Don Newcombe was more than a great Pitcher; he was a trailblazer for African Americans in baseball.
After a brief time with Newark in the Negro Leagues, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After a few seasons in their minor league system, Newcombe was called up for the 1949 season, making him the third black pitcher in the Majors. Newcombe proved his worth instantly, winning the Rookie of the Year with a 17-8 record and an All-Star Game trip. Newcombe was again an All-Star in 1950 and 1951 with a 19-11 and 20-9 season, respectively, but he was forced to leave the game temporarily.
Newcombe was drafted into the U.S. Military and went to Korea for two years. He came back and had a mediocre 1954, but he came back with a vengeance. Newcombe went 20-5 in 1955 and helped the Dodgers win their only World Series in Brooklyn. The following year, he went 27-7, leading the NL in Wins and WHIP (0.989), and he won both the Cy Young and MVP, making him the first player to do that in the same season.
That 1956 season was why he made it on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 15 years. He never had anything close to an All-Star season again, and he played until 1960, finishing up with stints in Cincinnati and Cleveland. He retired with a 149-90 record, with a 123-66 with the Dodgers.
The Dodgers would honor Newcombe in 2019 as one of four names receiving plaques as "Legends of Dodger Baseball."
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