Rookie of the Year: Don Newcombe, 1949

Pitcher, Brooklyn Dodgers

Age:  23 (June 14)

Bats – Left, Throws – Right

Height: 6’4”    Weight: 220 

Prior to 1949:

A New Jersey native, Newcombe began playing semi-pro baseball while in high school, which didn’t field a baseball team, and was mentored by a neighbor, who taught him the pitching windup featuring a high leg kick that he utilized throughout his career. Always big for his age, Newcombe dropped out of high school to sign with the Negro National League Newark Eagles for $170 per month in 1944. The 18-year-old was 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in his first season and 3-3 with a 2.60 ERA in 1945. In October of ’45, he and catcher Roy Campanella played in an exhibition series at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field that featured Negro League players against white major leaguers and were signed by Brooklyn to follow up the integration of organized baseball that would start with Jackie Robinson. Robinson mentored the two players with regard to what they faced as they prepared to join (and integrate) Nashua of the Class B New England League in 1946. Temperamental and insecure, Newcombe had a solid season for Nashua, producing a 14-4 record with a 2.21 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 155 innings pitched. He also was impressive as a batter as he hit .311 and proved to be a good pinch-hitter. Returning to Nashua in 1947 he improved to 19-6 with a 2.91 ERA and 186 strikeouts. Earning a promotion to the Montreal Royals of the Class AAA International League in 1948, Newcombe compiled a 17-6 tally with a 3.14 ERA and 144 strikeouts over the course of 189 innings, and he also threw a no-hitter. Newcombe improved his control as he developed his outstanding fastball along with a looping curve and slider. Much to his chagrin, he started the 1949 season back with Montreal. He was called up to the Dodgers in May.  

1949 Season Summary

Appeared in 39 games

P – 38, PH – 1

[Bracketed numbers indicate NL rank in Top 20]

Pitching

Games – 38 [19, tied with seven others]

Games Started – 31 [8, tied with Robin Roberts, Johnny Schmitz & Harry Brecheen]

Complete Games – 19 [3]

Wins – 17 [4, tied with Ken Heintzelman & Russ Meyer]

Losses – 8

PCT - .680 [4, tied with Russ Meyer]

Saves – 1

Shutouts – 5 [1, tied with Howie Pollet, Ken Heintzelman & Ken Raffensberger]

Innings Pitched – 244.1 [5]

Hits – 223 [11]

Runs – 89

Earned Runs – 86 [17, tied with Clint Hartung]

Home Runs – 17 [14, tied with Clint Hartung & Murry Dickson]

Bases on Balls – 73

Strikeouts – 149 [2]

ERA – 3.17 [8]

Hit Batters – 3 [19, tied with nine others]

Balks – 2 [2, tied with Emil Kush & Russ Meyer]

Wild Pitches – 4 [12, tied with seven others]

Midseason Snapshot: 6-2, ERA - 3.59, SO - 52 in 92.2 IP

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Most strikeouts, game – 11 (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 6/6

10+ strikeout games – 2

Fewest hits allowed, game (min. 7 IP) – 4 (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 6/6, (in 9 IP) vs. NY Giants 8/8, (in 9 IP) vs. Pittsburgh 8/28, (in 9 IP) vs. Phila. Phillies 9/24

Batting

PA – 102, AB – 96, R – 8, H – 22, 2B – 4, 3B – 0, HR – 0, RBI – 10, BB – 5, SO – 16, SB – 0, CS – N/A, AVG - .229, GDP – 4, HBP – 0, SH – 1, SF – N/A

Fielding

Chances – 57

Put Outs – 17

Assists – 40

Errors – 0

DP – 2

Pct. - 1.000

Postseason Pitching: G – 2 (World Series vs. NY Yankees)

GS – 2, CG – 1, Record – 0-2, PCT – .000, SV – 0, ShO – 0, IP – 11.2, H – 10, R – 4, ER – 4, HR – 1, BB – 3, SO – 11, ERA – 3.09, HB – 0, BLK – 0, WP – 0

Awards & Honors:

NL Rookie of the Year: BBWAA

All-Star

8^th in NL MVP voting (55 points, 16% share)

NL ROY Voting:

Don Newcombe, Brook.: 21 of 24 votes, 88% share

Del Crandall, BosB.: 3 votes, 13% share

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Dodgers went 97-57 to win the NL pennant by 1 game over the St. Louis Cardinals. The pitching staff led the NL in shutouts (15), strikeouts (743), and fewest hits allowed (1306). In a tight race with the Cardinals down the stretch, the Dodgers benefited from Newcombe’s 8-5 performance in August and September that included four shutouts. A win over the Phillies in the season finale allowed them to win the pennant by just a single game. Lost World Series to the New York Yankees, 4 games to 1. Newcombe started two game games, both losses, that made him the first African-American pitcher to start a World Series game.

