Carl Daniel Erskine (born December 13, 1926 in Anderson, Indiana) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He batted and threw right handed. December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1926 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Anderson is a city located in Madison County, Indiana. ... In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher, often abbreviated as starter, is the pitcher who pitches the first pitch to the first batter of a game. ... MLB logo Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in the world. ... Brooklyn Dodgers redirects here. ... 1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In a 12-season career, Erskine posted a 122-78 record with 981 strikeouts and a 4.00 ERA in 1718.2 innings pitched. In baseball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by K, K-S, or SO) occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. ... In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. ... In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. ...

Known as "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 on July 25, 1948. Erskine was part of a powerful squad that include Roy Campanella, Carl Furillo, Gil Hodges, Andy Pafko, Pee Wee Reese, Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. A map highlighting Brooklyn and the rest of New York City. ... Diction is the art of enunciating with clarity, of speaking in such a way that each word is clearly heard. ... A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor baseball leagues are North American professional baseball leagues that compete at a level below that of Major League Baseball. ... Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 - June 26, 1993) was an American catcher in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball. ... Carl Anthony Furillo (March 8, 1922 - January 21, 1989) was an American Major League Baseball right fielder and right-handed batter who played his entire career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers. ... Gil Hodges (April 4, 1924 - April 2, 1972) was an American baseball player in Major League Baseball. ... Andy Pafko was a popular major league baseball outfielder from the early 1940s through the late 1950s. ... Harold Henry Pee Wee Reese (July 23, 1918 - August 15, 1999) was an American professional baseball player who played for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1940 to 1958. ... Brooklyn Dodger infielder Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947. ... Edwin Donald Duke Snider (born September 19, 1926 in Los Angeles, California), nicknamed The Silver Fox, is a former Major League baseball center fielder and left-handed batter who played with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers (1947-62), New York Mets (1963) and San Francisco Giants (1964). ...

Erskine, author of two no hit, no run games –Chicago Cubs in 1952, New York Giants in 1956–, led the National League with 20 victories in 1953, was a member of the 1955 World Series champion Dodgers, appeared in eleven World Series games, and made the NL All-Star team in 1954. His 14 strikeouts as the winner of Game Three of the 1953 WS set a Series record that stood for 14 years. In baseball and softball, a no-hit game (more commonly known as a no-hitter) refers to a contest in which one of the teams has prevented the other from getting an official hit during the entire length of the game, which must be at least 9 innings by the... The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... 1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California. ... 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article refers to the American baseball league. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The 1955 World Series matched the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees, with the Dodgers winning the Series in 7 games to capture the first championship in franchise history. ... The Major League Baseball All-Star Game is an annual exhibition baseball game between the best players from the National League and the American League. ... See also: 1953 in sports, 1955 in sports and the list of years in sports. Auto Racing NASCAR Championship - Lee Petty AAA Racing: Bill Vukovich won the Indianapolis 500 Jimmy Bryan won the season championship Formula One Championship - Argentina 24 hours of Le Mans: the team of Froilán Gonz...

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. The Boys of Summer is a book by Roger Kahn, recounting the history of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team up to their victory in the 1955 World Series, and tracking the lives of the players over the subsequent years as they aged. ...

Erskine broke in the majors a year before Don Newcombe did, and from 1948-50 was used primarily as a reliever, going 21-10. In 1951, he started and relieved, and went 16-12. For the following five seasons, he was right at the heart of Brooklyn's rotation, specially for his work in 1952-53, particularly crucial for the NL pennant winners Dodgers with Newcombe serving in the army from 1952 until mid-1954. Erskine was 14-6 in 1952, then had his 20 win season in 1953, with 187 strikeouts and 16 complete games, all career highs. This was followed by 18-15 in 1954, posting career highs in starts (37) and innings (260.1), 11-8 in 1955, and 13-11 in 1956. Donald Newcombe (born June 14, 1926 in Madison, New Jersey), nicknamed Newk, is an American former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher and left-handed batter who played for the Dodgers teams (Brooklyn, 1949-51, and Los Angeles, 1954-58), Cincinnati Reds (1958-60) and Cleveland Indians (1960). ... A relief pitcher warms up in the bullpen as the game goes on A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness or fatigue. ... In baseball, a complete game (denoted by CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game himself, without the benefit of a relief pitcher. ...

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. Nevertheless, his decline actually started during his rookie year when he injured his shoulder. So serious was the injury that he was unable to throw between starts, and by 1957, when he was only 31 of age, Erskine was on his way out. He played his final game on July 14, 1959. The City of Los Angeles (from Spanish Los Ángeles , meaning the angels), also known as L.A., is the second-largest city in the United States in terms of population, as well as one of the worlds most important economic, cultural, and entertainment centers. ... The Rookie: Norman Rockwells cover for The Saturday Evening Post Rookie is a term for a person who is in their first year of play of their sport and has little or no experience. ...

Following his retirement as a player, Erskine returned back to his native Indiana. His strong leadership capabilities that have made him a successful businessman were also apparent during his playing days as he served a Dodgers Player Representative for eight years. He also coached 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. Erskine is devoted to his son, Jimmy, who suffered from Down syndrome, lives at home and holds a job nearby at the Hopewell Center for people with developmental difficulties. In the baseball game, the coach is a member of the team at bat stationed near first or third base to signal and direct the runners and batters. ...

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 Anderson Community School System to build a new school the school was named Erskine Elementry.

Quotation

• 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 [1]. - excerpt of the book Boys of Summer, by Roger Kahn

Trivia

Erskine also was spared embarassment in a relief appearance in a 1951 playoff game against Dodgers rivals NY Giants. Erskine and Ralph Branca were both warming up in the bullpen when the Brooklyn pitching coach decided that Branca should enter the game. Branca did, and gave up a home run to Bobby Thomson, which is also known as "The Shot Heard around the World". Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca (born January 6, 1926 in Mount Vernon, New York) was a Major League Baseball player for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and New York Yankees from 1944 to 1956. ... While the game goes on, a relief pitcher warms up in the bullpen, beyond the outfield fence In baseball, the bullpen is the area where pitchers warm-up before entering a game. ... For other uses of the phrase see Home run (disambiguation) In baseball, a home run is a base hit in which the batter is able to circle all the bases, ending at home plate and scoring a run himself (along with a run for each runner who was already on... Robert Brown Bobby Thomson (born October 25, 1923 in Glasgow, Scotland), nicknamed The Staten Island Scot, is a Scottish-American former Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the New York Giants (1946-53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves (1954-57), Chicago Cubs (1958-59), Boston Red Sox...

External links

• Baseball Library player profile and chronology
• Baseball Reference - career statistics and analysis