Raymond Franklin "Bobby" Coombs (February 2, 1908 – October 21, 1991) was a

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. The , right-hander played for the Philadelphia Athletics (1933) and New York Giants (1943). His career was unusual in that he went almost ten years between major league appearances. Coombs pitched at Phillips Exeter Academy and for the

Duke Blue Devils baseball The Duke Blue Devils baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of Duke University, based in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The team has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since the conference's founding i ...

team where he was coached by his uncle,

Jack Coombs John Wesley Coombs (November 18, 1882 – April 15, 1957), nicknamed "Colby Jack" after his alma mater, was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a pitcher for the Philadelphia Athletics (1906–14), Broo ...

. A native of Goodwins Mills, Maine, Coombs made his

major league debut Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

in relief on June 8, 1933, in a home game against the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

Shibe Park Shibe Park, known later as Connie Mack Stadium, was a ballpark located in Philadelphia. It was the home of the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League (AL) and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League (NL). When it opened April 12, 1 ...

. His final game, almost ten years later at the age of 35, was in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates at

Forbes Field Forbes Field was a baseball park in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1909 to June 28, 1970. It was the third home of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball (MLB) team, and the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers ...

on June 6, 1943. Coombs' career totals include 30 games pitched, all in relief, a 0–2 record with 17

games finished In baseball statistics, a relief pitcher is credited with a game finished (denoted by GF) if he is the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game. A starting pitcher is not credited with a GF for pitching a complete game. Mariano Rivera is th ...

, 2 saves, 49

earned runs In baseball, an earned run is any run that was fully enabled by the offensive team's production in the face of competent play from the defensive team. Conversely, an unearned run is a run that would not have been scored without the aid of an erro ...

allowed in 47 innings, and an

ERA An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

of 9.32. Coombs died at the age of 83 in

Ogunquit, Maine Ogunquit ( ) is a resort town in York County, Maine. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,577. Ogunquit is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Ogunquit, which means "be ...

. Coombs coached at Williams College from 1946 to 1973, where there is now a Bobby Coombs Field.

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* 1908 births 1991 deaths Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players from Maine Philadelphia Athletics players New York Giants (NL) players Syracuse Chiefs players Birmingham Barons players St. Paul Saints (AA) players Shreveport Sports players Jersey City Giants players Duke Blue Devils baseball players People from Ogunquit, Maine Baseball coaches from Maine Phillips Exeter Academy alumni Burials in Maine Duke Blue Devils football players {{US-baseball-pitcher-1900s-stub