Earle Combs

Earle Bryan Combs
Nickname: Kentucky Colonel
Born: May 15, 1899 in Pebworth, Kent.
Died: July 21, 1976 in Richmond, Kent.
Debut: 1924 | Pos: OF
H: 6' | W: 185 | B: L | T: R

>> Visit the Earle Combs. biography on Baseball Almanac for complete statistics.

Earle Combs, a member of Baseball's Hall of Fame and part of the famed "Murderer's Row" of the Yankees, died on DATE in Richmond, Kent. He was 77.

His career included 12 seasons in the major leagues -- all with the New York Yankees. He had a career .325 batting average with 58 home runs, 632 RBI and 96 stolen bases.

In 1927, the Yankees fielded a team that is often in the debate for best teams in major league history. That season, Combs his .356 with six home runs, 64 RBI and 15 stolen bases will serving as the leadoff hitter for a powerful Yankees lineup.

Combs was playing for Louisville of the American Association when the Yankees bought his contract for $50,000 in 1924. In 1923, Combs had attracted attention by hitting .380.

He became a started in 1924, but broke his ankle and only played in 24 games.

"He was the table-setter for Ruth and Gehrig," said Joe Cronin, president of
the American League when Combs was inducted into the Hall in 1970. His quotes were published in an article about Combs' death. "He was always on base, it seemed, when they'd hit a homer."

He dealt with injury three times in his career -- the broken ankle as a rookie, a broken collarbone in 1935 and a skull fracture in 1934 that came from hitting the outfield wall in St. Louis. The incident left him unconscious and he stayed in a hospital for more than two months.

He returned to the team in 1935 as a player-coach. Following his broken collarbone, he became a full-time coach with the Yankees.

One of his first tasks as coach was to train his replacement -- a young Joe DiMaggio.

He worked as a coach for the St. Louis Browns, Boston and Philadelphia NL.