Earle Combs was born on Sunday, May 14, 1899, in Pebworth, Kentucky. Combs was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 16, 1924, with the New York Yankees. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats (where applicable), career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Earle Combs baseball stats page.
"Joe DiMaggio set the standard. Mickey Mantle continued the tradition, but Earle Combs was the first of the great Yankees' center fielders." - Friend, Harold. Author. Earle Combs: The First of the Great Ones. 10 June 2003.
Earle CombsEarle 'The Kentucky Colonel' Combs Autograph on a 2003 Upper Deck Legendary Cuts (#21/45) |
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Biographical Data | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Earle CombsEarle Combs Pitching Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
- | - | Did Not Pitch | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Career | G | GS | GF | W | L | PCT | ERA | CG | SHO | SV | IP | BFP | H | ER | R | HR | BB | IBB | SO | WP | HB | BK | HLD |
Earle CombsEarle Combs Hitting Stats |
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Year | Age | Team | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
1924 | 25 | Yankees | 24 | 35 | 10 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .400 | .462 | .543 |
1925 | 26 | Yankees | 150 | 593 | 117 | 203 | 36 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 61 | 65 | 0 | 43 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 7 | .342 | .411 | .462 |
1926 | 27 | Yankees | 145 | 606 | 113 | 181 | 31 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 55 | 47 | 0 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 10 | .299 | .352 | .429 |
1927 | 28 | Yankees | 152 | 648 | 137 | 231 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 62 | 0 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .356 | .414 | .511 |
1928 | 29 | Yankees | 149 | 626 | 118 | 194 | 33 | 21 | 7 | 1 | 56 | 77 | 0 | 33 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 | .310 | .387 | .463 |
1929 | 30 | Yankees | 142 | 586 | 119 | 202 | 33 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 69 | 1 | 32 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 8 | .345 | .414 | .468 |
1930 | 31 | Yankees | 137 | 532 | 129 | 183 | 30 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 82 | 74 | 0 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .344 | .424 | .523 |
1931 | 32 | Yankees | 138 | 563 | 120 | 179 | 31 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 58 | 68 | 6 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 4 | .318 | .394 | .446 |
1932 | 33 | Yankees | 144 | 591 | 143 | 190 | 32 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 65 | 81 | 1 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | .321 | .405 | .455 |
1933 | 34 | Yankees | 122 | 417 | 86 | 125 | 22 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 64 | 47 | 0 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | .300 | .372 | .465 |
1934 | 35 | Yankees | 63 | 251 | 47 | 80 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 40 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .319 | .412 | .434 |
1935 | 36 | Yankees | 89 | 298 | 47 | 84 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 36 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .282 | .359 | .362 |
Career | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | GRSL | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | ||
12 Years | 1,455 | 5,746 | 1,186 | 1,866 | 309 | 154 | 58 | 2 | 632 | 670 | 8 | 278 | 74 | 0 | 17 | 74 | .325 | .397 | .462 |
Earle CombsEarle Combs Fielding Stats |
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Team | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
1924 Yankees | CF | 3 | 3 | 78 | 4 | 1.3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 1.38 |
1924 Yankees | LF | 5 | 2 | 27 | 4 | 0.8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 4.00 |
1924 Yankees | RF | 3 | 0 | 13 | 4 | 1.3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 8.31 |
1925 Yankees | CF | 138 | 138 | 3,570 | 394 | 2.9 | 385 | 373 | 12 | 9 | 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .977 | 2.91 |
1925 Yankees | LF | 12 | 11 | 288 | 31 | 2.6 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.91 |
1926 Yankees | CF | 144 | 139 | 3,646 | 395 | 2.7 | 383 | 374 | 8 | 12 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .970 | 2.83 |
1926 Yankees | RF | 1 | 1 | 24 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.38 |
1927 Yankees | CF | 151 | 151 | 3,896 | 432 | 2.9 | 417 | 411 | 6 | 15 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .965 | 2.89 |
1928 Yankees | CF | 149 | 149 | 3,976 | 444 | 3.0 | 435 | 424 | 11 | 9 | 7 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .980 | 2.95 |
1929 Yankees | CF | 141 | 141 | 3,523 | 380 | 2.7 | 367 | 357 | 10 | 13 | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .966 | 2.81 |
1930 Yankees | CF | 45 | 45 | 1,134 | 124 | 2.8 | 122 | 120 | 2 | 2 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .984 | 2.90 |
1930 Yankees | LF | 55 | 46 | 978 | 96 | 1.7 | 92 | 92 | 0 | 4 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .958 | 2.54 |
1930 Yankees | RF | 35 | 30 | 669 | 69 | 2.0 | 66 | 63 | 3 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .957 | 2.66 |
1931 Yankees | CF | 129 | 125 | 3,194 | 349 | 2.7 | 340 | 335 | 5 | 9 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 2.87 |
1932 Yankees | CF | 114 | 113 | 2,292 | 306 | 2.7 | 294 | 289 | 5 | 12 | 2 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 3.46 |
