Don Newcombe Marquee

He was seventeen when he pitched for the Newark Eagles in 1944, and his two years there stand at 4-6 in fifteen recorded games, from box scores that survive only in part. Brooklyn brought him up in May 1949 and he was Rookie of the Year. In 1951 he went 20-9, the first Black pitcher to win twenty games in the National or American League.

He started the opening game of the 1949 World Series and lost it 1-0 on a ninth-inning home run by Tommy Henrich. Seven years later he was 27-7 with a 3.06 earned run average, led the National League in wins, and took both the Most Valuable Player award and the first Cy Young Award, then a single prize for both leagues.

The record has no season for him in 1952 or 1953, both spent in military service. He could hit: .269 for his career with 15 home runs, and .359 in 1955. He finished 153-96 with 1,185 strikeouts, and sixteen writers' ballots between 1966 and 1980 never gave him more than 59 votes.