Saturday, January 7, 2023

#233 Carl Erskine - Brooklyn Dodgers


Carl Daniel Erskine
Brooklyn Dodgers
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  165
Born:  December 13, 1926, Anderson, IN
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1948-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1959

Nicknamed "Oisk," which mimicked how a fan with a Brooklyn accent would pronounce his last name, Carl Erskine pitched in parts of 12 seasons for the Dodgers and was a key component of Brooklyn's 1955 World Championship.  Erskine was on five pennant-winning Dodgers teams throughout his career, and his personal best season came in 1953 when he was 20-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 39 appearances, including 16 complete games, and a career-high 187 strikeouts.  In Game 3 of the 1953 World Series, Erskine struck out a then-record 14 batters, and finished off the feat by striking out the side in the ninth inning.  He was an All-Star in 1954, and was 11-8 the following season when the Dodgers finally overcame the Yankees for a Championship title.  Erskine pitched a pair of no-hitters during his career, in 1952 against the Cubs and in 1956 against the Giants.  He pitched in parts of the Dodgers' first two seasons in Los Angeles before appearing in his final big league game on June 14, 1959.

After his playing days, Erskine coached baseball at Anderson College in his Indiana home town for 12 seasons.  He was a prominent local businessman, active in his community and devoted to his son Jimmy, who had been born with Down syndrome.  Erskine helped support the Baseball Assistance Team and the Special Olympics for decades.

Building the Set
January 27, 2001 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #225
For Father's Day in 2021, we attended my youngest son's piano recital and then travelled to the Moorestown Mall (in nearby Moorestown, NJ) for a baseball card show.  I don't spend a lot of time in malls, but I thought this one looked vaguely familiar.  As it turns out, I was at the very same mall 20 years earlier with my Dad for his 57th birthday.  We paid $60 for four cards for our 1956 Topps set, with the biggest purchase being the Harmon Killebrew card (#164) that set us back $38.  Based on my checklist at the time, we got a good deal on this card as I had the Killebrew card listed as one of the more valuable cards we still needed at a range of $60 to $100.  The other three cards added were this Erskine card, Frank Malzone (#304) and Ellis Kinder (#336).  Erskine was also a steal at $8.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Erskine's #17 can be seen on the back of his jersey in the action photo on the front of the card.  He had been exclusive to Bowman in 1953, 1954 and 1955, and this marks his return to Topps for the first time since 1952.  The back of the card justifiably pays tribute to his 14 World Series strikeouts in 1953 and his no-hitter in 1952.  Topps reprinted the card in its 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.  There's also a likeness of the card in the 2022 Topps Spotlight 70 II by Andy Friedman set, which had been sold online by Topps.

1956 Season
Following the high of winning the 1955 World Series, Erskine and the Dodgers went back to work and won the National League pennant again in 1956.  Erskine was 13-11 with a 4.25 ERA in 31 games and 28 starts, slotting into the pitching rotation behind Don Newcombe (#235), Roger Craig (#63) and Sal Maglie.  His second career no-hitter came on May 12th at Ebbets Field against the rival Giants.  Erskine walked a pair and struck out three in the game.  In the World Series, Erskine started Game 4, taking the loss when he allowed three runs in his four innings of work.  He was on the mound in relief in the blowout Game 7, in which the Yankees won by a score of 9-0 after roughing up Craig and Newcombe.

1951 Bowman #260
1952 Topps #250
1955 Bowman #170
1957 Topps #252
1959 Topps #217

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #260
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1952, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Panini Diamond Kings #14

159 - Erskine non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/7/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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