View source for Jack Coombs

{{Short description|American baseball player (1882–1957)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox baseball biography
|name=Jack Coombs
|image=Jack Coombs.jpg
|width=250px
|caption=Coombs in 1911
|position=[[Pitcher]]
|bats=Both
|throws=Right
|birth_date={{birth date|1882|11|18}}
|birth_place=[[Le Grand, Iowa]], U.S.
|death_date={{death date and age|1957|4|15|1882|11|18}}
|death_place=[[Palestine, Texas]], U.S.
|debutleague = MLB
|debutdate=July 5 
|debutyear=1906
|debutteam=Philadelphia Athletics
|finalleague = MLB
|finaldate=July 18
|finalyear=1920
|finalteam=Detroit Tigers
|statleague = MLB
|stat1label=[[Win–loss record (pitching)|Win–loss record]]
|stat1value=158–110
|stat2label=[[Earned run average]]
|stat2value=2.78
|stat3label=[[Strikeout]]s
|stat3value=1,052
|teams=
'''As player'''
* [[Philadelphia Athletics]] ({{Baseball year|1906}}–{{Baseball year|1914}})
* [[Brooklyn Robins]] ({{Baseball year|1915}}–{{Baseball year|1918}})
* [[Detroit Tigers]] ({{Baseball year|1920}})
'''As manager'''
* [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ({{Baseball year|1919}})
|highlights=
* 3× [[World Series]] champion ([[1910 World Series|1910]], [[1911 World Series|1911]], [[1913 World Series|1913]])
* 2× [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders|AL wins leader]] (1910, 1911)
* [[Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame]]
}}
'''John Wesley Coombs''' (November 18, 1882 – April 15, 1957), nicknamed "'''Colby Jack'''" after his [[Colby College|alma mater]], was an [[Americans|American]] professional [[baseball]] player. He played in [[Major League Baseball]] as a [[pitcher]] for the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] (1906–14), [[Brooklyn Robins]] (1915–18), and [[Detroit Tigers]] (1920). In 1910, Coombs won 31 games during the regular season and three games in the [[1910 World Series|World Series]] to lead the Athletics to the championship. A [[two-way player]], he also occasionally played as an [[outfielder]].

==Early life==
Born in [[LeGrand, Iowa]], Coombs moved to [[Kennebunk, Maine]] with his family at the age of four. He played baseball in high school in [[Freeport, Maine]], and in 1901–02 for Coburn Classical prep school in [[Waterville, Maine|Waterville]].<ref name=SABR>[https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/f64fded8 Jack Coombs]. Article written by C. Paul Rogers III. ''SABR Biography Project.''. Retrieved on July 23, 2019.</ref><ref>[http://freeporthistoricalsociety.org/freeport-and-the-national-pastime The National Pastime] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905211416/http://freeporthistoricalsociety.org/freeport-and-the-national-pastime |date=2018-09-05 }}. ''Freeport Historical Society''.  Retrieved on July 23, 2019.</ref> Coombs was a 1906 graduate of [[Colby College]] in Waterville, where he was a chemistry major and a member of [[Delta Upsilon]]. He also participated in football, track, and tennis. Colby's baseball field is named for him.

==Baseball career==
Three weeks after graduating, Coombs pitched in his first major league game for the Philadelphia Athletics, a seven-hit shutout, defeating the [[Washington Senators (1901–60)|Washington Senators]] 3–0. He finished 1906 with a 10–10 record and 2.50 [[earned run average]]. In 1906, he pitched the longest complete game in the American League, 24 innings against Boston, winning 4–1 with 18 strikeouts.<ref name=SABR/> 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.<ref name="stats">[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/coombja01.shtml "Jack Coombs Stats"]. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2021.</ref>

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), and [[Shutout (baseball)|shutouts]] (13), which is still the single-season AL record. He won 18 of 19 starts that July and racked up 53 [[scoreless innings streak|consecutive scoreless innings]], which stood as the major league record until [[Walter Johnson]] broke it three years later. [[Don Drysdale]] and [[Orel 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 the [[Chicago 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 the [[1911 World Series]], as the Athletics repeated as champions. The following year, he won 21 games.<ref name="stats"/>

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 the [[1916 World Series]], he won a game, but the Robins lost the series.<ref name="stats"/>

In 1919, Coombs was the manager of the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] for 62&nbsp;games, going 18–44 before being replaced by [[Gavvy 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 1,052 [[strikeout]]s.

Coombs was an adept hitting pitcher in his 14-year major league career, compiling a .235 [[batting average (baseball)|batting average]] (261-for-1110) with 4 [[home run]]s, 123 [[Run (baseball)|runs scored]], and 100 [[runs 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.<ref name="stats"/>

==Later life==
Coombs became a championship-winning coach at [[Duke University]] (1929–52) who sent many players to the majors. Duke University's baseball field is [[Jack Coombs Field|named after him]].

Coombs spent his retirement as a sports historian and writer.  In 1938, he published ''Baseball – Individual Play and Team Strategy''.

