Oisk

I thought it would be nice to profile one of the 13 members of the Brooklyn Dodgers still living. Carl Erskine. I was actually a little surprised that there were 13 who were still alive. I mean we all know Sandy and Carl were, but the others, well it was just nice to see that many are still with us. Besides Sandy and Carl, Bob Aspromonte, Eddie Basinski, Tim Thompson, Chris Haughey, Don Demeter, Bobby Morgan, Tommy Brown, Joe Pignatano, Roger Craig, Fred Kipp and Jim Gentile still survive. The oldest is Eddie Basinski who was born April 11th, 1922. 99 years young.

Of those 13, Erskine and Koufax had the longest tenures with the Dodgers. Sandy 12 years and Erskine 12. Erskine was born in Anderson, Indiana on December 13, 1926. His full name is Carl Daniel Erskine. His family is originally from Scotland. Originally they settled in Virginia, but towards the end of the nineteenth century, they moved to Boone, Indiana. Eventually, they settled in Anderson, which at the time was known as the glass-blowing capital of the world. That changed when spark plug giant Delco-Remy settled in the area. Carl was the third son of Mr. and Mrs. Matt Erskine.

Erskine would become known for his curveball during his playing days. It was taught to him by his dad. The difference was Carl’s was overhand style, and his dad threw sidearm which made the ball come in somewhat flat. Feeling he needed to improve his son’s pitch, he purchased a book about pitching. While holding the book in his left hand, and a ball in his right, the elder Erskine accidentally let loose of the ball and it crashed into a kitchen cabinet smashing several dishes. Matt later admitted that it was the best break he ever had on a curve.

Carl would wander out to local diamonds to play. He would play sandlot, park league, and American Legion ball. The high school coach, Charles Cummings asked him to play on the team. At first all he did was throw batting practice to the varsity, but his talent was obvious and by midterm he was on the team and stayed there for the entire 4 years in high school.

In 1945 he graduated from high school and was drafted into the Navy. After basic, he was stationed at the Boston Navy Yard. He approached the rec officer and asked to join the team explaining he had pitched sandlot and high school ball. The officer asked how much he weighed and Carl replied 165 pounds. The rec officer said they had enough pitchers. So Erskine played for a semi-pro team on Sundays.

Later, in 1948 at a game at Ebbets Field, a fan started yelling at Erskine. There was a rule against socializing with fans, but this guy was persistent, so Erskine walked over. The man stuck out his hand and said ” shake hands with the dumbest SOB in the world. I am the rec officer who would not let you play for the Navy. With guys like me in charge, I am surprised we won that damn war! ”

While stationed in Boston, the Braves were hot on his trail and wanted to sign him. But Erskine stalled them saying he was underage. The Braves said no problem since the All-Star game was in Boston that year, his parents would come and he could sign with them present. Being a loyal Dodger fan, he sensed a problem and contacted Stan Freezle. Freezle was a Brooklyn scout who had been in contact with him. No problem, his parents would come to Boston not as the guests of the Braves, but of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Before the game, Mr. and Mrs. Erskine are sitting in the big parlor of the Hotel Kenmore and who walks over puffing a big cigar, Branch Rickey. He told Erskine that he heard the Braves were interested in signing him, and Boston would never sign a player Brooklyn was interested in. He asked how much the Braves had offered and how much it would cost to get him to sign with the Dodgers. Erskine told him Boston had offered 2500. And said would 3000 be ok? Rickey replied, we are not going to give you 3000, we are going to give you 3500. How does that sound?

But after he was discharged, the commissioner declared him a free agent saying the Dodgers had violated the ban on signing players while still on active duty. Rickey wanted to get his 3500 back, and a bidding war began. Phillies offered 11,000, the Red Sox 10,000. But Erskine telephoned Freezle and told him he would sign for 5,000.

This next part is one of the coolest baseball stories I have ever heard. 10 years later, on May 12, 1956, after pitching his second no-hitter, he was interviewed after the game by Dizzy Dean. Dean asked, who signed you? Carl said, Branch Rickey. Dean retorted ” cheapest man who ever lived, I played for him in St. Louis, paid peanuts, about 2 bags a week. “

Erskine then told Ol Diz that he actually got 2 bonus’s from Rickey. This caused Dean to turn towards the camera and say ” Folks, this young man belongs in the Hall of Fame, not because he pitched two no-hitters, but because he got two bonus’s out of Branch Rickey! “. Erskine later learned that Rickey had been prepared to go as high as 30,000$.

