“You Learn a Lot, Both with Wins and Losses”: Carl Erskine, Pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers

With Exclusive Interview

Typical of those of the 1940s era, Carl Daniel Erskine was one ballplayer who proved that the American dream can come to pass through the attributes of hard work, humility, and perseverance.

Erskine was born on December 13, 1926, in Anderson, Indiana—a place he would later describe as “just a good, solid place to raise your kids.” As a boy, he played different sports, including Little League Baseball. It was his father who taught him the big overhand curve, a technique for which Carl Erskine would later be known. He recalled that on one occasion, his father was demonstrating the method indoors and released the ball, shattering some dishes. Erskine pitched skillfully in high school. After graduating, he was drafted into the navy in 1945, and stationed at the Boston Navy Yard. He was discharged the next year. In 1947, he married Betsy Palmer in an autumn wedding. Together they had four children, Danny, Gary, Susan, and Jimmy.

It was in the late 1940s that the young ballplayer, who had meanwhile been working out with the Boston Braves, was spotted by the legendary Branch Rickey. He was interested in Erskine, and wondered if he would perhaps sign on with Brooklyn. Willingly, Erskine agreed, requesting $3,000. Rickey gave him a rare signing bonus—$3,500. Only later did Erskine learn that Branch Rickey had been willing to invest up to $30,000 (today, approximately $383,140) in persuading him to sign.

As he pauses for a moment’s rest in the dugout, Erskine displays a calm, confident attitude.

Celebrating in the clubhouse after a 1951 game. Jackie Robinson is at left; Erskine at far right.

Accordingly, the Indiana native began his career playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers at the age of 21. Whenever he strode onto the diamond, the crowds in the stands observed a serious-eyed, 5-foot-10, 165-lb. pitcher who skillfully batted and threw right. Like many other ballplayers, he was soon granted a nickname, “Oisk”—as his last name was pronounced in Brooklynese—and it stuck all through the 12 seasons he played. His very first game was played in the heat of July 25, 1948; his last was in 1959 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Erskine had 981 strikeouts in the stretch of his career. He racked up a nice total of 122 wins, including one World Series game in 1955. “I was so grateful to be in the big leagues,” Erskine later wrote in the introduction to his 2004 book, Tales from the Dodger Dugout: Extra Innings. “Everybody on the scene was an important character: the grounds crew, the ushers, the ticket takers, the elevator boys, the special cops, the umpires, and, of course, the fans.”

Early on in his baseball career, Erskine pulled a shoulder muscle while pitching a game. Four days later, he was slated to play another. Although he was bearing the intense pain of a muscle tear, he performed so remarkably that his manager never even realized, and the team won the game. As a consequence, Erskine’s arm was damaged, and from then on he always felt the injury while pitching.

Several things stood out about the ballplayer with the Dodgers uniform marked “17”. He was a humble, modest man and a dependable player and teammate. One of Erskine’s best friends on the team was Jackie Robinson, who appreciated how Erskine worked quietly to break racial barriers by making Robinson feel welcome. This is a standout characteristic of Oisk, who has been labeled by contemporaries as a human-rights champion.

Erskine, a charter member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, retired from baseball in 1959. Next, he launched into business ventures, becoming an agent for the United Life Insurance Company. Afterward he was a bank president. He also coached baseball at Anderson College.

His life was one devoted to helping others. When his son Jimmy was born in 1960 with Down syndrome, he and his wife decided to keep him home instead of sending him to an institution as they were urged. Erskine maintained that Jimmy was one of the most important people in his life.

The legacy of Oisk is a simple yet strong and important one, leading filmmaker Ted Green to direct and produce a documentary called The Best We’ve Got: The Carl Erskine Story, which premiered in August 2022. Until his death on April 16, 2024, Erskine lived in his beloved hometown of Anderson. He always kept a harmonica handy, playing often. (He wrote a piece for the instrument, “The Stan Musial Blues”, about the toughest hitter whom he often faced on the diamond.) As the last member of the Brooklyn Dodgers’ “Boys of Summer”, Carl Erskine was appreciative of the baseball career which he fondly thought of as a dream come true.

Our Greatest Generation is proud to be able feature not only a great ballplayer, but a great American.

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We were able to obtain the following exclusive interview with Carl Erskine.

Q: Talk about your childhood in Indiana.

ERSKINE: I enjoyed my years as a child in Indiana. I was on my high school basketball team that made final four, and on the baseball team as well. My father played some pro baseball. My brothers were older—the oldest twenty years older; the second, ten years older. They played, but not seriously.

Q: As a boy, who was on your list of sports idols?

ERSKINE: Babe Ruth. Later I was fortunate to meet his widow.

Q: What prompted your interest in baseball?

ERSKINE: I started playing in a park league at age nine. There were tryouts and I made the team. I didn’t always pitch, but most times.

Q: In your opinion, has the sport changed much, either in rules or in spirit, since you played?

ERSKINE: No; basically the same.

Q: Can you share the best piece of advice you received that helped you as an athlete?

ERSKINE: Be who you are; don’t try to mimic someone else.

Q: Do you recall the first time somebody asked you for an autograph?

ERSKINE: Yes, a young man in New York came for my autograph, then came back again. When I asked him why he wanted another autograph, he said if he got six of mine he could trade them for a Jackie Robinson.

Q: When you signed with Brooklyn, do you remember your feelings on that day?

ERSKINE: Yes, very exciting, and I got a signing bonus!

Q: You were used mainly relief pitcher at the start of your career with the Dodgers.

ERSKINE: That’s very customary. I had to prove myself.

Q: Describe a favorite teammate.

ERSKINE: Favorite teammates were Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider. Very close friends. Duke was a skilled athlete. Jackie was the most exciting player in baseball (stealing bases).

Q: What were your feelings when you lost a game? When you won?

ERSKINE: Losses were disappointing, but you can’t focus or dwell on loss. You learn a lot in both wins and losses. Sometimes you lost even though your pitching was good because your team could not score.

Q: To which other ballplayer would you most compare yourself?

ERSKINE: Bob Friend, Pittsburg.

Q: How did you acquire the nickname “Oisk”?

ERSKINE: That is the Brooklyn accent for “Erskine”.

Q: Did you have any special pitching techniques which made you stand out from other ballplayers of your time?

ERSKINE: My style was straight overhand.

Q: Do you have any advice for the ballplayers of today?

ERSKINE: Conditioning is the most important thing to success. In pitching, the most important thing is your legs. (Arms are also important.)

Q: What is life like for you now?

ERSKINE: Exciting, positive, connected with family and friends. I receive lots of fan mail that I answer.

Erskine in 2013

Photograph credits—Pinterest; nydailynews; fieldofdreams.it; annerkeene; northtexascatholic; Peter Bond, (cropped)  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/.