Dodgers mourn passing of World Series champ Carl Erskine

The video mentions many of Erskine’s accomplishments, including his performance in Game 3 of the 1953 World Series when he struck out 14 hitters, a World Series record at the time.

Carl Erskine’s legacy on and off the field

Erskine made his MLB debut in 1948. He performed well during his rookie season, displaying signs of promise.

He played a crucial role for the Dodgers during the 1950’s. As mentioned earlier, he enjoyed a heroic World Series performance in 1953. The Dodgers failed to win the Fall Classic during the ’53 campaign, but he would help the team win its first World Series in 1955.

Additionally, Erskine was selected to the 1954 All-Star team. He had an all-around strong career while pitching for the Dodgers in both Brooklyn and Los Angeles.

Erskine will be remembered for more than his baseball accomplishments, however. He was teammates with Jackie Robinson, who debuted in MLB one year before Erskine. Robinson, of course, broke the color barrier in baseball.

Erskine was known as a social justice advocate. As the Dodgers mentioned, he was an ally to Robinson.

Erskine had other non-baseball pursuits as well. His son, Jimmy, was born with Down Syndrome. As a result, Erskine did everything he could to help people with similar difficulties. Erskine was an advocate for the Special Olympics.

In 2023, the Baseball Hall of Fame named Carl Erskine as the recipient of the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

Erskine’s passing draws heartfelt messages

Former Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti honored Erskine with a post on X.

“Carl Erskine’s place in baseball history; Brooklyn @dodgers history rests with the greats. He was ‘A Boy of Summer’ hero. But he was far more than a pitcher. His compassion for others was real; his quest to help was relentless; many help when asked; Carl asked to help.”

As mentioned earlier, Erskine was a Special Olympics advocate. The X account for Special Olympics Indiana shared a heartfelt message following the news of Erskine’s passing.

“It is with a sad heart that we learned of Carl Erskine’s passing today. We offer our thoughts and our thanks today to Carl, his wife, Betty, and the entire Erskine family.”

Carl Erskine was loved by many. The Dodgers legend accomplished much in his lifetime both on and off the field. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this time.