Don Newcombe was an extremely important figure in baseball integration. After playing one season with the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, Newcombe signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Alongside Roy Campanella, Newcombe played for the first racially integrated US baseball team in the 20th century, the 1946 Nashua Dodgers of the New England League. In the Majors, prior to Justin Verlander duplicating the feat in 2011, Newcombe was the only MLB player to have won the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young awards in his career. In 1949, Newcombe became the first black pitcher to start a World Series game and he was the first black pitcher to win twenty games in one season when he accomplished that milestone in 1951.

At a fundraising event for Senator Barbara Boxer on April 19, 2010, then President Barack Obama referred to Newcombe as "someone who helped... America become what it is.” Obama added, “I would not be here if it were not for Jackie (Robinson) and it were not for Don Newcombe.”

Newcombe played 10 years in the Majors from 1949-1960 (he served two years in the military in 1951 and 1952) and finished his career in Cleveland. Notably, Newcombe was sold by Cincinnati Reds to Cleveland Indians on July 29, 1960 in his final year. Given there were only two months remaining in the season, along with the fact that players did not use numerous jerseys then as they do today, it is likely that Newcombe (a relief pitcher) had only one home and one road jersey made for him for the final two months of the season. Newcombe’s final game of his career was on October 1, 1960 when he made a relief appearance against the Chicago White Sox in Chicago. If Newcombe did have only one Indians home jersey and one road jersey as we suspect, the jersey offered here would be the last one he ever wore in a Major League game.

This 1960 Cleveland Indians button-down road flannel jersey worn is a size 50 manufactured by MacGregor. It features the team name “INDIANS” sewn on across the chest in red on navy blue tackle twill. The right sleeve has Newcombe’s number “25” sewn on in red on navy tackle twill, while the left sleeve has the “Chief Wahoo” patch. The back of the jersey has “25” sewn on in red on navy blue tackle twill and the jersey shows moderate use.

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