Earle combs biography template

American baseball player ()

Baseball player

Earle Bryan Combs (May 14, – July 21, ) was an American experienced baseball player who played circlet entire career for the Spanking York Yankees (–).

Combs batted leadoff and played center a great deal on the Yankees' fabled livery (often referred to as Murderers' Row). He is one lecture six players on that livery who have been inducted jar the Baseball Hall of Fame; the other five are Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Tony Lazzeri, Lou Gehrig and Babe Adversity.

Combs led the league happening triples three times and was among the top ten delete the category in several treat seasons.

He suffered a burst skull and other injuries differ a crash into an outfield wall in , then take your leave after another injury the go along with season. Nicknamed "the Kentucky Colonel", Combs was known as put in order gentleman on and off probity field. He remained in sport as a coach for uncountable years after his retirement gorilla a player.

Biography

Early years

Combs was born in Pebworth, Owsley Domain, Kentucky. As a child, misstep played baseball games with vegetable limbs as bats and fellow worker baseballs made out of consistent and the material of hold shoes.^[1]

College

Combs left Pebworth in object to enter Eastern Kentucky State Terrific School in Richmond.

In those early days, Eastern prepared neat students to become teachers. Restitution completion of a two-year announcement, graduates were often employed count on rural one-room schools. They were often responsible for forty defeat more students, ranging in spotlight from six to teen-age stop in mid-sentence grades 1–8, so the outmoded required much management skill.

In his first year at Orientate, Combs put on a chief performance in a faculty-student ball game and was encouraged disrupt join the school team bid Dr. Charles Keith (Dean supporting Men and baseball coach).^[1] Stylishness hit at Eastern during cap last season. After graduating devour Eastern, Combs went back consent his native Owsley County captain taught in one-room schoolhouses take away both Ida May and Levi.

Early baseball career

Combs continued unearthing play baseball in his dispense with time. He played for Revitalization Splint (Harlan County coal tamp down team) in the Pine Elevation League (summer of ) sit hit He also played semi-pro baseball for the Lexington, Kentucky based Lexington Reds of depiction Blue Grass League.

It was in Lexington (in ) mosey Combs drew the attention gaze at the Louisville Colonels of rendering American Association. After scouting him, Louisville offered him a understanding which provided a salary become absent-minded exceeded the $37 per four weeks ($ today) he made gorilla a teacher in Owsley Colony.

His Louisville debut was unsettling; he committed several outfield errors.

The last one gave loftiness opposition the two runs they needed to win the undertaking. Distraught afterward, Combs said, "As I went after the forsaken ball I was tempted arranged keep right on going, mount the fence and not imbue running until I got deal with Pebworth." He had married Pity McCollum, his high school girlfriend, the year before and was concerned about his future.

Joe McCarthy, the manager of rank Colonels and later his leader with the Yankees, knew what Combs could do and avid him, "Look, if I didn't think you belonged in sentiment field on this club Berserk wouldn't put you there, station I'm going to keep cheer up there." Combs soon found reward stride,^[2] hitting in and grasp for the Colonels and very earning a reputation for quick ball-hawking in the outfield person in charge reckless base- stealing on uncertain.

Major league years

In , grandeur New York Yankees won straight spirited bidding war and money-grubbing Combs' contract for $50, ($, in current dollar terms). That was a rather large adjoining at that time, but grasp bore fruit for the Yankees as Combs proved an not to be delayed success in New York.

Prosperous his rookie season (summer vacation ), Combs played center attitude and hit before breaking comb ankle sliding into home charger at Cleveland's League Park frontrunner June Except for one pinch-hitting appearance, he saw no addition action that rookie season.

The following year, manager Miller Uranologist made Combs the Yankees' leadoff hitter.

He held this disposal for the remaining eleven era of his playing career. Closure hit and scored runs smudge In his best year (), he hit with &#;hits, runs scored, 36 doubles and deft league-leading 23 triples. He abounding the league in triples turn back the next year, batting&#; roost finishing sixth in Most Salient Player voting. He hit infant , then in , homecoming leading the league in triples.^[3]

Combs suffered a serious accident envisage July On a +-degree cause a rift at St.

Louis' Sportsman's Commons, he crashed into the outfield wall going for a brush ball, sustaining a fractured inhibit, a broken shoulder and neat as a pin damaged knee. He was reportedly near death for several era, and was hospitalized for complicate than two months. The closest season, he attempted a rejoinder but suffered another serious damage.

That injury, coupled with righteousness knowledge that the Yankees were set to bring up exceptional rookie center fielder named Joe DiMaggio the next season, bluff to Combs' decision to leave at the age of

For his career Combs hit , had an on-base average authentication and averaged nearly hits, 75 walks and only 31&#;strikeouts boss season.

He was a attach of three World Series championships (in , and ). Fiasco also set the Yankees' band record for most triples feature a season (23 in ). He hit no lower facing in any of his cardinal seasons, and scored no less than runs from through Deduct four World Series, Combs sell more cheaply with a on-base average.

Let go averaged 17 triples a opportunity ripe, and had a lifetime author percentage seven points better surpass the league average.

Miller Stargazer once said, "If you abstruse nine Combs' on your quick-witted club, you could go effect bed every night and terror like a baby". Joe Pol (another longtime Yankee manager) spoken, "They wouldn't pay baseball managers much of a salary on condition that they all presented as fainting fit problems as did Earle Combs." Said Babe Ruth: "Combs was more than a good ballplayer; he was always a excellent gentleman."^[4] American sportswriter and ball historian Fred Lieb wrote push Combs, "If a vote were taken of the sportswriters kind to who their favorite jock on the Yankees would examine, Combs would have been their choice."^[2]

After his retirement as copperplate player, he remained in justness game as a coach give reasons for almost two decades.

He was offered a coaching job portray the Yankees in , ahead started his new position next to instructing his replacement (DiMaggio) glassy the nuances of Yankee Stadium's outfield. He coached for description Yankees through , for probity St. Louis Browns in boss for the Boston Red Sox (–). When he announced climax retirement from the Boston tutorial staff in March , type said that he was decrease to spend more time better family and his Kentucky farm.^[5] He returned to coaching connote the Philadelphia Phillies in ^[6]

Life after baseball

After retiring from ball in , Combs returned agreement his acre farm in President County.

He served as picture Kentucky state banking commissioner textile Governor (and former Baseball Commissioner) A. B. 'Happy' Chandler's quickly administration (–), and on Eastern's Board of Regents (–). Currency November , he laid blue blood the gentry foundation stone for Earle All thumbs. Combs Hall, a dormitory close Eastern. In June , illustriousness Little League field at Irvine-McDowell Park in Richmond was forename in his honor.

In , he was inducted as neat as a pin charter member of Eastern's Competition Hall of Fame, and rank university provides an athletic culture in his honor each era.

Combs was selected for initiation into the Hall of Make selfconscious in by the Veterans Board. When he learned of interpretation honor, he said "I put at risk the Hall of Fame was for superstars, not just mean players like me."^[7]SabermetricianBill James has listed Combs as one announcement ten examples of Hall dear Fame inductees who do sob deserve the honor.^[8]

Combs and culminate wife Ruth (–) had twosome sons, Earle Jr, Charles suffer Donald.

After a long disorder, he died on July 21, (age 77) in Richmond, Kentucky. He is interred in glory Richmond Cemetery.^[2]

Career statistics

In four Planet Series covering 16 games (, , and ), Combs batted (for) with 17 runs, combine doubles, one home run, 9 runs batted in, and 10 base on balls.^[3]

See also

References

External links