| Jack Coombs | |
|---|---|
 Coombs in 1911 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born:(1882-11-18)November 18, 1882 Le Grand, Iowa, U.S. | |
| Died: April 15, 1957(1957-04-15) (aged 74) Palestine, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Both Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| July 5, 1906, for the Philadelphia Athletics | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 18, 1920, for the Detroit Tigers | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 158–110 |
| Earned run average | 2.78 |
| Strikeouts | 1,052 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| As player As manager | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
John Wesley Coombs (November 18, 1882 – April 15, 1957), nicknamed "Colby Jack" after hisalma mater, was anAmerican professionalbaseball player. He played inMajor League Baseball as apitcher for thePhiladelphia Athletics (1906–14),Brooklyn Robins (1915–18), andDetroit Tigers (1920). In 1910, Coombs won 31 games during the regular season and three games in theWorld Series to lead the Athletics to the championship. Atwo-way player, he also occasionally played as anoutfielder.
Born inLeGrand, Iowa, Coombs moved toKennebunk, Maine with his family at the age of four. He played baseball in high school inFreeport, Maine, and in 1901–02 for Coburn Classical prep school inWaterville.[1][2] Coombs was a 1906 graduate ofColby College in Waterville, where he was a chemistry major and a member ofDelta Upsilon. He also participated in football, track, and tennis. Colby's baseball field is named for him.
Three weeks after graduating, Coombs pitched in his first major league game for the Philadelphia Athletics, a seven-hit shutout, defeating theWashington Senators 3–0. He finished 1906 with a 10–10 record and 2.50earned run average. In 1906, he pitched the longest complete game in the American League, 24 innings against Boston, winning 4–1 with 18 strikeouts.[1] The following year, Coombs went 6–9 with a 3.12 ERA. In 1908 and 1909, his record was only 19–16 despite his ERA being 2.00 and 2.32 those years.[3]
Coombs' best season was 1910, which is still one of the best pitching seasons in MLB history. Besides his record of 31–9, he had an ERA of 1.30 and led the American League in wins (31),games played (45), andshutouts (13), which is still the single-season AL record. He won 18 of 19 starts that July and racked up 53consecutive scoreless innings, which stood as the major league record untilWalter Johnson broke it three years later.Don Drysdale andOrel Hershiser later surpassed Johnson's mark. Coombs became one of only 13 pitchers to win 30 games in a season since 1900. He then won three games in the 1910 World Series, in which the Athletics defeated theChicago Cubs.
In 1911, Coombs led the AL in wins again with 28, even though his ERA went up to 3.53. He won one game in the1911 World Series, as the Athletics repeated as champions. The following year, he won 21 games.[3]
Coombs did not play much in 1913 and 1914. The Athletics released him, and he signed with the Brooklyn Robins, for whom he played from 1915 to 1918. In the1916 World Series, he won a game, but the Robins lost the series.[3]
In 1919, Coombs was the manager of thePhiladelphia Phillies for 62 games, going 18–44 before being replaced byGavvy Cravath. He returned to play one final year in 1920 for the Detroit Tigers before retiring. Coombs finished his MLB career with a 158–110 record, a 2.78 ERA, and 1,052strikeouts.
Coombs was an adept hitting pitcher in his 14-year major league career, compiling a .235batting average (261-for-1110) with 4home runs, 123runs scored, and 100runs batted in. He played 62 games in the outfield during his career. In six World Series games, he hit .333 (8-for-24) with 4 RBI.[3]
Coombs became a championship-winning coach atDuke University (1929–52) who sent many players to the majors. Duke University's baseball field isnamed after him.
Coombs spent his retirement as a sports historian and writer. In 1938, he publishedBaseball – Individual Play and Team Strategy.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Owls(Southwest Conference)(1918) | |||||||||
| 1918 | Rice | 6–8 | 0–2 | ||||||
| Rice: | 6–8 (.429) | 0–2 (.000) | |||||||
| Duke Blue Devils(Southern Conference)(1929–1952) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Duke | 13–5 | |||||||
| 1930 | Duke | 17–5 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1931 | Duke | 11–4 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1932 | Duke | 15–7 | |||||||
| 1933 | Duke | 12–7 | |||||||
| 1934 | Duke | 20–4 | |||||||
| 1935 | Duke | 24–3 | |||||||
| 1936 | Duke | 18–7 | |||||||
| 1937 | Duke | 22–2 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1938 | Duke | 18–3 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1939 | Duke | 22–2 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1940 | Duke | 16–7 | |||||||
| 1941 | Duke | 14–11 | |||||||
| 1942 | Duke | 15–7 | |||||||
| 1943 | Duke | 8–4 | |||||||
| 1944 | Duke | 9–7 | |||||||
| 1945 | Duke | 9–7 | |||||||
| 1946 | Duke | 15–8 | State Champions | ||||||
| 1947 | Duke | 18–10 | 13–6 | 3rd | Big Four Champions, State Champions | ||||
| 1948 | Duke | 15–12 | |||||||
| 1949 | Duke | 12–17–1 | 9–13 | 11th | |||||
| 1950 | Duke | 11–18 | unknown (southern) | ||||||
| 1951 | Duke | 17–8 | 2nd (southern) | Southern Conference Tournament Champions, Co-Big Four Champions | |||||
| 1952 | Duke | 31–7 | 18–3 | 1st (southern) | College World Series (5th place) | ||||
| Duke: | 381–171–3 (.689) | ||||||||
| Total: | 387–179–3 (.683) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
_(1911)_(14801801473).jpg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
