956 NL MVP

Feats
In 1949, as a rookie, Newcombe pitched 32 scoreless innings down the stretch to help the Dodgers win the pennant by a single game.

Injuries and Explanation for Missed Playing Time
Newcombe missed the 1952 and 1953 season while serving in Korea. By 1958, Newcombe was nearing the end of his bright career, at least in part due to his alcohol addiction. Following his career he spent years counseling ballplayers and athletes on the danger of alcohol.

Transactions
Before 1946 Season: Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent; June 15, 1958: Traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Cincinnati Redlegs for players to be named later, Johnny Klippstein, and Steve Bilko. The Cincinnati Redlegs sent Art Fowler (June 23, 1958) and Charlie Rabe (June 23, 1958) to the Los Angeles Dodgers to complete the trade; July 29, 1960: Purchased by the Cleveland Indians from the Cincinnati Reds; January 19, 1961: Released by the Cleveland Indians.

All-Star Selections
1949 NL
1950 NL
1951 NL
1955 NL

Best Strength as a Player
Command of his fastball.

Largest Weakness as a Player
He was inconsistent.

Learn More about Don Newcombe
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