FILE PHOTO: Jun 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe looks on prior to the game against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Former National League MVP and Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Don Newcombe, one of the Dodgers franchise’s final links to Brooklyn, passed away Tuesday after a lengthy illness. He was 92.
Los Angeles team president Stan Kasten called Newcombe “a role model for major leaguers across the country.”
“He was a constant presence at Dodger Stadium and players always gravitated to him for his endless advice and leadership,” Kasten said in a statement. “The Dodgers meant everything to him and we are all fortunate he was a part of our lives.”
Newcombe, a right-hander, pitched for 10 seasons in the majors, earning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1949 and All-Star selections in 1949, 1950, 1951 and 1955.
The three-time 20-game winner won a World Series championship with Brooklyn in 1955 and enjoyed his finest individual season in 1956, capturing MVP and Cy Young honors with a 27-7 record, a 3.06 ERA, 18 complete games and five shutouts.
Newcombe retired after the 1960 season with a record of 149-90, a 3.56 ERA and 1,129 strikeouts in 344 games (294 starts) with the Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds (1958-60) and Cleveland Indians (1960). He missed the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to military service.
—Field Level Media