September 17, 1953: Carl Erskine outduels Harvey Haddix for 20th victory in Dodgers’ comeback win

“But Carl Erskine, the way he has been going for the last few months, has certainly been as reliable a pitcher as you would want.”1 – Pee Wee Reese, September 1953

As the 1953 regular season was concluding, the National League pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers were about to become part of a conversation. Was this the best Dodgers team of all-time? Their league-leading performances for a 105-49 record were convincing–955 runs scored, 208 home runs, a .285 team batting average, a .474 team slugging percentage, and 90 stolen bases–and individual stat lines no less so.2

The Sporting News turned to Dodgers shortstop and captain Pee Wee Reese to compare the 1953 team with Brooklyn’s 1941 National League pennant-winner, while providing its readers with statistical data to make their own judgment.3 After all, Reese was the only Dodgers player that helped bring five pennants to Brooklyn–1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, and now 1953.

In the assessment, Reese played the role of the perfect diplomat as captain of a team still seeking its first-ever World Series title. The 1941 pitching staff included two 20-game winners– Kirby Higbe (22-9, 3.14 ERA) and Whit Wyatt (22-10, 2.34 ERA)–and Hugh Casey (14-11, 3.89 ERA). Reese acknowledged that “Wyatt was a real stopper pitcher,” while praising the strength of a 1953 pitching staff led by Carl Erskine that ranked first in the NL with 817 strikeouts.4 Reese believed that the pitching staff was deeper than in 1941. “Casey was a terrific relief pitcher. But we have had outstanding work from Labine, Milliken, and Wade.”5

While Reese’s assertions about the 1953 Dodgers are debatable, there is little doubt about the role that Erskine’s career year played in bringing another NL flag to Brooklyn. The Dodgers spent the early part of the season in and around first place. When the calendar turned to July, they held a slim half-game lead over the Milwaukee Braves. Erskine, sporting a mediocre 5-4 record and a 5.72 ERA, had pitched his first no-hitter in 1952 and nearly pitched his second one in mid-May except for a sixth-inning bunt single by Gus Bell in a 10-0 victory over the Cincinnati Redlegs.6

By the time the Dodgers clinched the pennant on September 12 in Milwaukee with Erskine’s 5-2 complete-game victory, their lead over the Braves had grown to 13 games.7 Erskine’s stat line since the beginning of July was equally impressive – 14 wins in 16 decisions, three shutouts, and 10 complete games, pitching to a 2.15 ERA. In his next start, Erskine had the opportunity to achieve the revered pitching milestone of a 20-win season as the Dodgers completed a road trip against the St. Louis Cardinals and their rookie southpaw, Harvey Haddix (18-8, 3.21 ERA).

Erskine vs. Haddix? Haddix had beaten the Dodgers three times earlier in the season, all at Busch Stadium, including a 12-4 thrashing on June 18 with Erskine on the mound. When the two faced each other on August 30 at Ebbets Field, the story was quite different, a 20-4, 17th-win for Erskine over Haddix with “Oisk” contributing three RBIs for good measure.8

On this day, both pitchers faced early scoring threats. With two outs, Reese was on second and Jackie Robinson on first from opening-inning singles.9 Haddix induced Roy Campanella to hit a grounder to third baseman Ray Jablonski, who stepped on the bag to end the inning.

Erskine was not as fortunate. Solly Hemus opened by dropping a double just inside the left-field foul line.10 When Stan Musial lined a one-out single to center, the Cardinals had an early 1-0 lead, and it could have been worse. Second baseman Jim Gilliam’s fielding error on Enos Slaughter’s grounder put Musial on second, but third baseman Billy Cox turned Jablonski’s liner into an inning-ending double play.

The Dodgers drew even in the second inning when right fielder Dick Williams, batting .158, hit his first home run of the season and only the second of his major-league career. Williams was replacing Carl Furillo, who had fractured his left hand on September 6 in a fight with Giants manager Leo Durocher at the Polo Grounds.11

Haddix, the Cardinals’ best-hitting pitcher (.291), opened the third inning with a single to right on Erskine’s first pitch. Hemus forced him at second on a groundout, but with two outs, Musial hit his 27th homer atop the roof of the pavilion in right field to put the Cardinals ahead, 3-1.12

The pitching duel continued. Haddix tried to help his own cause in the fifth when he lined a one-out triple to left, but Erskine retired Hemus and Red Schoendienst on grounders to end that threat. To open the seventh, Erskine walked Del Rice, the only free pass of the entire game. Rip Repulski sacrificed Rice to second, but Erskine struck out Haddix and retired Hemus to end any ideas that the Cardinals had to extend their lead.

