1953 Major League Baseball season

Last updated

1953 MLB season
League American League (AL)
National League (NL)
Sport Baseball
DurationRegular season:
  • April 14 – September 27, 1953 (AL)
  • April 13 – September 27, 1953 (NL)
World Series:
  • September 30 – October 5, 1953
Number of games154
Number of teams16 (8 per league)
TV partner(s) ABC, NBC
Regular season
Season MVP AL: Al Rosen (CLE)
NL: Roy Campanella (BKN)
AL champions New York Yankees
  AL runners-up Cleveland Indians
NL champions Brooklyn Dodgers
  NL runners-up Milwaukee Braves
World Series
Champions New York Yankees
  Runners-up Brooklyn Dodgers
Finals MVP Billy Martin (NYY)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1942–1953 American League seasons
ButtonRed.svg American League
Locations of teams for the 1953–1957 National League seasons
ButtonBlue.svg National League

The 1953 major league baseball season began on April 13, 1953. The regular season ended on September 27, with the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees as the regular season champions of the National League and American League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the 50th World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 6 on October 5. The Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to two, capturing the 16th championship in franchise history, concluding their 5-year World Series winning streak, an all-time record. This was the fifth World Series between the two teams.

Contents

The 20th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was played on July 14, hosted by the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati, Ohio, with the National League winning, 5–1.

The Cincinnati Reds changed their name to the Cincinnati Redlegs due to the escalating Cold War and resulting red scare; as Cincinnati's general manager, Gabe Paul, notes later, "We wanted to be certain we weren't confused with the 'Russian Reds'." [1]

The 1953 season would see the first relocation in professional baseball since the Milwaukee Brewers moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to St. Louis, Missouri as the St. Louis Browns, with the Boston Braves, coincidentally, relocating to Milwaukee as the Milwaukee Braves. It would be the first National League relocation since the St. Louis Maroons moved to Indianapolis, Indiana and became the Indianapolis Hoosiers. This season began a trend of relocation which would occur several times throughout the 1950s and 1960s. The season would also prove to be the last season of the Browns franchise in St. Louis, moving to Baltimore, Maryland the following season as the Baltimore Orioles.

On September 13, the Philadelphia Athletics became the seventh team in professional baseball to break the color line when they fielded Bob Trice; the Chicago Cubs became the eighth team just four days later when they fielded future Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks. [2]

This was also the first regular season of the televised Major League Baseball Game of the Week , originally broadcast on ABC.

Schedule

The 1953 schedule consisted of 154 games for all teams in the American League and National League, each of which had eight teams. Each team was scheduled to play 22 games against the other seven teams of their respective league. This continued the format put in place since the 1904 season (except for 1919) and would be used until 1961 in the American League and 1962 in the National League.

National League Opening Day took place on April 13, featuring the newly relocated Milwaukee Braves and Cincinnati Reds, while American League Opening Day took place the following day, featuring six teams. This was the first season since 1951 that both leagues opened on different days. The final day of the scheduled regular season was on September 27, which saw all sixteen teams play, continuing the trend from 1946. The World Series took place between September 30 and October 5.

Teams

LeagueTeamCityStadiumCapacityManager
American League Boston Red Sox Boston, Massachusetts Fenway Park 34,824 Lou Boudreau
Chicago White Sox Chicago, Illinois Comiskey Park 47,400 Paul Richards
Cleveland Indians Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Stadium 73,811 Al López
Detroit Tigers Detroit, Michigan Briggs Stadium 58,000 Fred Hutchinson
New York Yankees New York, New York Yankee Stadium 67,000 Casey Stengel
Philadelphia Athletics Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,166 Jimmy Dykes
St. Louis Browns St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Marty Marion
Washington Senators Washington, D.C. Griffith Stadium 29,731 Bucky Harris
National League Brooklyn Dodgers New York, New York Ebbets Field 32,111 Chuck Dressen
Chicago Cubs Chicago, Illinois Wrigley Field 36,755 Phil Cavarretta
Cincinnati Redlegs Cincinnati, Ohio Crosley Field 29,439 Rogers Hornsby, Buster Mills
Milwaukee Braves Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee County Stadium 36,011 Charlie Grimm
New York Giants New York, New York Polo Grounds 54,500 Leo Durocher
Philadelphia Phillies Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Connie Mack Stadium 33,166 Steve O'Neill
Pittsburgh Pirates Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Forbes Field 34,249 Fred Haney
St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis, Missouri Busch Stadium 30,500 Eddie Stanky

Standings

American League

American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 9952.656—50‍–‍2749‍–‍25
Cleveland Indians 9262.5978½53‍–‍2439‍–‍38
Chicago White Sox 8965.57811½41‍–‍3648‍–‍29
Boston Red Sox 8469.5491638‍–‍3846‍–‍31
Washington Senators 7676.50023½39‍–‍3637‍–‍40
Detroit Tigers 6094.39040½30‍–‍4730‍–‍47
Philadelphia Athletics 5995.38341½27‍–‍5032‍–‍45
St. Louis Browns 54100.35146½23‍–‍5431‍–‍46

National League

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 10549.682—60‍–‍1745‍–‍32
Milwaukee Braves 9262.5971345‍–‍3147‍–‍31
Philadelphia Phillies 8371.5392248‍–‍2935‍–‍42
St. Louis Cardinals 8371.5392248‍–‍3035‍–‍41
New York Giants 7084.4553538‍–‍3932‍–‍45
Cincinnati Redlegs 6886.4423738‍–‍3930‍–‍47
Chicago Cubs 6589.4224043‍–‍3422‍–‍55
Pittsburgh Pirates 50104.3255526‍–‍5124‍–‍53

