Don Newcombe Wins Both the MVP and the First Cy Young Award

On November 21, 1956, Brooklyn Dodgers right-hander Don Newcombe was named the National League Most Valuable Player. Six days later, on November 27, he would also be named the winner of the inaugural Cy Young Award, completing an unprecedented sweep of baseball's top individual honors and becoming the only pitcher in history to hold both awards in the same season.

Newcombe's 1956 season was dominant. He went 27-7 with a 3.06 ERA, five shutouts, and 18 complete games, leading the league in winning percentage for the second consecutive year. He received 10 of 16 first-place Cy Young votes, beating out Sal Maglie, Whitey Ford, and Warren Spahn. The MVP balloting was similarly decisive.

The Cy Young Award was a new creation in 1956, established by Commissioner Ford Frick to honor the best pitcher in baseball. Only one award was given across both leagues, and the honor would not be split into separate AL and NL awards until 1967. Newcombe was the first name engraved on the trophy, and no pitcher would match his feat of winning both the Cy Young and MVP until Sandy Koufax in 1963.

Newcombe's career carried significance beyond the stat line. He was one of the first Black pitchers in the major leagues, debuting with Brooklyn in 1949 alongside Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, and other pioneers who broke baseball's color barrier. He won the NL Rookie of the Year Award that same season, then lost two prime years to military service during the Korean War before returning to post his career-best 1956 campaign. His sweep of the game's top pitching and overall awards was a landmark for a player who had fought for the right to compete at every step.