YEAR IN REVIEW : 1953 National League

Off the field...

After three bloody years, one month, and two days of fighting, the Korean War officially ended. In the end the United States suffered 33,327 deaths and 102,000 wounded at a cost of $18 billion dollars. Under the terms of the cease-fire, Korea was re-divided at the 38th parallel (as it was the day the Communists had first attacked). Agreement was quickly reached in almost all areas, with the exception of a prisoner-exchange compromise. The United Nations forces refused to return prisoners who did not want to be repatriated and as a result, sporadic fighting continued over a two-year period until President Eisenhower threatened the use of nuclear weapons to achieve peace.

American Communist Party members turned spies, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were executed on June 19th after being convicted of espionage for selling the formula for the atomic bomb to the Soviets. They were the first civilians put to death under the Espionage Act of 1917.

In the American League...

Boston Red Sox slugger turned combat ace Ted Williams safely crash-landed his damaged Panther fighter plane after being hit by enemy fire while flying a combat mission in Korea on February 19th. He later returned home from active-duty in August and finished the season with thirteen home runs and an incredible .407 batting average.

New York Yankee Mickey Mantle hit the longest home run in Griffith Stadium history with a five-hundred sixty-five foot "tape-measure" blast off pitcher Chuck Stobbs for a 7-3 victory over the Washington Senators on April 17th.

The St. Louis Browns set the Major League mark for most consecutive home defeats, after losing their 20th game in succession, 6-3 to the visiting Cleveland Indians.

In the National League...

Roy Campanella set the Major League record for most runs batted in by a catcher after smacking a three run home run in a 6-3 Brooklyn Dodgers win over the Philadelphia Phillies on September 7th. Campanella's total of one-hundred twenty-five runs batted in topped New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra's mark of one-hundred twenty-four set in 1950. The perennial All-Star had also set the National League mark for most home runs by a catcher the previous day after topping the Chicago Cubs' Gabby Hartnett who hit thirty-seven in 1930.

Cincinnati's ball club officially changed its name from the "Reds" to the "Redlegs", in response to the McCarthy era pressure of anti-communism. They later reverted back to the Reds in 1959.

Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Boyd Tepler was denied in the U.S. Court of Appeals after filing a $450,000 grievance against Major League Baseball and owner William Wrigley. The lawsuit, filed in 1951, accused his coaching staff of negligence that led to a premature career-ending arm injury in 1944.

Around the League...

United States Immigration Commissioner Mackey warned that all Major League alien ballplayers who jumped U.S. pro-contracts faced deportation under the McCarran-Walter Act.

After seventy-seven years, the Boston Braves became the Milwaukee Braves in the first franchise shift in baseball since 1903 when Baltimore moved to New York (Yankees). As a result, Milwaukee assumed Pittsburgh's place in the Western Division for scheduling purposes and the Brewers were moved to Toledo.

In an effort to prevent the decline of baseball in small towns and cities throughout the country, Senator Edwin C. Johnson offered a bill to give all ball clubs the sole right to ban radio and/or television broadcasts of major league games in their own territories. The bill was intended to restore the equity between large communities and the small areas and was in direct response to the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department who had prohibited teams from banning any broadcasts in 1949.

On June 3rd, U.S. Congress officially cited the research of New York City librarian Robert Henderson that clearly proved Alexander Cartwright had "founded" the game of baseball and not Abner Doubleday. Henderson's book "Bat, Ball and Bishop", which was published in 1947, documented Cartwright's contribution to the origins of the game.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"The players can do more for themselves than any outside representative." - National League President Warren Giles

1953 National League Player Review

1952 | 1953 National League Hitting Statistics Leaders | 1954

Base on Balls Stan Musial St. Louis 105 Top25
Batting Average Carl Furillo Brooklyn .344 Top25
Doubles Stan Musial St. Louis 53 Top25
Hits Richie Ashburn Philadelphia 205 Top25
Home Runs Eddie Mathews Milwaukee 47 Top25
On Base Percentage Stan Musial St. Louis .437 Top25
RBI RoyCampanella Brooklyn 142 Top25
Runs Duke Snider Brooklyn 132 Top25
Slugging Average Duke Snider Brooklyn .627 Top25
Stolen Bases Bill Bruton Milwaukee 26 Top25
Total Bases Duke Snider Brooklyn 370 Top25
Triples Jim Gilliam Brooklyn 17 Top25
1953 N.L. History | 1953 A.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1953 National League Pitcher Review

1952 | 1953 National League Pitching Statistics Leaders | 1954

Complete Games Robin Roberts Philadelphia 33 Top25
ERA Warren Spahn Milwaukee 2.10 Top25
Games Hoyt Wilhelm New York 68 Top25
Saves Al Brazle St. Louis 18 Top25
Shutouts HarveyHaddix St. Louis 6 Top25
Strikeouts Robin Roberts Philadelphia 198 Top25
Winning Percentage Carl Erskine Brooklyn .769 Top25
Wins Robin Roberts Philadelphia 23 Top25
Warren Spahn Milwaukee
1953 N.L. History | 1953 A.L. History | Year-by-Year History

1953 National League Team Standings

1953 All-Star Game | 1952 Team Standings | 1953 World Series

Brooklyn Dodgers 105 49 .682 0
Milwaukee Braves 92 62 .597 13
Philadelphia Phillies 83 71 .539 22
St. Louis Cardinals 83 71 .539 22
New York Giants 70 84 .455 35
Cincinnati Redlegs 68 86 .442 37
Chicago Cubs 65 89 .422 40
Pittsburgh Pirates 50 104 .325 55

1953 National League Team Review

Hitting Statistics League Leaderboard

Base on Balls Brooklyn 655
Batting Average Brooklyn .285
Doubles St. Louis 281
Hits Brooklyn 1,529
Home Runs Brooklyn 208
On Base Percentage Brooklyn .366
Runs Brooklyn 955
Slugging Average Brooklyn .474
Stolen Bases Brooklyn 90
Triples Philadelphia 62

1953 National League Team Review

Pitching Statistics League Leaderboard

Complete Games Philadelphia 76
ERA Milwaukee 3.30
Fewest Hits Allowed Milwaukee 1,282
Fewest Home Runs Allowed Milwaukee 107
Fewest Walks Allowed Philadelphia 410
Saves St. Louis 36
Shutouts Milwaukee 14
Strikeouts Brooklyn 817
baseball almanac flat baseball

baseball almanac fast facts

Did you know that the Braves, who opened the 1953 season in Milwaukee, were scheduled to open in Boston until the move was approved on March 18th of the same season?

Modern Major League pitchers rarely toss a complete game during a full season of play. On July 9, 1953, Robin Roberts streak of 28 CONSECUTIVE complete games ended after he gave up 11 hits and 5 earned runs - his relief was Bob Miller and it occurred during the 8th inning versus the Dodgers.

Can you name the player who made his Major League debut in 1953 and did not miss a game until his consecutive games played streak reached 424? It was none other than Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs who made his debut on September 17, 1953 and went 0-for-3 in a losing effort (final score was 16-4) versus the Phillies.