Earle Combs | |
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Center fielder | |
Born: May 14, 1899 Pebworth, Kentucky, U.S. | |
Died: July 21, 1976 Richmond, Kentucky, U.S. | (aged 77)|
Batted: Left Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | |
April 16, 1924, for the New York Yankees | |
Last MLB appearance | |
September 29, 1935, for the New York Yankees | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .325 |
Home runs | 58 |
Runs batted in | 633 |
Teams | |
Career highlights and awards | |
Member of the National | |
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Induction | 1970 |
Election method | Veterans Committee |
Earle Bryan Combs (May 14, 1899 – July 21, 1976) was an American professional baseball player who played his entire career for the New York Yankees (1924–1935). Combs batted leadoff and played center field on the Yankees' fabled 1927 team (often referred to as Murderers' Row). He is one of six players on that team who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; the other five are Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Tony Lazzeri, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth.
Combs led the league in triples three times and was among the top ten in the category in several other seasons. He suffered a fractured skull and other injuries from a crash into an outfield wall in 1934, then retired after another injury the next season. Nicknamed "the Kentucky Colonel", Combs was known as a gentleman on and off the field. He remained in baseball as a coach for many years after his retirement as a player.