Until the fateful ninth, the Dodgers had managed only two hits against Haddix after the second inning: Duke Snider’s double in the sixth and Wayne Belardi’s two-out single in the seventh.13 Trailing 3-1, the Dodgers had their last chance against a team that had more than its fair share of late-inning woes in the previous week.14 In the first game of this series, Snider’s two-run, ninth-inning home run led the Dodgers to a 4-3 win; in the second game, Campanella hit a ninth-inning, pinch-hit, two-run homer, but the Cards held on for a 5-4 win.

In the Dodgers’ ninth, the first three batters turned their strategy to first-pitch swinging. Robinson lined Haddix’s first offering off the wall in the left-field corner for a double. Campanella followed by dropping a single into center field, scoring Robinson and cutting the lead to 3-2. On Haddix’s next pitch, Cox singled to left-center, advancing Campanella to second.

With Williams at the plate, Haddix’s wild pitch allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. The stage was set with the infield drawn in. Although Williams’ flyball to short center could not score Campanella, Belardi lined a single to center, his third hit of the game, that scored both runners for a 4-3 Dodgers lead.

Belardi’s hit kept Erskine, the next batter, in the game, since manager Chuck Dressen was intending to use a pinch-hitter if the game were still tied.15 Erskine sacrificed Belardi to second, but the inning ended when Haddix retired Gilliam on a groundout.

The bottom of the ninth was much less exciting. Erskine retired the side in order on seven pitches, and 100 for the game, to join select company, Robin Roberts (23-16) and Warren Spahn (23-7), as National League 20-game winners for the season. Erskine’s reaction to reaching the milestone? “This is the dessert.”16

As for Haddix, the lefty won his last two starts of the season, both against the Chicago Cubs, to become the league’s fourth 20-game winner (20-9).17 For both Erskine and Haddix, it was the first and only time they reached that milestone.

To what did Erskine attribute his second-half success in leading the Dodgers to the pennant and another shot at the New York Yankees in the World Series? “During the few days of that [All-Star] break, Charlie Dressen took me with him to visit a friend of his in upstate New York. We rested and fished a lot…”18

Author Arnold Rampersad offered Jackie Robinson’s own “mixture of confidence and resignation” in describing the 1953 Dodgers: “If we don’t win it this time, we’ll never win it. We have the ball club this year, the kind of team it takes to beat the Yankees.”19

The Dodgers lost the World Series to the Yankees in six games despite a 14-strikeout, record-breaking performance by Erskine in Game Three.20 They had to wait two more seasons for Brooklyn’s first World Series title.21

Author’s note

I never met Carl Erskine, but we corresponded in 2020 when I was researching and writing the Games Project article, “May 24, 1953: Russ Meyer ejected, Gil Hodges snaps slump as Dodgers crush Phillies.” Erskine pitched four innings of scoreless relief in that game to record the unofficial save. He understood the meaning and value of team and teammates. I was seeking the 93-year-old Erskine’s perspective on Gil Hodges as a teammate, in the context of his 0-for-21 batting slump in the 1952 World Series that extended well into the 1953 season.

Erskine recalled the slump. “The team had real respect for Gil, but the team let him work it out his own way.” He was quick to add that Hodges’ defense during the slump “might even have gotten better (if possible)…” Erskine captured the essence of Hodges as a Brooklyn Dodger in noting his greatest record even if unofficial – “He was never booed at Ebbets Field (must be the only one).”22

Acknowledgments

This essay was fact-checked by Laura H. Peebles and copy-edited by Mike Eisenbath.

Sources

The author accessed Baseball-Reference.com for box scores/play-by-play information (baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN195309170.shtml) and other data, as well as Retrosheet.org (retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1953/B09170SLN1953.htm). The Carl Erskine baseball card (1953 Bowman No. 12) is from the Trading Card Database.

Notes 

1 Joe King, “’53 Dodgers Best of Five Winners, Says Reese,” The Sporting News, September 30, 1953: 9.

2 Roy Campanella (.312 BA, 41 home runs, 142 RBI), Duke Snider (.336 BA, 42 home runs, 126 RBI), Gil Hodges (.302 BA, 31 home runs, 122 RBI), Carl Furillo (.344 BA, 21 home runs, 92 RBI), Jackie Robinson (.329 BA, 12 home runs, 95 RBI). Furillo won the NL batting title, and Campanella and Jim Gilliam (.278 BA) were named NL MVP and Rookie of the Year, respectively.