Erskine reached the majors in 1948, a year after Jackie Robinson debuted. That made him one of the first white players to have colored teammates. But some incidents in his youth made him uniquely qualified to deal with the situation. In 1930, there was a lynching in a town called Marion, about 30 miles north of Anderson. Erskine’s dad took him up to see where it had happened. Two blacks had been taken out of jail and lynched in the jail yard. He could see the branch where it happened, and there had been a scramble and people had taken souvenirs’. There was still a piece of rope on the tree, and Erskine later remarked, I saw a lynching rope before I was 10.

While playing on a team in Cuba in 1946, he played on a team with Chuck Connors, Solly Hemus, and Danny Gardella. They were managed by Negro League legend, Martin Dihigo. He would strike up a friendship with a pitcher named Max Manning, who would never play in the majors, not because of his skill, but because he was black. That season was the start of a long friendship. They would trade pitching tips. And later when he was inducted into the Glassboro College Hall of Fame, Erskine sent a glowing letter of recommendation. The experience helped him a lot when he joined Brooklyn and their growing group of black players.

He started out in the minors in 1946 pitching for Danville in the Three I League. He would marry his wife in 1947. They would have 4 children. He was at Ft Worth in AA ball, he was called up and got his first action in relief against the Pirates. He was used mostly in relief. He also spent time in 49 and 50 at Montreal’s AAA team. He got his first victory in relief against the Pirates.

Erskine made his first start on August 5, 1948. After his first pitch, he felt a sharp pain behind his shoulder. He did not know it at the time but he had pulled a muscle. It was an injury that would haunt him for the rest of his career. The Dodgers riding 3 HR’s by Gene Hermanski to offset 6 Dodger errors to come back and beat the Cubs 6-4 giving Erskine his 3rd victory. He told Burt Shotton about the injury, but Shotton either did not believe him or did not care. He finished the season 6-3 with a very damaged shoulder.

Back in those days, a player was judged on performance, and with 22 minor league teams, no one was guaranteed a slot. Erskine struggled and was sent back to Montreal. He saw a doctor there who checked his throwing motion and suggested some exercises to build up the shoulder. Erskine would pitch with some measure of pain his entire career.

He joined the Dodgers for good in 1951 and went 16-12. He was in the bullpen warming up when the call came from Dressen to send in a pitcher in the 9th at the Polo Grounds to face the Giants with 2 on and the Dodgers leading. Bullpen coach Clyde Sukeforth said Branca and Erskine were both ready, but Erskine had just bounced a curve in the dirt. Dressen went with Branca and we all know what happened. Erskine was later asked, what was the best pitch he ever threw, and he replied, the curveball I threw in the dirt at the Polo Grounds.

1952, Erskine threw over 200 innings for the first time in his career and finished with a 14-6 record and a 2.70 ERA, which would be the lowest in his career. On June 19th, an overcast day in Brooklyn, Carl faced the Chicago Cubs. In the 5th inning, with rain imminent, he walked the Cubs pitcher Willard Ramsdell and the sky’s opened up. The players retreated to the clubhouse and played cards as was their custom, the game of choice was bridge. About 40 minutes later, just as Erskine had a 4 heart hand, they said the game was back on. Erskine put on a dry uniform, went back on the field, and completed a no-hitter. Had he not walked the pitcher, he would have had a perfect game.

Dodgers won the pennant in 52 and went to the series against the Yankees. Erskine got into 3 games, starting 2 and going 1-1 in the series loss to the team from the Bronx. October 5th, which was the anniversary of his wedding, he was facing the Yankees and leading 4-0 in the 5th, and the next thing he knew he was behind 5-4. Dressen came out and Erskine was thinking 5 must be my unlucky number, 5th wedding anniversary, 5th inning, 5 runs allowed. And in those days, when Dressen came out, you did not say anything, you just handed him the ball and left.

