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,
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.
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (141)
Disagree, not disagreeable
In other news from Chavez Ravine, Trea Turner will be flying into Los Angeles on Friday, according to Juan Toribio of MLB.com. Friday will be the 10th day after Turner’s positive COVID-19 test, meaning his minimum quarantine period will have elapsed. But at this point, it’s unclear if he will be immediately activated by the club.
Great story, Bear. Carl is a real Gem. I was at Dodgertown in Vero Beach when he played the National Anthem for the last time the Dodgers played there. He also used to be my banker when he lived in Anderson. He is one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever known. He never liked to talk about him… it was always about you. If he saw you on the street, he always greeted you with a smile. The first new vehicle I ever purchased I had Gary Erskine, his oldest son, as the loan officer. I also have an autographed copy of his book. Great Man who is winding it down.
It’s best to talk about this rather than the bums who played last night! The strategy of working the count doesn’t work when you have a pitcher throwing strikes. That way, when they hit, they all hit, and when they don’t all hit, no one hits. See the ball, hit the ball. Sometimes the first pitch is the best one you will get. Hit it!
Carl Erskine. I remember him being on the team as a relief pitcher in ‘59. I thought he was an old guy then. He was 32. He was pretty much done by 30.
We sure showed those cheaters who’s boss, ey? 5-5 in our last 10. 15-13 since July 1st. We seem to have trouble against good pitching. Wonder why.
Maybe Scherzer can shut them out for 6 and we win 3-2.
Agree about jumping on the first strike. The numbers given on McCullers clearly showed that. ,400 OPS after first pitch strike. Maybe the Dodgers didn’t know that. Whatever. Another stinker to put in the rear view.
I was really impressed how Walker pitched without being on his game. He was very wild, not hitting spots at all but he just kept grinding it out. It’s unfortunate that the game ended up that way.
Max Muncy was beyond frustrating. So many pitches that ended up right in the middle of the zone. Dude needs to be a lot more aggressive with strikes.
The fans really showed up to let the Astros know how they felt about them. Didn’t seem to matter much, I guess they’re used to it.
Doc says in his post game interview that V-Gone is healthy.
Sometimes you just have to tip your cap the other team. You can’t ’em all.
A poor showing against the team you’re most likely going to play in the World Series.
Muncy has not been the same since the Colorado series. Strikeout after strikeout in key situations. Probably not getting much sleep nowadays. Just put the ball in play sometimes does the job. We can’t b counted on to do that. Houston tried to let us with a big error but we were helpless. In my mind I just keep thinking we gave up our number 1/2 prospects for this team. Against good teams we are helpless.
Turner used to never strike out and with 2 strikes he would make u pay. Father Time gets to us all. In a key situation Muncy, turner, smith, Taylor, bellinger can’t b relied on to even make contact. In Arizona Muncy strikeout against Aguilar who was sent down. The moment just seems too big for most. Seager has at least made contact.
Buehler has been fantastic but in the biggest game to date he couldn’t get the 8 hitter out. He just wasn’t sharp but he battled. Every time you think now we are going to step to the challenge we disappoint. The Giants, pads, ASStros. This team HAS to be better right? I have always heard it is darkest before the dawn. Well it is looking rather dark at the moment.
Cameron Gibbens made his Tulsa debut last night and pitched 2 scoreless, hitless, walkless innings and struck out 4 batters.
This year with 3 Dodger minor league teams he has a 0.89 WHIP and a 17.1 K/9 rate.
I am high on this relief pitcher. He is one of my favorite Dodger prospects.
As for last night’s Dodger game: Frustrated.
Wow, what an article…thanks again Bear. I absolutely love reading these stories. Being born in 1952, it seems I relate very well to these men. I’m hoping to read an article about all of the former Brooklyn Dodgers still alive today.
The lynching was certainly the low point, but that was somewhat offset by the raising of a Down Syndrome child with so much love was a great conclusion. Like you said, back then, that was probably unheard of.
Thanks again, Bear.
As for the game, as most of you probably know, I live in the east and I usually start heading to bed between 10-11, which is 7-8 west coast time. So, I find out about the final score at 7:00 am and I watch the game highlights at that time. So, what can I say?