Aftermath of ‘49:

“Newk” followed up with another solid season in 1950. With the Dodgers locked in a tight pennant race with the Phillies, he pitched five straight complete-game wins between August 21 to Sept. 6, when he was asked to start both games of a double-header against Philadelphia, winning the first game and trailing 2-0, in a game Brooklyn eventually won, when he left in the seventh inning. With the NL pennant on the line on Oct. 1, Newcombe faced off against Philadelphia’s ace RHP Robin Roberts and pitched 10 innings in defeat. He finished the season with a record of 19-11 and a 3.70 ERA with 130 strikeouts. In 1951, the Dodgers appeared to be on the way to an easy pennant when a second-half surge by the arch-rival New York Giants resulted in a season-extending best-of-three playoff. After the teams split the first two games, Newcombe started the decisive third game at the Polo Grounds and pitched into the ninth inning, when he was relieved by RHP Ralph Branca with a 4-2 lead and runners on second and third. New York slugger Bobby Thomson homered off Branca to win the game and pennant for the Giants. Newcombe’s final record for the season was 20-9 with a 3.28 ERA and league-leading 164 strikeouts. He missed the next two years due to military service, and struggled upon his return in 1954, compiling a 9-8 tally with a 4.55 ERA and 82 strikeouts over the course of 144.1 innings. Newcombe became embroiled in controversy early in the 1955 season when he was fined for walking out on the team when refusing to pitch batting practice prior to a game. It was all better when he pitched a one-hit shutout against the Cubs in his next start on his way to a 14-1 mark at the All-Star break and 20-5 season record for the pennant-winning Dodgers with a 3.20 ERA and 143 strikeouts while accumulating 233.2 innings. He also had an outstanding year at the plate, batting .359 with 7 home runs and 23 RBIs. Newcombe was 0-1 in the World Series triumph over the Yankees but placed seventh in National League MVP voting. In 1956, “Newk” spurred Brooklyn to another pennant with a 27-7 record and 3.06 ERA while striking out 139 batters over 268 innings pitched. He was not only the league MVP but the first recipient of the Cy Young Award, which went to a single major league pitcher at the time. In the World Series loss to the Yankees, he was pulled from his Game 2 start and lost the decisive seventh game. Leaving Ebbets Field after being relieved in the second game, he had an altercation with a parking lot attendant. During 1957 there was more off-field controversy during a year in which Newcombe dropped to 11-12 with a 3.49 ERA. With the franchise’s move to Los Angeles in 1958 he got off to an 0-6 start and was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, where he went 7-7 with a 3.85 ERA the rest of the way. Newcombe rebounded somewhat in 1959, posting a 13-8 tally and a 3.16 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 222 innings. Off to a mediocre start with the Reds in 1960, he was sold to the Cleveland Indians where he was relegated to the bullpen in his last major league season. Released prior to the 1961 season he played for Spokane in the Class AAA Pacific Coast League and went 9-8 with a 4.96 ERA. Moving on to Japan in 1962, he was utilized primarily as an outfielder and first baseman by the Chunichi Dragons and hit .262 with 12 home runs and 43 RBIs in his final professional season. For his major league career, Newcombe compiled a 153-96 record with a 3.57 ERA, 145 complete games, 24 shutouts, and 1187 strikeouts in 2251.2 innings pitched. Appearing in 5 World Series games, typically with disappointing results, his tally was 0-4 with an 8.59 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 innings pitched. With the Dodgers his record was 123-66 with a 3.51 ERA, 111 complete games, 22 shutouts, and 913 strikeouts over the course of 1662.2 innings. Overall as a batter he hit .268 with 15 home runs and 109 RBIs. Newcombe was a four-time All-Star and finished in the top 10 in NL MVP voting three times, winning once. In retirement he admitted to years of alcoholic drinking, which likely contributed to his off-field problems. After dealing with his own problem, he became director of Community Relations for the Dodgers and regularly made the rounds of major league teams during spring training to share his experience and warn of the dangers of alcohol abuse. He died at the age of 92 in 2019.

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Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were recipients of the Rookie of the Year Award by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (1947 to present). The award was presented to a single major league winner from its inception through 1948 and from 1949 on to one recipient from each major league.