Dick Newsome
Encyclopedia
Heber Hampton Newsome was a starting pitcher
in Major League Baseball
who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox
between the and seasons. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lb., Newsome batted and threw right-handed. A native of Ahoskie, North Carolina
, he graduated from Wake Forest University
.
In his rookie year, Newsome won 19 games (third in the American League
) and compiled 10 shutout
s, leading a Red Sox pitching rotation that included Charlie Wagner
, Mickey Harris
, Joe Dobson
and Lefty Grove
. He was considered for the MVP Award
, ending ninth in the ballot.
But Newsome slumped badly the next two years, winning only eight games in each of them. After the 1943 season, he served in the Army
during the World War II
, and then returned to his farm.
In a three-season career, Newsome posted a 35-33 record with 138 strikeout
s and a 4.50 ERA
in 526.0 innings pitched
.
Newsome died in an automobile accident in Ahoskie, North Carolina, just two days after his 56th birthday.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
between the and seasons. Listed at 6' 0", 185 lb., Newsome batted and threw right-handed. A native of Ahoskie, North Carolina
Ahoskie, North Carolina
Ahoskie is a town in Hertford County, North Carolina. The population was 4,523 at the 2000 census. Ahoskie is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. Its nickname is "The Only One" because no other town in the world is known by the same name...
, he graduated from Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
.
In his rookie year, Newsome won 19 games (third in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
) and compiled 10 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
s, leading a Red Sox pitching rotation that included Charlie Wagner
Charlie Wagner
Charles Thomas Wagner was an American right-handed pitcher and coach in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Boston Red Sox . Nicknamed "Broadway," he went on to a 50-year career as a scout and minor league instructor...
, Mickey Harris
Mickey Harris
Maurice Charles "Mickey" Harris was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox , Washington Senators and Cleveland Indians . Harris was born in New York, NY...
, Joe Dobson
Joe Dobson
Joseph Gordon Dobson , nicknamed "Burrhead," was a Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played with the Cleveland Indians , Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox ....
and Lefty Grove
Lefty Grove
Robert Moses "Lefty" Grove was a professional baseball pitcher. After having success in the minor leagues during the early 1920s, Grove became a star in Major League Baseball with the American League's Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games in his 17-year MLB career...
. He was considered for the MVP Award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
, ending ninth in the ballot.
But Newsome slumped badly the next two years, winning only eight games in each of them. After the 1943 season, he served in the Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and then returned to his farm.
In a three-season career, Newsome posted a 35-33 record with 138 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 4.50 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 526.0 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
.
Newsome died in an automobile accident in Ahoskie, North Carolina, just two days after his 56th birthday.