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1953 Major League Baseball season

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This article is about the 1953 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see 1953 in baseball.
1953 MLB season
LeagueAmerican League (AL)
National League (NL)
SportBaseball
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 MVPAL: Al Rosen (CLE)
NL: Roy Campanella (BKN)
AL championsNew York Yankees
  AL runners-upCleveland Indians
NL championsBrooklyn Dodgers
  NL runners-upMilwaukee Braves
World Series
ChampionsNew York Yankees
  Runners-upBrooklyn Dodgers
Finals MVPBilly Martin (NYY)
MLB seasons
Locations of teams for the 1942–1953 American League seasons
American League
Locations of teams for the 1953–1957 National League seasons
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.

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

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See also: Major League Baseball 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

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League Team City Stadium Capacity Manager
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

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American League

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American League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Yankees 99 52 .656 — 50‍–‍27 49‍–‍25
Cleveland Indians 92 62 .597 8½ 53‍–‍24 39‍–‍38
Chicago White Sox 89 65 .578 11½ 41‍–‍36 48‍–‍29
Boston Red Sox 84 69 .549 16 38‍–‍38 46‍–‍31
Washington Senators 76 76 .500 23½ 39‍–‍36 37‍–‍40
Detroit Tigers 60 94 .390 40½ 30‍–‍47 30‍–‍47
Philadelphia Athletics 59 95 .383 41½ 27‍–‍50 32‍–‍45
St. Louis Browns 54 100 .351 46½ 23‍–‍54 31‍–‍46

National League

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National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Brooklyn Dodgers 105 49 .682 — 60‍–‍17 45‍–‍32
Milwaukee Braves 92 62 .597 13 45‍–‍31 47‍–‍31
Philadelphia Phillies 83 71 .539 22 48‍–‍29 35‍–‍42
St. Louis Cardinals 83 71 .539 22 48‍–‍30 35‍–‍41
New York Giants 70 84 .455 35 38‍–‍39 32‍–‍45
Cincinnati Redlegs 68 86 .442 37 38‍–‍39 30‍–‍47
Chicago Cubs 65 89 .422 40 43‍–‍34 22‍–‍55
Pittsburgh Pirates 50 104 .325 55 26‍–‍51 24‍–‍53

Postseason

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Bracket

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World Series
        
AL New York Yankees 9 4 2 3 11 4*
NL Brooklyn Dodgers 5 2 3 7 7 3

*Denotes walk-off

Managerial changes

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Off-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Pittsburgh Pirates Billy Meyer Fred Haney

In-season

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Team Former Manager New Manager
Cincinnati Reds Rogers Hornsby Buster Mills

League leaders

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American League

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Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Mickey Vernon (WSH) .337
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
Stat Player Total
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

National League

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Hitting leaders
Stat Player Total
AVG Carl Furillo (BKN) .344
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
Stat Player Total
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

Awards and honors

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Regular season

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

Other awards

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The Sporting News awards

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Baseball Hall of Fame

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Main article: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Further information: 1953 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting

Home field attendance

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Team name Wins %± Home attendance %± Per game
Milwaukee Braves[7] 92 43.8% 1,826,397 549.3% 23,119
New York Yankees[8] 99 4.2% 1,537,811 −5.6% 19,972
Chicago White Sox[9] 89 9.9% 1,191,353 −3.3% 15,274
Brooklyn Dodgers[10] 105 9.4% 1,163,419 6.9% 14,916
Cleveland Indians[11] 92 −1.1% 1,069,176 −26.0% 13,707
Boston Red Sox[12] 84 10.5% 1,026,133 −8.0% 13,502
Detroit Tigers[13] 60 20.0% 884,658 −13.8% 11,198
St. Louis Cardinals[14] 83 −5.7% 880,242 −3.6% 11,285
Philadelphia Phillies[15] 83 −4.6% 853,644 13.0% 10,944
New York Giants[16] 70 −23.9% 811,518 −17.6% 10,539
Chicago Cubs[17] 65 −15.6% 763,658 −25.5% 9,918
Washington Senators[18] 76 −2.6% 595,594 −14.8% 7,941
Pittsburgh Pirates[19] 50 19.0% 572,757 −16.6% 7,438
Cincinnati Redlegs[20] 68 −1.4% 548,086 −9.3% 7,027
Philadelphia Athletics[21] 59 −25.3% 362,113 −42.3% 4,642
St. Louis Browns[22] 54 −15.6% 297,238 −42.7% 3,860

Television coverage

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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,[23] and Chicago White Sox[24][25] were interested.[26] To make matters worse, Major League Baseball barred the Game of the Week from airing within fifty miles of any big-league city.[27]

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

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Warren Spahn Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  4. ^ "Warren Spahn Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  5. ^ "Bob Porterfield Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  6. ^ "Bob Porterfield Baseball Almanac Awards". Baseball Almanac.
  7. ^ "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  8. ^ "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  13. ^ "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  15. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  16. ^ "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  17. ^ "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  18. ^ "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  19. ^ "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  20. ^ "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. ^ "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  23. ^ Ames, Walter (June 13, 1953). "Major League Ball Game on KECA-TV; Topper Series Set as 'Irma' Replacement". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  24. ^ "Albany Club Owner Asks for Video Of Major League Games in His Area". Hartford Courant. Associated Press. June 6, 1953.
  25. ^ Ames, Walter (May 8, 1954). "L.A.-Las Vegas Relay Ready by Fall; Lamenting Berle Seeks New Home". Los Angeles Times. p. A5.
  26. ^ "TV Baseball Ban Denied By Official". The Daily Reporter. Associated Press. March 11, 1954. p. 1.
  27. ^ "Club Owners Veto Television of Spring Games". The Spokane-Review. Associated Press. March 14, 1954. p. 1.
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