Earl Combs (1970)


Date of Birth: 5/14/1899
Date of Death: 7/21/1976
Birthplace: Pebworth, Kentucky
College: Eastern Kentucky University

Earle Combs started his professional life as a school teacher, playing baseball in his spare time. Later, he started playing semi-pro baseball. In 1922, he signed with the Louisville Colonels of the American Association and he played for the team for two seasons, batting .344 in 1922 and .380 in 1923.

New York Yankees

In 1924, Combs was traded to the New York Yankees. In his first season with the Yankees, he played in only 24 games due to a broken ankle that kept him on the disabled list for most of the season. The following season, he batted .342 with 203 hits, 36 doubles, 13 triples, and 61 RBIs in 150 games.

Combs had a good year in 1926, batting .299 with 181 hits, 31 doubles, 55 RBIs, and 23 strikeouts to 47 walks in 145 games. The following season, he led the AL in hits and triples and he had career highs in games played, hits, doubles, and triples. He finished the 1927 season with 231 hits, 36 doubles, 23 triples, 15 stolen bases, 64 RBIs, 31 strikeouts to 62 walks, and a .356 batting average in 152 games.

In 1928, Combs again led the AL in triples with 21. He batted .310 with 194 hits, 33 doubles, 56 RBIs, and 33 strikeouts to 77 walks in 149 games. He had an even better season in 1929, when he batted .345 with 202 hits, 33 doubles, 15 triples, 64 RBIs, and 32 strikeouts to 69 walks in 142 games.

Combs once again led the AL in triples in 1930. That year, he had career highs in stolen bases and RBIs. He finished the season with 183 hits, 30 doubles, 22 triples, 16 stolen bases, 82 RBIs, 26 strikeouts to 74 walks, and a .344 batting average. His batting average dropped to .318 in 1931, but he still had a good season with 179 hits, 31 doubles, and 58 RBIs in 138 games.

Combs had a career high 81 walks (to 15 strikeouts) in 1932. He batted .321 with 190 hits, 32 doubles, and 65 RBIs in 144 games. He played in only 122 games in 1933, and he had 125 hits, 22 doubles, 64 RBIs, 19 strikeouts to 47 walks, and a .300 batting average.

Combs suffered serious injuries on the playing field in 1934 and 1935, limiting his playing time in his last two seasons. After playing in 63 games in 1934 and 89 games in 1935, Combs retired.

MLB Records

  • Led AL in hits in 1927
  • Led AL in triples three times

Career Statistics

Combs played in over 100 games in each of 9 seasons (1925-1933). His statistics during that time include:

  • 8 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 231 in 1927
  • 8 seasons with 30 or more doubles, with a high of 36 in 1925 and 1927
  • 9 seasons with 10 or more triples, with highs of 21 in 1928, 22 in 1930, and 23 in 1927
  • 8 seasons with a batting average of .300 or better, with a high of .356 in 1927

Career batting statistics for Combs include:

  • 1,455 games played
  • 1,866 hits
  • 309 doubles
  • 154 triples
  • .325 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Combs as a center fielder include:

  • 1,157 games played
  • 2,936 putouts
  • 88 errors
  • .972 fielding percentage

Career postseason statistics for Combs include:

  • 16 games played
  • 60 at-bats
  • 21 hits
  • 3 doubles
  • 1 home run
  • 9 RBIs
  • 7 strikeouts to 10 walks
  • .350 batting average

Post Playing Career

After retiring as a major league player, Combs returned to the Yankees as a coach. Later in his life, he was Kentucky's State Banking Commissioner (1955-1959).

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Earle Combs
ESPN - Earle Combs
Baseball Reference - Earle Combs

Back to Top