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Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe Dies At Age 92

Don Newcombe, a former player and longtime ambassador for the Dodgers, died Tuesday morning at the age of 92 after a lengthy illness, according to team officials.

Newcombe, also known as “Newk,” was among the first three African Americans signed by the then-Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 along with Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella.

The right-handed pitcher from New Jersey spent the majority of his career with the Dodgers, playing eight of his 10 major league seasons with the franchise.

Newcombe played in the majors for 10 seasons from 1949 to 1960, as he lost two seasons to military service in the Korean War from 1952 to 1953.

Over the course of his career, Newcombe won 149 games with a 3.56 ERA and 1,129 strikeouts, according to MLB officials.

After his retirement, he led the charge to push Major League Baseball to recognize the drug and alcohol challenges active players faced, having dealt with alcohol abuse issues in his own life.

Since 2009, Newcombe served with the Dodgers organization as a special advisor to the chairman, as well as heading up the community relations department, according to team officials.

KHTS 98.1-FM and AM-1220 has been a Los Angeles Dodger radio affiliate since the mid-1990s.

“Don Newcombe was a fixture at Dodger stadium for many years as an ambassador for the team,” said KHTS Owner Carl Goldman. “He met with us many times on the field and at our annual radio station Dodger affiliates meeting. I loved hearing his stories and asking questions about his career and the challenges he faced as one of the first to break the color barrier in baseball. He was so open about the hurdles he, Robinson and Campanella faced during that historic time.”

Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball in 1947, becoming the first African American to play in the major leagues.

Robinson’s debut was followed by Campanella’s in 1948, and Newcombe joined his teammates in the major leagues in 1949 after two seasons with the Dodgers’ minor league team.

Newcombe went on to win rookie of the year. He also became the first African American to pitch in a World Series game.

Newcombe missed back-to-back World Series trips for the Dodgers during his military service; however, he would be rewarded in 1955 when he helped his team win the first World Series in the history of the Dodgers’ franchise.

Newcombe reached his personal greatest heights on the baseball field in 1956, earning both National League MVP and major league baseball’s inaugural Cy Young Award, at which point the award encompassed both leagues.

At that time, he became the first and only player to win rookie of the year, most valuable player and the Cy Young award during his career. He remained the only pitcher to do so until Justin Verlander joined him in 2011.

Newcombe was preparing to start his 62nd season with the organization in 2019, according to team officials.

“I have so many fond memories of Newcombe taking time to talk to my sons, take pictures, autograph baseballs, shirts and other memorabilia and share his inspirational stories,” said Goldman. “We have lost not just a giant in baseball, we lost a piece of history.”


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Dodgers Legend Don Newcombe Dies At Age 92

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About Wyatt Smith

Wyatt was born and raised in Santa Clarita. After graduating from Hart High School in 2012, he continued his studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he earned a degree in applied statistics. After a year and a half working in the digital advertising industry, Wyatt left his previous field of work to pursue his interest in writing.