*(Via ESPN) – Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching great Don Newcombe has died after a lengthy illness, the team announced Tuesday. He was 92.
“Don Newcombe’s presence and life established him as a role model for major leaguers across the country,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said in a statement. “He was a constant presence at Dodger Stadium and players always gravitated toward him for his endless advice and friendship. The Dodgers meant everything to him and we are all fortunate he was a part of our lives.”
Newcombe, one of the first African-American pitchers in MLB, joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949, winning Rookie of the Year while helping the team win the NL pennant.
In Newcombe’s debut season, he and Dodgers teammates Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella became three of the first four African-Americans (along with Cleveland outfielder Larry Doby) to appear in an All-Star Game.
After a break to serve in the military during the 1952 and ’53 seasons, he returned, and with the likes of Robinson, Campanella, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges and Pee Wee Reese, helped create a World Series champion.
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