1932 Yankees | LF | 48 | 22 | 597 | 55 | 1.1 | 55 | 54 | 1 | 0 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.49 |
1933 Yankees | CF | 80 | 77 | 2,046 | 195 | 2.4 | 190 | 187 | 3 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .974 | 2.51 |
1933 Yankees | LF | 24 | 14 | 339 | 42 | 1.8 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .976 | 3.27 |
1933 Yankees | RF | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 6.75 |
1934 Yankees | CF | 50 | 47 | 1,191 | 119 | 2.4 | 118 | 117 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .992 | 2.68 |
1934 Yankees | LF | 13 | 12 | 249 | 28 | 2.2 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 3.04 |
1935 Yankees | CF | 13 | 10 | 246 | 24 | 1.8 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .958 | 2.52 |
1935 Yankees | LF | 58 | 58 | 1,365 | 122 | 2.1 | 122 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1.000 | 2.41 |
Career | POS | G | GS | OUTS | TC | TC/G | CH | PO | A | E | DP | PB | CASB | CACS | FLD% | RF |
CF Totals | 1,157 | 1,138 | 28,792 | 3,166 | 2.7 | 3,078 | 3,014 | 63 | 88 | 22 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .972 | 2.89 | |
LF Totals | 215 | 165 | 3,843 | 378 | 1.8 | 373 | 370 | 3 | 5 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .987 | 2.62 | |
RF Totals | 41 | 31 | 710 | 77 | 1.9 | 74 | 71 | 3 | 3 | 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .961 | 2.81 | |
12 Years | 1,413 | 1,334 | 33,345 | 3,621 | 2.6 | 3,525 | 3,455 | 69 | 96 | 24 | n/a | n/a | n/a | .973 | 2.85 |
Earle CombsEarle Combs Miscellaneous Stats |
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Baserunning Statistics | Other Positions | Common Hitting Ratios | Common Pitching Ratios | |||||||||
Team | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
1924 Yankees | 0 | 1 | .000 | 11 | 2 | n/a | 0.0 | 17.5 | 17.5 | - | - | - |
1925 Yankees | 12 | 13 | .480 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 197.7 | 13.8 | 9.7 | - | - | - |
1926 Yankees | 8 | 6 | .571 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 75.8 | 26.3 | 11.0 | - | - | - |
1927 Yankees | 15 | 6 | .714 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 108.0 | 20.9 | 10.1 | - | - | - |
1928 Yankees | 10 | 8 | .556 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 89.4 | 19.0 | 11.2 | - | - | - |
1929 Yankees | 11 | 7 | .611 | 1 | 0 | n/a | 195.3 | 18.3 | 9.0 | - | - | - |
1930 Yankees | 16 | 10 | .615 | 2 | 0 | n/a | 76.0 | 20.5 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
1931 Yankees | 11 | 3 | .786 | 9 | 0 | n/a | 112.6 | 16.6 | 9.7 | - | - | - |
1932 Yankees | 3 | 9 | .250 | 4 | 0 | n/a | 65.7 | 36.9 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
1933 Yankees | 6 | 4 | .600 | 18 | 3 | n/a | 83.4 | 21.9 | 6.5 | - | - | - |
1934 Yankees | 3 | 1 | .750 | 3 | 0 | n/a | 125.5 | 27.9 | 10.0 | - | - | - |
1935 Yankees | 1 | 3 | .250 | 17 | 3 | n/a | 99.3 | 29.8 | 8.5 | - | - | - |
Career | SB | CS | SB% | PH | PR | DH | AB/HR | AB/K | AB/RBI | K/BB | K/9 | BB/9 |
12 Years | 96 | 71 | .575 | 66 | 8 | n/a | 99.1 | 20.7 | 9.1 | - | - | - |
Earle CombsEarle Combs Miscellaneous Items of Interest |
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Team | Roster | Uniform Numbers | Salary | All-Star | World Series |
1924 New York Yankees | n/a | $5,000.00 | n/a | - |
1925 New York Yankees | n/a | $7,500.00 | n/a | - |
1926 New York Yankees | n/a | $9,000.00 | n/a | Stats |
1927 New York Yankees | n/a | $10,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1928 New York Yankees | n/a | $13,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1929 New York Yankees | 1 | $13,500.00 | n/a | - |
1930 New York Yankees | 1 | $13,500.00 | n/a | - |
1931 New York Yankees | 1 | $13,500.00 | n/a | - |
1932 New York Yankees | 1 | $12,500.00 | n/a | Stats |
1933 New York Yankees | 1 | $11,500.00 | - | - |
1934 New York Yankees | 1 | $10,000.00 | - | - |
1935 New York Yankees | 1 | $5,000.00 | - | - |
Earle Combs Stats by Baseball Almanac |
Earle Bryan Combs was a Major League Baseball player who spent his entire Hall of Fame career with the New York Yankees (1924-1935). Did you know that the Kentucky Colonel, his nickname, was a school teacher immediately after he graduated — before he became an outfielder with the Bronx Bombers — from Eastern Kentucky University.
Johnny Lindell led the American League (AL) in triples in 1943 and 1944. Snuffy Stirnweiss led the AL in triples in 1944 and 1945. Tommy Henrich led the AL in triples in 1947 and 1948. The only New York Yankee to lead the junior circuit in triples three times (1927, 1928, 1930) was Earle Combs - whose league leading twenty-three triples in 1927 is the most ever hit in a single season by a Bronx Bomber (surpassing the mark of twenty-two triples hit by Birdie Cree in 1911).
Earle Combs | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1970 (HOF)
Did you know that Earle Combs hit .300 or better in ten of his twelve seasons, scored 100-or-more runs eight consecutive seasons, and had three 200-hit seasons — tied at the time of his retirement with Babe Ruth for most by a Yankee (since broken by Lou Gehrig and Derek Jeter)?
Yankees To Wear Numbers | The News-Herald | January 23, 1929 | Page 13Baseball Almanac Research Library
On April 18, 1929, Earle Combs stepped to the plate in Yankee Stadium, dug in against Boston Red Sox future hall of famer Red Ruffing, and made baseball history - not because he was batting leadoff, but because he was wearing a uniform number (#1), the first New York Yankee batter to ever step to the plate wearing a number on his jersey.