Newcombe was the first pitcher to win the Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Cy Young award in his career. This distinction would not be achieved again until 2011, when Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander accomplished the feat. In 1949, he became the first black pitcher to start a World Series game. In 1951, Newcombe was the first black pitcher to win twenty games in one season. In 1956, the inaugural year of the Cy Young Award, he became the first pitcher to win the National League MVP and the Cy Young in the same season. Newcombe compiled a career batting average of .271 with 15 home runs and was used as a pinch hitter, a rarity for pitchers.

This Rawlings official MLB baseball was signed in blue ballpoint pen by Newcombe and inscribed, "CY 1956." This baseball includes a Steiner hologram and COA.