I was nervous going into the game because it seems like we lay an egg in big games this year, especially against good teams. They had their ace pitching as did us, but as I looked at their lineup of hitters, I think they have 6 with 60 or more RBIs….we have I think 3. I became even more concerned as I said my nighttime prayers and said goodnight to the world.
Needless to say, I was not surprised we lost and was actually relieved we didn’t lose 1-0 instead. I really HATE losing 1-0 games. 3-0, not so much. I wonder if there is a direct correlation between Max’s hitting juxtaposed with a screaming infant at night wanting the bottle? Also, I’m not angry at Cody for striking out in the 8th with two on because no one else was able to get a clutch hit. Trea Turner can’t get here fast enough.
I do think we come back to win tonight….often times we do bounce back after getting punched in the face hard, like we did last night. Go Scherzer….I hope you get a few more runs than Buehler got.
0 for 8 WRISP. 13 Ks. A few of those Ks were on pitches outside the zone called strike 3. That’s the thing about hitting with 2 strikes in this league. These umps, for whatever reason, are willing to call you out on pitches that are not strikes and therefore much harder to barrel up. That is why you just cannot afford to look at fastballs down the middle. Opposing pitchers know that about the Dodgers. With the exception of Seager, this team takes strike 1. The strategy is to “work the count”. With strike one down the pipe you just worked the count in his favor. Here’s a thought, hit that cookie into the bleachers and the chances are pretty damm good he won’t make that mistake again. Now you are working ahead in the count. McCullers went 6.2 and struck out 9. He threw 110 pitches, only 67 were strikes. He got strike one then worked the edges. Simply put, with our ace on the mound we got out pitched. Will they learn from this game? I doubt it.
Good job Bear. Carl was my absolute favorite Brooklyn Dodger pitcher. I can still remember the WS game against theYankees in which he struck out 14. That was in 1952 my first year as a Dodger fan. He struck out Joe Collins four times and also another Yankee four times. Any guesses who that was without looking it up.
Thanks for the walk down memory lane Bear. And thank you Carl Erskine for the memories,
Good column on Erskine. Always like reading about the Boys of Summer. Those were the days, a simpler time. Love the Dizzy Dean peanut line.
Okay about last night. I guess you can spin this any way you wish, but the Dodgers just aren’t a consistent offensive bunch. Maybe it has to do with all the injuries, players like Betts and Seager getting back in the swing of things. But it’s getting old. Another blown opportunity to gain ground.
Time to kick it in gear. If not now, when? I’m sure there is a sense of urgency or maybe it’s a sense of tomorrow will be better (we still have plenty of time) but the team needs to play like there is no tomorrow, need to win the game each day. Too many mistakes, mental and physical, breakdowns in pitching. Not taking advantage of opportunities, particularly with runners in scoring position with no outs or one out.
Although this team is hanging in, wading through all the injuries, the depth hasn’t been there, not like last year. Some of the players they bring up to fill in pretty much produce nothing but strikeouts. That should catch Friedman’s attention when it comes to putting together 2022 roster.
Although the story is still being written and the Dodgers could catch fire any day now, there are days I think this team is simply floating past, not able to overcome their own shortcomings. Maybe Turner will ignite the offense and Scherzer will stabilize the rotation and Knebel will make a difference in the pen.
Or the Dodgers will be playing wild card games, hoping they get the lucky bounce.
For the amount of payroll invested in this roster, the Dodgers aren’t exactly getting their money’s worth. I realize money doesn’t buy results, but this team seems like they’re underperforming. When all is said and done, will that be the final chapter?
Thanks for the kudos guys. One of the things that makes writing here a joy. Report on MLBTR this morning says the Dodgers are close to signing Cole Hamels. A couple thought’s on last nights game. For all of the booing that was going on, the Astros seemed to not let it bother them at all. And only three of the players who started were on the 17 team. Correa, Altuve and McCullers. I am glad the fans gave them hell, but the throwing of trash cans and balls on the field continually interrupted Buehler’s rhythm. But he still pitched well enough to win. Now, Doc can say Gonzalez is healthy all he wants. But, he clearly is not the same pitcher he was last season. And he gives up too many walks. The walk before Alvarez’s homer, was a nail in the coffin. One run, they had a shot against the pen. two, well, you have to string hits together and they had not done that all night. How about Mookie at 2nd base? Two nights, two amazing defensive plays. Only plus from last night is that the Giants lost to the D-Backs and Madison Bumgarner.
