Carl Erskine

Carl Erskine
Erskine with the Brooklyn Dodgers, c. 1953
Pitcher
Born: (1926-12-13)December 13, 1926
Anderson, Indiana, U.S.
Died: April 16, 2024(2024-04-16) (aged 97)
Anderson, Indiana, U.S.
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
MLB debut
July 25, 1948, for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
June 14, 1959, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record122–78
Earned run average4.00
Strikeouts981
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Carl Daniel Erskine (December 13, 1926 – April 16, 2024), nicknamed "Oisk", was an American baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959. He was a pitching mainstay on Dodger teams which won five National League pennants and the 1955 World Series.

During the 1953 season, Erskine won 20 games and set a World Series record with 14 strikeouts in a single game. He was an All-Star the following season. Erskine pitched two of the NL's seven no-hitters during the 1950s.

After his baseball career ended, he was active as a business executive and an author. In particular, he was involved deeply with the Special Olympics and charities which aimed at helping people with developmental difficulties such as his son Jimmy, who was born with Down syndrome. Erskine died in 2024, the last surviving member of the "Boys of Summer" Brooklyn teams of the 1950s.