3 “Rundown on ’41 Dodgers – Runner-up in Reese’s Book,” The Sporting News, September 30, 1953: 9.

4 King. The 1953 pitching staff was supported by an exceptional defense – league-leading fewest errors (118) and highest fielding percentage (.980) and second-best defensive efficiency (.713).

5 King.

6 Gregory H. Wolf, “June 19, 1952: Dodgers’ Carl Erskine tosses his first no-hitter,” SABR Baseball Games Project; Roscoe McGowen, “Brooks Blast Redlegs by 10-0 With 20 Blows After 13-5 Loss,” New York Times, May 18, 1953: 27. Erskine’s second no-hitter did come three seasons later. Gregory H. Wolf “May 12, 1956: Carl Erskine’s second no-hitter is first to be broadcast on national TV,” SABR Baseball Games Project.

7 Roscoe McGowen, “Dodgers Clinch Flag, Beating Braves, 5-2,” New York Times, September 13, 1953: Sec. 5-1.

8 Russell Lake, “August 30, 1953: Brooklyn’s bats and Erskine’s arm subdue Muggsy’s insults,” SABR Baseball Games Project.

9 The Brooklyn Eagle reported that on the previous day in St. Louis, Jackie Robinson had received his 10th threatening letter and was being guarded by the FBI. Robinson commented, “I feel sorry for those who write letters like that.” “Dressen Sums Up Material On Yanks,” Brooklyn Eagle, September 18, 1953: 16.

10 Roscoe McGowen, “Brooks’ 3 in Ninth Top Cardinals, 4-3,” New York Times, September 18, 1953: 27.

11 Louis Effrat, “Furillo and Durocher Stage Battle; Dodger Player Fractures Left Hand,” New York Times, September 7, 1953: 1. Furillo did not play again during the regular season, but his .344 BA was the best in the majors.

12 McGowen, “Brooks’ 3 in Ninth Top Cardinals, 4-3.”

13 Belardi was replacing the injured Gil Hodges, who was still experiencing persistent left-side pain resulting from his crash into the right-field wall at Milwaukee’s County Stadium one week earlier. (“Hodges To Have Sore Side X-Rayed,” Brooklyn Eagle, September 18, 1953: 16.)

14 Bob Broeg, “Fourth Late-Inning Loss In 6 Games Takes Edge Off Cards’ Annual Party,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 18, 1953: 4D. “The trouble began last Saturday, you’ll recall, when Pittsburgh rallied in the ninth to overcome a one-run St. Louis lead and then won in the twelfth, 8 to 7. Two nights later the Phillies came up with three in the final frame to nose out the Redbirds, 6 to 5.”

15 McGowen. “Brooks’ 3 in Ninth Top Cardinals, 4-3.”

16 Dave Anderson, “Flock Gives Erskine Diamond Dessert,” Brooklyn Eagle, September 18, 1953: 15.

17 On September 21, 1953, Haddix four-hit the Cubs 4-0 at Busch Stadium for his 19th victory. Four days later (September 25), his 20th win came in an 11-2 complete-game victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The two wins sandwiched a two-inning, unofficial save in the Cardinals’ 10-7 home win over the Milwaukee Braves on September 22. An NL All-Star selection, Haddix led the league with six shutouts and finished second to Gilliam in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

18 Walter Langford, “Carl Erskine: Was He Best Sore-Armed Pitcher Ever?” Baseball Digest, January 1988, 50.

19 Arnold Rampersad, Jackie Robinson (New York: Ballantine Books, 1997), 259.

20 Don Zminda, “October 2, 1953: Dodgers’ Carl Erskine sets World Series record with 14 strikeouts,” SABR Baseball Games Project. Erskine broke the record set by Howard Ehmke in the 1929 World Series (Norm King, “October 8, 1929: Howard Ehmke sets down Cubs in surprise start with a World Series record 13 strikeouts,” SABR Baseball Games Project). Subsequently, Erskine’s record was broken by Sandy Koufax in 1963 and Bob Gibson in 1968 (Andy McCue, “October 2, 1963: Sandy Koufax sets World Series strikeout record, fanning 15 Yankees,” SABR Baseball Games Project); John J. Watkins, “October 2, 1968: Bob Gibson strikes out 17 to set World Series record,” SABR Baseball Games Project).

21 Steven C. Weiner, “October 4, 1955: Brooklyn Dodgers win first World Series as ‘Next Year’ finally arrives,” SABR Baseball Games Project.

22 Carl Erskine, letter to author, August 1, 2020.