Award-winning pitcher and Dodgers icon dies
LOS ANGELES — - combe, the hard-throwing - ers in the major leagues and who went on to win the - able Player and Cy Young awards, has died. He was 92.
morning after a lengthy illness.
and life established him as a across the country,” Dodgers “He was a constant presence - ers always gravitated to him for his endless advice and leadership. The Dodgers meant everything to him, and we are all fortunate he was a part of our lives.”
teammate Jackie Robinson, went on to make a huge mark in the major leagues.
on the mound, a 6-foot-4 and 225-pound bear of a man who stared down hitters and backed up anyone foolish enough to crowd the plate.
and won 20 games three different times.
of talent and he was a great competitor,” former Dodgers - combe’s, said in a statement. “He was a helluva pitcher and he was one of the best hitting pitchers I have ever seen.”
was 1956 when he went 27-7 and won both the Cy Young Award, then only given to one pitcher for both leagues, and award.
“He was a powerhouse. I don’t think he really got enough credit for his overall performance,” said former teammate Carl Erskine. “He threw a fastball that had great location and a curveball that was a short, hard breaking pitch.”
catcher Roy Campanella were a trio of black stars for the Dodgers who often supported each other.
“We came up with a strat “We knew the impact we were attempting would have. We had to endure. (Robinson’s) character, his backbone, his guts — those were the keys. Jackie was the leader under
The three talked frequent
“We talked about how things “What if somebody charged the mound on me? What would
England league, a catcher threw dirt in Roy’s face. He said, ‘If you do that again, I’ll personally take your arm out of its socket.’ They challenged us. They did anything they could to break down the idea.”
perennial also-rans who specialized in winning the on three pennant winners with the Dodgers and the the Yankees.
- age 18. In 1945 he had an 8-3 and won the attention of the - tion.
In 1989, at a reunion of - combe gave a speech in
“I wish that in some few words I could wipe away that pain you’ve suffered so long because you have skin this color,” he said. “We know that we would not be here today the chance to walk shoulder to shoulder with you.”
Dodgers manager Dave a friend and mentor who had a great impact on his life.
“What he did for baseball, as being one of the first African-American players, his career with the Dodgers and how he impacted the organization,” Roberts said after spring training workouts - ing stories about Jackie Robinson and his plight helped me and furthered my education on our history, so we lost a great man, a great Dodger today.”