==Head coaching record==
{{CBB yearly record start|type=coach}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Rice Owls baseball|Rice Owls]]
 | conference= [[Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear =  1918
 | endyear   =  single 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1918 NCAA baseball season|1918]]
| name         = Rice
| overall      = 6–8
| conference   = 0–2
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = Rice
| overall    = {{Winning percentage|6|8|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|0|2|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Duke Blue Devils baseball|Duke Blue Devils]]
 | conference= [[Southern Conference]]
 | startyear =  1929
 | endyear   =  1952
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1929 NCAA baseball season|1929]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 13–5
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   =
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1930 NCAA baseball season|1930]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 17–5
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1931 NCAA baseball season|1931]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 11–4
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1932 NCAA baseball season|1932]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 15–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1933 NCAA baseball season|1933]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 12–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1934 NCAA baseball season|1934]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 20–4
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1935 NCAA baseball season|1935]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 24–3
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1936 NCAA baseball season|1936]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 18–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference 
| season       = [[1937 NCAA baseball season|1937]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 22–2
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference 
| season       = [[1938 NCAA baseball season|1938]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 18–3
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference 
| season       = [[1939 NCAA baseball season|1939]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 22–2
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1940 NCAA baseball season|1940]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 16–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1941 NCAA baseball season|1941]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 14–11
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1942 NCAA baseball season|1942]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 15–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1943 NCAA baseball season|1943]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 8–4
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1944 NCAA baseball season|1944]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 9–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1945 NCAA baseball season|1945]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 9–7
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1946 NCAA baseball season|1946]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 15–8
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1947 NCAA baseball season|1947]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 18–10
| conference   = 13–6
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = Big Four Champions, <br>State Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1948 NCAA baseball season|1948]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 15–12
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1949 NCAA baseball season|1949]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 12–17–1
| conference   = 9–13
| confstanding = 11th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = [[1950 NCAA baseball season|1950]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 11–18
| conference   = 
| confstanding = unknown (southern)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference tournament 
| season       = [[1951 NCAA baseball season|1951]]
| name         = Duke
| overall      = 17–8
| conference   = 
| confstanding = 2nd (southern)
| postseason   = [[1951 Southern Conference baseball tournament|Southern Conference Tournament Champions]],<br> Co-Big Four Champions
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference 
| season       = [[1952 NCAA baseball season|1952]]
| name         = [[1952 Duke Blue Devils baseball team|Duke]]
| overall      = 31–7
| conference   = 18–3
| confstanding = 1st (southern)
| postseason   = [[1952 College World Series|College World Series]] (5th place)
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = Duke
| overall    = {{Winning percentage|381|171|3|record=y}}
| confrecord = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record end
| overall = {{Winning percentage|387|179|3|record=y}}
}}

==Films==
[[File:Moving Picture News (1911) (1911) (14801801473).jpg|thumb|300px|The four stars of the world champion Philadelphia Athletics — [[Chief Bender]], [[Cy Morgan]], Jack Coombs, and [[Rube Oldring]] — were featured in the [[Thanhouser Company]] film, ''[[The Baseball Bug]]'' (1911)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thanhouser.org/tcocd/Filmography_files/idhud4dk.htm |title=The Baseball Bug |publisher=Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. |access-date=2016-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107150024/http://www.thanhouser.org/tcocd/Filmography_files/idhud4dk.htm |archive-date=2017-01-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]]
*''World's Championship Series'' (1910) *docu. short
*''[[The Baseball Bug]]'' (1911) *short
*''Animated Weekly, No. 41'' (1916) *docu. short
*''World Series Games 1916, Boston vs. Brooklyn'' (1916) *documentary
*''The Baseball Revue of 1917'' (1917) *documentary

==See also==
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual wins leaders]]
* [[List of Major League Baseball annual shutout leaders]]
* [[List of baseball players who went directly to Major League Baseball]]
* [[List of members of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame]]
* [[Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Baseballstats|br=c/coombja01|brm=coombs001joh}}, or [https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/Pcoomj101.htm Retrosheet], or [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/f64fded8 SABR Biography Project], [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=10161 The Baseball Cube], or [https://web.archive.org/web/20101019171703/http://thedeadballera.com/Obits/Obits_C/Coombs.Jack.Obit.html The DeadBall Era]
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{1910 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{1911 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{1913 Philadelphia Athletics}}
{{AL wins champions}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies managers}}
{{Oakland Athletics Opening Day starting pitchers}}
{{Oakland Athletics}}
{{Philly Baseball Wall of Fame}}
{{Rice Owls baseball coach navbox}}
{{Duke Blue Devils baseball coach navbox}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Baseball}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coombs, Jack}}
[[Category:1882 births]]
[[Category:1957 deaths]]
[[Category:American League wins champions]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Iowa]]
[[Category:Brooklyn Robins players]]
[[Category:Colby Mules baseball players]]
[[Category:Detroit Tigers coaches]]
[[Category:Detroit Tigers players]]
[[Category:Duke Blue Devils baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball pitchers]]
[[Category:Montpelier-Barre players]]
[[Category:People from Kennebunk, Maine]]
[[Category:People from Le Grand, Iowa]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Athletics players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Phillies managers]]
[[Category:Rice Owls baseball coaches]]
[[Category:Delta Upsilon members]]