Carl Erskine

Born: 12/13/1926 in Anderson, IN, USA

Died: 4/16/2024 in Anderson, IN, USA

MLB Debut: 1948-07-25 | Final Game: 1959-06-14

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 5'10" | Weight: 165 lbs

Full name: Carl Daniel Erskine

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Biography

Carl Erskine, born in 1926, was a prominent pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1948 until 1959. He spent his entire career with the Brooklyn Dodgers, a team known for its dynamic roster during the late 1940s and 1950s. Erskine was recognized for his effective pitching style, which combined a strong fastball with a devastating curve. Over his career, he amassed a record of 122-78 and recorded an earned run average (ERA) of 4.0. His ability to strike out batters was notable, as he finished with 981 strikeouts, complemented by 13 saves, demonstrating his versatility on the mound. Erskine's singular All-Star selection came during a period when the Dodgers were a dominant force in the National League, further solidifying his place in baseball history. He was part of the team that won the 1955 World Series, marking a historic moment as it was the franchise's first championship. Erskine's contributions are often remembered alongside the legendary players he shared the field with, and he remains a respected figure for his role in transitioning Major League Baseball into a new era of competition. His legacy continues to resonate with fans and historians alike, reflecting the rich history of the Brooklyn Dodgers and the evolution of pitching in the game.

Career Pitching Statistics

W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA	Pitcher PIV
122	78	335	216	71	14	13	1718.7	1637	763	199	646	981	4.00	0

Career ERA 4.00 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year	Team	Lg	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA	Lg ERA	Pitcher PIV
1948	BRO	NL	6	3	17	9	3	0	0	64.0	51	23	35	29	3.23	4.10 (+21%)	-757.8
1949	BRO	NL	8	1	22	3	2	0	0	79.7	68	41	51	49	4.63	4.12 (-12%)	-279.3
1950	BRO	NL	7	6	22	13	3	0	1	103.0	109	54	35	50	4.72	4.36 (-8%)	-516.4
1951	BRO	NL	16	12	46	19	7	0	4	189.7	206	94	78	95	4.46	4.04 (-10%)	-1379.6
1952	BRO	NL	14	6	33	26	10	4	2	206.7	167	62	71	131	2.70	3.70 (+27%)	2433.0
1953	BRO	NL	20	6	39	33	16	4	3	246.7	213	97	95	187	3.54	4.14 (+14%)	4961.1
1954	BRO	NL	18	15	38	37	12	2	1	260.3	239	120	92	166	4.15	3.90 (-6%)	826.6
1955	BRO	NL	11	8	31	29	7	2	1	194.7	185	82	64	84	3.79	4.00 (+5%)	-2178.4
1956	BRO	NL	13	11	31	28	8	1	0	186.3	189	88	57	95	4.25	3.96 (-7%)	-306.1
1957	BRO	NL	5	3	15	7	1	0	0	66.0	62	26	20	26	3.55	3.83 (+7%)	-536.4
1958	LAD	NL	4	4	31	9	2	1	0	98.3	115	56	35	54	5.13	3.86 (-33%)	-
1959	LAD	NL	0	3	10	3	0	0	1	23.3	33	20	13	15	7.71	3.90 (-98%)	-

Career Batting Statistics

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS	PIV
360	588	51	92	11	0	1	31	0	12	120	0.156	0.175	0.180	0.355	-3688.0

Career AVG .156 vs. league average .260 across their career seasons — 39.8% below league average.

Career OBP .175 vs. league average .333 across their career seasons — 47.4% below league average.

Career SLG .180 vs. league average .390 across their career seasons — 53.7% below league average.

Career OPS 0.355 vs. league average 0.723 across their career seasons — 50.8% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year	Team	Lg	G	AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	Lg AVG	Lg OBP	Lg SLG	Lg OPS	PIV
1948	BRO	NL	17	21	1	2	0	0	0	0	2	0.095	—	—	—	—	0.0
1949	BRO	NL	22	26	1	3	0	0	1	0	5	0.115	—	—	—	—	0.0
1950	BRO	NL	22	37	4	9	1	0	0	1	10	0.243	—	—	—	—	0.0
1951	BRO	NL	46	61	6	8	1	0	4	2	9	0.131	.260 (-50%)	.336 (-53%)	.385 (-62%)	.721 (-58%)	-617.1
1952	BRO	NL	34	66	7	10	1	0	2	3	19	0.152	.252 (-40%)	.326 (-39%)	.369 (-55%)	.696 (-47%)	-514.7
1953	BRO	NL	43	93	12	20	2	0	8	1	17	0.215	.264 (-19%)	.335 (-33%)	.397 (-40%)	.733 (-37%)	-614.1
1954	BRO	NL	39	88	4	14	2	0	4	4	23	0.159	.261 (-39%)	.333 (-42%)	.390 (-53%)	.723 (-48%)	-739.8
1955	BRO	NL	42	74	12	15	3	1	11	0	12	0.203	.258 (-22%)	.332 (-41%)	.393 (-28%)	.726 (-34%)	-474.1
1956	BRO	NL	32	66	1	8	1	0	0	0	8	0.121	.258 (-53%)	.331 (-63%)	.397 (-66%)	.728 (-65%)	-728.2
1957	BRO	NL	21	22	2	2	0	0	1	0	3	0.091	—	—	—	—	0.0
1958	LAD	NL	32	27	1	1	0	0	0	1	8	0.037	—	—	—	—	0.0
1959	LAD	NL	10	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.000	—	—	—	—	0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	AVG
11	12	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0.083

Playoff Batting by Year

Year	Round	Team	G	AB	R	H	SO	AVG
1956	WS	BRO	2	1	0	0	1	0.000
1955	WS	BRO	1	1	0	0	0	0.000
1953	WS	BRO	3	4	0	1	1	0.250
1952	WS	BRO	3	6	1	0	1	0.000
1949	WS	BRO	2	0	0	0	0	.000

Playoff Career Pitching

W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
2	2	11	7	0	41.7	36	27	24	31	5.83

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year	Round	Team	W	L	G	GS	IP	H	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1956	WS	BRO	0	1	2	1	5.0	4	3	2	2	5.40
1955	WS	BRO	0	0	1	1	3.0	3	3	2	3	9.00
1953	WS	BRO	1	0	3	3	14.0	14	9	9	16	5.79
1952	WS	BRO	1	1	3	2	18.0	12	9	10	10	4.50
1949	WS	BRO	0	0	2	0	1.7	3	3	1	0	16.20

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
P	335	113	105	262	20	20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year	Team	Pos	G	GS	PO	A	E	DP
1948	BRO	P	17	0	2	6	1	2
1949	BRO	P	22	0	3	13	1	2
1950	BRO	P	22	0	10	12	2	2
1951	BRO	P	46	0	13	32	2	1
1952	BRO	P	33	0	16	45	3	4
1953	BRO	P	39	0	15	30	4	0
1954	BRO	P	38	37	14	41	2	2
1955	BRO	P	31	29	6	26	3	1
1956	BRO	P	31	28	9	34	1	2
1957	BRO	P	15	7	6	5	0	0
1958	LAN	P	31	9	10	15	1	4
1959	LAN	P	10	3	1	3	0	0