Btw the lefty Gilbert for Arizona pitched a clean inning with 2 ks vs Giants last night. He was in our system. Arizona now has former Dodgers Gilbert and DeGues ? In their pen. Gilbert worked the 8th.
The first rule of hitting is to get a good pitch to hit. That is taught first in Little League. As one progresses through each level, the best hitters will be the ones that punish mistakes. And what is a mistake? Simply put, it’s the pitch down the middle that gets punished. Sound too simple? Well, it is.
Throughout history we hear stories of dead red hitters. Dick Allen is the first one that comes to mind but there were many others. Specific pitch in a specific location. For me it was fastball thigh high middle in. I looked for that and if I got it I could hit about .400 against it. I know this, I never let it go by. It doesn’t matter when you see it, if it’s a down the pipe fastball you barrel it up. It will be the best pitch you’re going to see in that at bat, why in the world would you take it? And here’s something else I know for a fact, you put that pitch in play at 100+ velo the pitcher won’t do that again.
What are these guys being told? They played right into McCullers hand. He owned them and he knew it.
Just wait till everyone gets healthy and we have our full lineup then we’ll ………..
Wonder how y’all feel about the possible Hamels signing. Word is he will need about a month to get ready.
Love it, especially with the possibility Gonsolin and Kersh are done for the year.
All these signings lead to the formation of a super team that could be headed for a winner take all game. Fortunately we have big game buheler, and SD does not have that. They likely start Yu, but he is erratic at best. Our bats will be different by then too with Trea in the fold and Corey heating up.
Dodgers to sign Cole hamells!!! Is Clayton healthy???
I don’t have a strong opinion about the possibility of bringing in Cole Hamels. I haven’t seen him pitch in quite some time. When I did see him pitch last he didn’t seem to have a lot to offer with a fastball that struggled to touch 90. He’s always been a control / command guy, so I guess there’s some hope. It looks more like an insurance move to me. But, that change up was one of the best I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know what to think about V-Gone either. After rewatching the 8th inning, it looked like they intentionally pitched around Correa and then he throws a freaking changeup to a lefty and left it in a very hittable spot. It was the only bad pitch he threw in the zone the entire inning and everyone else managed only weak contact. Will Smith setup low and away, so he obviously missed his spot as it ended up right in most lefty’s wheel house. Right at the bottom of the zone, just in from the center at a batting practice 84 MPH.
The thing that really pissed me off was bringing in Treinen in the 7th to pitch to 8,9,1 in the lineup. But, you know the Dodgers gotta try to exploit platoon splits. Curiously, Treinen gives up one hit in his inning, to a righty and V-Gone gives up one hit in his inning, to a lefty. Se la vie in the land of Dodgers baseball.
It’s all poppycock anyways. I have never seen a team win a game by putting up a zero. And I have yet to hear of a team that has gone an entire season without getting shut out. Sometimes the other team wins.
This teams talent is overwhelming on paper but not on the field! Where’s the fire?
It is official, Dodgers have a deal in place to sign Cole Hamels. He will go to Camelback Ranch to build up arm strength.
The way Doc and the Dodgers handle the disclosure of injuries I suspect we will soon find out CK needs TJ. Have we seen his last pitched game as a Dodger? Does he retire or sign somewhere else in the off season?
I sure am glad Mookie played second and protected his hip LOL. That said, he made a web gem play at second, sprinting, spinning, falling down, tumbling, twisting to throw back to first.
I was never much of a Muncy fan but he proved me wrong. Much of his high OPS is due to the number of walks he gets and that has worked well for him. But he has to put the ball in play on the first pitch against a pitcher like Kershaw or McCuller.
I think Bellinger has tremendous bat to ball ability but is not using it. I really dislike how close to the plate he stands and stands has a double meaning for him. Great posture at the plate but unless he wants to be a model, maybe he could benefit from less posture. He is also a good bunter.
Joc’s line against lefties this year: .295 .360 .397 .758
Kershaw
Scherzer
Price
Hamels
Jansen
Betts
Turner J
Pujols
8 potential HOFs on one team
And a future HOF manager at the helm
Not bad for a WC team
Can we please get Kelly in the game tonight against Correa !!
He may get a 146 day suspension for an inside pitch but I just want to see that AB and hopefully a fastball to the ear.