“Don Newcombe, star pitcher linked to Dodgers’ Brooklyn past, dies at 92”
You might remember that the Dodgers finally broke the “wait until next year” curse in 1955 when they managed at long last to beat Yogi and company in the World Series. (The Dodgers had previously lost to the Yankees in four different World Series since Robinson came up in ’47.)
So here’s how Newk contributed to that 1955 championship team.
He was their best pitcher. He went 20-5. No other Dodger starter won more than 11 games!
You might have known that, but I’ll bet you didn’t know …
He was also their best hitter, although the team was one of the greatest offensive teams of all time, filled with great hitters and Hall of Famers (Carl Furillo, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella). Newk batted .359 with a .632 slugging average that year, tops on the team in both categories. His on-base percentage of .395 was topped only by the great Duke of Flatbush. Both Newk and the Duke are mentioned in “The Song,” as are Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella.
That was one of several times when Newcombe’s annual batting average topped .300. It wasn’t even his high-water mark. He batted .361 in 1958. Newk was such a good hitter that he got in more than 100 major league games as a pinch-hitter.
In fact, Newk was such a good hitter that, after his pitching days were done, he finished his career in the Japanese majors as a first baseman and outfielder – and he still had a lot of pop in his bat, finishing with 12 homers in almost exactly half a season.
So you might wonder how he could possibly improve on a year when he was the best hitter and the best pitcher on Brooklyn’s only World Championship team.
Well, how about this: the following year he went 27-7, winning both the Cy Young and the MVP! And that was no cheap MVP. This was the NL in the mid-50s, when he had to beat Aaron, Mays, Mathews, Frank Robinson, Snider, Banks, and Musial.
Yup, ol’ Newk could play a bit.
I had no idea he was such a great hitter too. Very impressive. I guess he was almost the black Babe Ruth?
What a shame we’ll never see someone like him come along again now that they are (apparently) going with the Designated Hitter universally.
The DH is an abomination, but that’s a debate for another time.
PS…I heard an old interview with him the other day. In his rookie year, in the World Series, he became the first and only pitcher to strike out Joe DiMaggio four consecutive times.