Earle Combs
| Birthdate | 5/14/1899 |
| Death Date | 7/21/1976 |
| Debut Year | 1924 |
| Year of Induction | 1970 |
| Teams | Yankees |
| Position | Center Field |
The leadoff hitter and centerfielder for the 1927 Yankees, Earle Combs averaged 100+ runs scored in each of his 11 full big league seasons.
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Earle Combs was an explosive player during his 12-year career in the Major Leagues
Earle Combs was an explosive player during his 12-year career in the Major Leagues
Earle Combs’ career was relatively short compared to most other Hall of Fame players. But during his dozen years in the big leagues, he hit .325 with a .395 on-base percentage for some of the best teams in baseball history.
From 1925-1932, Combs hit .329 and averaged 195 hits and 124 runs scored per season. The eight-year run included four pennants and three World Series titles for Combs and the Yankees.
Combs’ best year came in 1927 for the famed Murderers’ Row. That season he hit a career-high .356, leading the league with 231 hits and 23 triples. He helped the team by scoring 137 runs and posting a .925 OPS.
Today six players from the 1927 Yankee team are enshrined at Cooperstown including Combs, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Herb Pennock, and Wait Hoyt. Their skipper Miller Huggins is also in the Hall.
In the collection is this original – albeit trimmed – 1933 Goudey signed by Combs along the white portion of his uniform. Other autographed ’33 Goudeys are featured on this site including those of Combs’ Hall of Fame teammates Hoyt, Bill Dickey, Lefty Gomez, and Leo Durocher.
Twenty-two members of the Hall of Fame attended Earle Combs' induction ceremony
Twenty-two members of the Hall of Fame attended Earle Combs' induction ceremony
Earle Combs reached the pinnacle of his profession when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970. Enshrined alongside Combs were Cardinals pitcher Jesse Haines, former NL president and commissioner Ford Frick, and 1948 AL MVP Lou Boudreau.
Every living member of the Hall was invited to Cooperstown for the festivities. Shown here is the invitation letter to 10-time stolen base champ and Hall of Fame center fielder Max Carey.
National League president Chub Feeney invites Carey to the induction and also to a party for National Leaguers who are Hall of Fame members. One can only imagine Combs’ thrill of joining baseball immortality.
After retiring Earle Combs followed baseball for the remainder of his life
After retiring Earle Combs followed baseball for the remainder of his life
After retiring from the game as a player in 1935, Earle Combs took up coaching. His first year on the job Combs taught rookie Joe DiMaggio the intricacies of playing center field in The House the Ruth Built.
Five years later DiMaggio broke the Yankee team record shared by Combs for consecutive games with a hit. DiMaggio would extend well beyond Combs’ mark of 29, securing the big league record by hitting in 56 straight.
Combs coach in the majors until 1954 when he stepped away from the game for good. Though he was no longer in uniform, Combs kept tabs on baseball.
Shown here is a letter written by Combs. In the first portion Combs writes about his health before turning to the subject of the baseball’s first strike. Dated April 12, 1972, the letter is written the day before owners and players settled their differences and returned to business.
Combs loyalties were clear as he wrote, “I think the strike is terrible. I am certainly not for the players. They’re a greedy bunch and have been for some time. They cut off a bunch of old players every time they get a raise in pension. They did it to me back in 1960.”
The letter provides interesting content from the three-time World Series champ.
