- Carl Erskine
Infobox MLB retired
bgcolor1=#083c6b
bgcolor2=#083c6b
textcolor1=white
textcolor2=white
name=Carl Erskine
position=Pitcher
bats=Right
throws=Right
birthdate=birth date and age|1926|12|13
debutdate=July 25
debutyear=by|1948
debutteam=Brooklyn Dodgers
finaldate=June 14
finalyear=1959
finalteam=Los Angeles Dodgers
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=122-78
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=4.00
stat3label=Strikeout s
stat3value=981
teams=
*Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers (by|1948–by|1959)
highlights=
*World Series Championship: 1955
*National League Pennant: 1949, 1952-1953, 1955-1956
*National League All-Star: 1954Carl Daniel Erskine (born
December 13 1926 inAnderson, Indiana ) is a former right-handedstarting pitcher inMajor League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger teams which won fiveNational League pennants, peaking with a by|1953 season in which he won 20 games and set aWorld Series record with 14strikeout s. He pitched two of the NL's sevenno-hitter s during the 1950s.Career
Known as "Ersk", or more accurately "Oisk", owing to the Brooklynese diction of the borough, Erskine signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946, and after two minor league seasons he made the big team in July by|1948 as part of a powerful squad that included
Roy Campanella ,Carl Furillo ,Gil Hodges ,Pee Wee Reese ,Jackie Robinson andDuke Snider . Along with Snider and Reese, he lived in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bay Ridge, and was frequently to be found around the baseball diamonds on Shore Road, offering pointers and encouragement to youngsters.1948-1956
He broke into the majors a year before
Don Newcombe did, and from 1948-50 was used primarily as a reliever, going 21-10. In 1951, he mixed 19 starts with 27 relief appearances, and went 16-12. For the following five seasons, he was right at the heart of Brooklyn's rotation, especially with his work in 1952-53, which was particularly crucial for the NL pennant winners due to Newcombe serving in the army from 1952 until mid-1954. Erskine was 14-6 in 1952 with a career-best 2.70earned run average , then had his 20-win season in 1953, leading the league with a .769 winning percentage along with 187strikeout s and 16complete game s, all career highs. This was followed by 18-15 in 1954, posting career highs in starts (37) and innings (260-1/3), then by 11-8 in 1955 and 13-11 in 1956.Erskine, author of two no-hitter, no-run games (against the
Chicago Cubs onJune 19 , by|1952 and the New York Giants onMay 12 , by|1956), was a member of the beloved Dodgers team which won the1955 World Series for the franchise's first Series title. He appeared in eleven World Series games (1949-52-53-55-56), and made the NL All-Star team in by|1954. His 14 strikeouts as the winner of Game 3 of the 1953 Fall Classic – including striking out the side in the ninth inning – broke the Series record of 13 held byHoward Ehmke (1929, Game 1), and stood for 10 years untilSandy Koufax struck out 15New York Yankees in the first game of the1963 World Series ; but he was ineffective in Games 1 and 6, although he was not charged with the losses. From 1951 through 1956, Erskine won 92 games while losing only 58, which helped the Dodgers to four pennants during the "Boys of Summer" era.1957-1959
Then in 1957, like so many of his Dodgers teammates, Erskine began his final decline. He moved to Los Angeles with the team, but lasted only a season and a half. The long decline of his career had actually been set in motion during his rookie year when he injured his shoulder in his first major league start, yet not only finished the game but started twice more in extreme pain. So serious was the injury, in which he pulled a muscle away from his shoulder bone, that he was unable to throw between starts; by 1957, when he was only 31, he was on his way out. He played his final game on
July 14 , by|1959; the team went on to win the pennant that year as well. In a 12-season career, he posted a 122-78 (.610) record with 981 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA in 1718.2innings pitched .Retirement
Following his retirement as a player, Erskine returned to his native Indiana. His leadership capabilities which have made him a successful businessman were also apparent during his playing days, as he served as a team Player Representative for eight years. He coached at Anderson College for 12 seasons, including four championships. He has gone on to be a leader in the community, participating in numerous organizations and businesses. Erskine rose to the presidency of the First National Bank of Anderson, Indiana before easing back to the role of vice chairman of the board. He is devoted to his son Jimmy, who has
Down syndrome , and a granddaughter named Abbey,and lives at home and holds a job nearby at the Hopewell Center for people with developmental difficulties.To commemorate Erskine's accomplishments both as a Dodger and as a citizen, a 6-foot bronze statue was erected in front of the Carl D. Erskine Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Center. Also, Erskine donated part of his land to the Anderson Community School System to build a new school, which was named Erskine Elementary.
Erskine is also a very active member of the First Baptist Church of Anderson, IN.
In 2002, Erskine Street in Brooklyn was created and named after him. [ [http://brooklyn.com/modules.php?name=Street_Names] ]
Books
*cite book | author=Carl Erskine | title= | publisher=
Sports Publishing | year=2004 | id=ISBN 1-58261-282-X
*cite book | author=Carl Erskine | title=What I learned from Jackie Robinson | publisher=McGraw Hill | year=2005 | id=ISBN 0-07-145085-8Quotation
*"The line-up went like this....Catcher: Roy Campanella; first base: Gil Hodges; second base: Jackie Robinson; third base, Billy Cox; shortstop, Pee Wee Reese; outfield, Duke Snider, Carl Furillo, Andy Pafko, George Shuba; pitchers,
Clem Labine , Carl Erskine,Preacher Roe . In the 10 years from 1947 through 1956, the Dodgers won the pennant six times. Campanella, Robinson, Reese and Snider--half that starting line-up of position players--are in the Hall of Fame" [http://www.bayou.com/~brooklyn/26years.html] . - excerpt of the book "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Kahnee also
*
List of Major League Baseball no-hitters External links
* [http://www.carlerskine.com/ Carl Erskine Official Website]
*baseball-reference|id=e/erskica01
* [http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/E/Erskine_Carl.stm BaseballLibrary] - profile and career highlights
* [http://www.dembrooklynbums.com/2008/08/19/erskine-has-no-regrets/] - Interview with Erskine on August 19, 2008References
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