Postseason

Bracket

World Series
        
AL New York Yankees 942 3 114*
NL Brooklyn Dodgers 5 2 377 3

*Denotes walk-off

Managerial changes

Off-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Pittsburgh Pirates Billy Meyer Fred Haney

In-season

TeamFormer ManagerNew Manager
Cincinnati Reds Rogers Hornsby Buster Mills

League leaders

American League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Mickey Vernon (WSH).337
OPS Al Rosen (CLE)1.034
HR Al Rosen (CLE)43
RBI Al Rosen (CLE)145
R Al Rosen (CLE)115
H Harvey Kuenn (DET)209
SB Minnie Minoso (CWS)25
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Bob Porterfield (WSH)22
L Harry Byrd (PHA)20
ERA Eddie Lopat (NYY)2.42
K Billy Pierce (CWS)186
IP Bob Lemon (CLE)286.2
SV Ellis Kinder (BOS)27
WHIP Eddie Lopat (NYY)1.127

National League

Hitting leaders
StatPlayerTotal
AVG Carl Furillo (BKN).344
OPS Duke Snider (BKN)1.046
HR Eddie Mathews (MIL)47
RBI Roy Campanella (BKN)142
R Duke Snider (BKN)132
H Richie Ashburn (PHP)205
SB Bill Bruton (MIL)26
Pitching leaders
StatPlayerTotal
W Robin Roberts (PHP)
Warren Spahn (MIL)		23
L Murry Dickson (PIT)
Warren Hacker (CHC)		19
ERA Warren Spahn (MIL)2.10
K Robin Roberts (PHP)198
IP Robin Roberts (PHP)346.2
SV Al Brazle (SLC)18
WHIP Warren Spahn (MIL)1.058

Awards and honors

Regular season

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards
BBWAA AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Rookie of the Year Jim Gilliam (BKN) Harvey Kuenn (DET)
Most Valuable Player Roy Campanella (BKN) Al Rosen (CLE)

Other awards

The Sporting News Awards
AwardNational LeagueAmerican League
Player of the Year [3] — Al Rosen (CLE)
Pitcher of the Year [4] Warren Spahn (MIL) Bob Porterfield (WSH)
Rookie of the Year [5] Jim Gilliam (BKN) Harvey Kuenn (DET)
Manager of the Year [6] — Casey Stengel (NYY)
Executive of the Year [7] Lou Perini (MIL)—

Baseball Hall of Fame

Home field attendance

Team nameWins%±Home attendance%±Per game
Milwaukee Braves [8] 9243.8%1,826,397549.3%23,119
New York Yankees [9] 994.2%1,537,811−5.6%19,972
Chicago White Sox [10] 899.9%1,191,353−3.3%15,274
Brooklyn Dodgers [11] 1059.4%1,163,4196.9%14,916
Cleveland Indians [12] 92−1.1%1,069,176−26.0%13,707
Boston Red Sox [13] 8410.5%1,026,133−8.0%13,502
Detroit Tigers [14] 6020.0%884,658−13.8%11,198
St. Louis Cardinals [15] 83−5.7%880,242−3.6%11,285
Philadelphia Phillies [16] 83−4.6%853,64413.0%10,944
New York Giants [17] 70−23.9%811,518−17.6%10,539
Chicago Cubs [18] 65−15.6%763,658−25.5%9,918
Washington Senators [19] 76−2.6%595,594−14.8%7,941
Pittsburgh Pirates [20] 5019.0%572,757−16.6%7,438
Cincinnati Redlegs [21] 68−1.4%548,086−9.3%7,027
Philadelphia Athletics [22] 59−25.3%362,113−42.3%4,642
St. Louis Browns [23] 54−15.6%297,238−42.7%3,860

Television coverage

ABC executive Edgar J. Scherick approached MLB with a Saturday Game of the Week . With fewer outlets than CBS or NBC, ABC needed paid programming (or "anything for bills" as Scherick put it). At first, ABC hesitated at the idea of a nationally televised regular season baseball program, but gave Scherick the green light to sign up teams. Prior to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, antitrust laws only allowed the networks to make deals with individual teams instead of pooling rights directly from a central league authority. Unfortunately, only three (the Philadelphia Athletics, Cleveland Indians, [24] and Chicago White Sox [25] [26] were interested. [27] To make matters worse, Major League Baseball barred the Game of the Week from airing within fifty miles of any big-league city. [28]

The All-Star Game and World Series aired exclusively on NBC.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Lamb, Chris (April 7, 2021). "From 'Redlegs' to 'Red Scare' to 'Twilight Zone:' The Strange Trip of the Cincinnati Reds' Nickname". USA Today. USA Today . Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ↑ "These players integrated each MLB team". MLB.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Major League Player of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Pitcher of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Rookie of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Manager of the Year Award by The Sporting News | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  7. ↑ "MLB Executive of the Year Award | Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ↑ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com . Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  24. ↑ Ames, Walter (June 13, 1953). "Major League Ball Game on KECA-TV; Topper Series Set as 'Irma' Replacement". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  25. ↑ "Albany Club Owner Asks for Video Of Major League Games in His Area". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. June 6, 1953.
  26. ↑ Ames, Walter (May 8, 1954). "L.A.-Las Vegas Relay Ready by Fall; Lamenting Berle Seeks New Home". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  27. ↑ "TV Baseball Ban Denied By Official". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. March 11, 1954. p. 1.
  28. ↑ "Club Owners Veto Television of Spring Games". The Spokane-Review. Associated Press. March 14, 1954. p. 1.
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