CARL ERSKINE

"Oisk" broke in the year before Newk, and from '48-50 was used primarily as a reliever, doing pretty well, going 21-10. In '51 he started and relieved, going 16-12. For the next five years he was right at the heart of Brooklyn's rotation. His work in '52 and '53 was particularly crucial for the pennant-bound Dodgers with Newk gone. He was 14-6 in '52, then had his 20 win season in '53, going 20-6. This was followed by 18-15, 11-8 and 13-11. Then in '57, like so many of the Dodger stars of the Boys of Summer era, he began his final decline. He came to LA with the team, but lasted only a season and a half before returning back to his native Indiana.

His decline actually started during his rookie year when he injured his shoulder. So serious was the injury that he was unable to throw between starts, and by '57, when he was only 31, he was on his way out. His career record was 122-78 (.610) and his highlights include 14 strikeouts in Game Three of the 1953 World Series and two no-hitters. He pitched in 5 World Series and had a 2-2 record. From 1951 through 1956 the peak of Carl Erskine's career, he won 92 while losing only 58, a yearly, average of roughly 16-lO, which helped the Dodgers to four pennants in that stretch.

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