Ken Holcombe

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Kenneth Edward Holcombe (born August 23, 1918 in Burnsville, North Carolina) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for five different teams between 1945 and 1953. Listed at 5' 11.5", 169 lb., he batted and threw right-handed.

Holcombe entered the majors in 1945 with the New York Yankees, playing for them one year before joining the Cincinnati Reds (1948), Chicago White Sox (1950-52), St. Louis Browns (1952) and Boston Red Sox (1953). In his rookie season, he showed promise as a solid reliever for the Yankees, going 3-3 with 1.79 ERA and 55⅓innings in 23 appearances. But he developed a cronic bursitis that eventually ended his career. His most productive season came for the 1951 White Sox, when he won 11 games a starter, including a 3.78 ERA and 12 complete games –all career-highs. In 12 games for the 1952 Browns, Holcombe was 0-2 with a 3.80 ERA. He wrapped up his major league time by going 2-1 for the 1953 Red Sox.

In a six-season career, Holcombe posted a 18-32 record with a 3.98 ERA in 99 appearances, including 48 starts, 18 complete games, two shutouts, 32 games finished, two saves, and 375.0 innings of work.