Carl Erskine, Dodgers pitcher and last surviving member of ‘Boys of Summer,’ dies at 97
LOS ANGELES — Carl Erskine, who pitched two no-hitters as a mainstay on the Brooklyn Dodgers and was a 20-game winner in 1953 when he struck out a then-record 14 in the World Series, died Tuesday. He was 97.
Erksine died at Community Hospital Anderson in his hometown of Anderson, Indiana, according to Michele Hockwalt, the hospital’s marketing and communication manager.
Among the last survivors from the celebrated Brooklyn teams of the 1950s, Erskine spent his entire major league career with the Dodgers from 1948-59, helping them win five National League pennants.
The right-hander had a career record of 122-78 and an ERA of 4.00, with 981 strikeouts.
Erskine had his best season in 1953, when he went 20-6 to lead the National League. He won Game 3 of the World Series, beating the Yankees 3-2 at Ebbets Field. He struck out 14, retiring the side in the ninth, for a record that stood until Dodgers ace Sandy Koufax got 15 in 1963. The Dodgers went on to lose in six games as the Yankees won their fifth consecutive championship.
Erskine was an All-star in 1954, when he won 18 games.
He appeared in five World Series, with the Dodgers finally beating the Yankees in 1955 for their only championship in Brooklyn. He gave up a home run to Gil Mcdougald in the first inning of Game 4 and left after 3 2/3 innings. The Dodgers went on to win 8-5.
Erskine’s death leaves the 88-yearold Koufax as the lone surviving Dodgers player from the 1955 World Series team.
Erskine received the Buck O’neil lifetime achievement award in July 2023 by the Baseball Hall of Fame’s board of directors to honor an individual whose efforts enhance baseball’s positive impact on society.
“For millions of fans, he was a baseball hero,” Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement. “For his family and thousands of Special Olympians, Carl was someone who always believed everything was possible. His legacy is one of deep compassion and encouragement of the human spirit.”
The Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles in 1957. Erskine started the first home game in Los Angeles on April 18, 1958, when the Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in front of more than 78,000 fans.
However, Erskine didn’t enjoy being away from his family and he lasted just 1 1/2 years in Los Angeles. He pitched his final game in June 1959 and retired at 32.
Erskine returned to his hometown about 45 miles northeast of Indianapolis and opened an insurance business. He coached baseball at Anderson College for 12 years, and his 1965 team went 20-5 and won the NAIA World Series.
He also became active in the community and served as president and director at Star Financial Bank from 1982-93.
His youngest son, Jimmy, was born with Down syndrome, which led Erskine to champion the cause of people with developmental disabilities. He wrote a book called “The Parallel,” about the similarities Jimmy and Erskine’s teammate Robinson shared in breaking down social perceptions. He was long involved with Special Olympics in Indiana and the Carl and Betty Erskine Society raises money for the organization.
Erskine also authored the books “Tales from the Dodger Dugout” and “What I Learned From Jackie Robinson.” He is survived by Betty, his wife of 76 years, and sons Danny and Gary and daughter Susan.