As Dressen gets to the mound he says ” Isn’t today your anniversary?“ Are you taking Betty somewhere nice?” Erskine replied in the positive. Dressen hands him the ball back and says, well, see if you can get these guys out before it gets dark”. Erskine retired the next 19 hitters and won in extra innings and Erskine took his wife out to celebrate his anniversary and his first series win. “

In 1953, Erskine would have his only 20 win season, going 20-6 with a 3.54 ERA. He was 6th in the MVP voting. Remember, there was no Cy Young award yet. Brooklyn again won the pennant and faced the Yanks once again. Carl got into 3 games but went 1-0 as the Yanks continued to own the Dodgers. That 1953 team was one of the best Dodger teams ever fielded. And their 105 wins stood as a team record until Roberts 2019 team bested it by one. They hit a combined .285, with 208 HR’s, again beaten by the 19 team, Snider hit 42, Campy 41, and Hodges 31. Erskine struck out 14 Yankees in his start in the 3rd game. A record that stood until some guy named Koufax topped in in 1963.

In 1954, Erskine won 18 games, losing 15. His ERA was over 4 and he allowed 31 HRs. Brooklyn was second to the hated Giants. Newcombe had returned from the Army. With a new manager, Dressen was not retained after demanding a multi-year deal and not getting it. Walter Alston was the new skipper. With no series to play, Erskine went home to Indiana to enjoy the off-season with his family. His shoulder was still a problem though, and over the next couple of years, it would increasingly affect his performance.

1955. Next year finally arrives in Brooklyn. Erskine though drops to an 11-8 record. He has some flashes but is clearly not the same guy. He started one game in the series and lost. But as we all know, Podres wins the 7th game, and there is bedlam in Brooklyn.

1956. Erskine would have his last decent season as a Dodger. He went 13-11. He pitched 186 innings, the last season he would be over 100. On May 12th, facing the Giants, Erskine, whose shoulder was hurting every day, and stung by criticism of one of the Giants chief scouts, Tom Sheehan, who said “the Dodgers are over the hill, Campy and Jackie are too old and Erskine can’t beat anyone with that garbage he throws”.

Carl went out and they were ahead 1-0 in the 6th when the over-the-hill gang scored two. They traded zeroes until the 9th and then Alvin Dark hit a weak grounder back to Erskine and he had no-hitter #2. Robinson grabbed the paper and went over to Sheehan who was sitting in the Giant dugout, pulled out the clipping waving it in Sheehan’s face yelling, “How do you like that garbage?”

The Dodgers won the pennant again. And played a 7 game series with the Yanks, eventually falling in 7. They won the first two, lost the next 3. They won game 6 1-0 behind Labine, and then were shut out in game 7, 9-0. Erskine would lose his only decision. It was the last time he would pitch in a series. He finished with a 2-2 record and an ERA of 5.83. Considering the Yankee teams he was facing, and all of his appearances were against the Yanks, that was about the norm.

In 1957, the Dodgers last season in Brooklyn, he went 5-3 and only appeared in 15 games. His shoulder was really bothering him worse than it ever had. The Dodgers moved to LA in 1948 and Erskine again in limited activity went 4-4 appearing in 31 games. He came back in 1959, giving it one more try. He went 0-3 in 10 games and retired. His final record was 122-78 with 14 shutouts, 71 complete games, and 2 no-hitters.

He went home to concentrate on his family and business. And taking care of his 4th child, Jimmy, who was born with Down Syndrome. It is perhaps the greatest example of the man’s compassion. Most people thought the child should be in an institution, but Erskine and his wife Betty wanted to raise him themselves. And it is because of this that Erskine became very involved in the Special Olympics. He has always said that without his son his life would have been a lot emptier.

After his retirement, Erskine went on to become very successful in business. He got his life insurance license, he also served on the Indiana Bankers Association as Chairman in 1991 and 92 and also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Board for the STAR Financial Bank of Indianapolis….in Marks neighborhood. On top of that, he served as a coach and Anderson College for twelve seasons winning 4 conference championships.

Carl will be 95 years young in December. He is still living in Anderson. I often wonder, as I also do about Sandy Koufax, how good he would have been had his shoulder been healthy all those years. The two best curveballs in Dodger history between these two. And guys like Hershiser, Drysdale, Sutton, and Podres, never threw one no-hitter, let alone two.