Larry Kimbrough

Larry Nathaniel Kimbrough
(Schoolboy)

• Bats Both, Throws Both
• Height 5' 10", Weight 195 lb.
• School Wilberforce University
• High School Ben Franklin High School (Philadelphia)
• Debut 1942
• Final Game 1948
• Born September 23, 1923 in Philadelphia, PA USA
• Died January 29, 2001 in Philadelphia, PA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Larry Kimbrough was a switch-pitcher in the Negro Leagues.

Kimbrough was a natural lefty whose arm was caught in a washing machine during his childhood. With his left arm in a cast for a year, he learned to throw righty as well. Unlike Pat Venditte, he was primarily a right-hander but occasionally threw a game as a lefty instead of alternating during a game. He joined the Philadelphia Stars in 1942, pitching three shutout innings. He was 1-1 with a 7.50 ERA in 1943 and went 4 for 15 at the plate, playing infield and outfield as well as pitcher (he threw righty as an infielder). He then joined the US Army, serving until January 1946.

The Philadelphia native played briefly for Philadelphia in 1946. He later caught for a semipro team. He had a try-out with the Cleveland Indians in 1952, claiming he was only 22 years old, but they did not sign him. There had been one earlier ambidextrous pitcher in the lesser Negro Leagues (Horace Cole, 1929) but Kimbrough was the first in the major Negro Leagues.

Source: Agate Type blog by Gary Ashwill

Related Sites

• Larry Kimbrough at the SABR Bio Project