| 1953 Milwaukee Braves | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Ballpark | Milwaukee County Stadium |
| City | Milwaukee,Wisconsin |
| Record | 92–62 (.597) |
| League place | 2nd |
| Owners | Louis R. Perini |
| General managers | John J. Quinn |
| Managers | Charlie Grimm |
| Radio | WEMP WTMJ (Earl Gillespie, Bob Kelly) |
The1953Milwaukee Braves season was the 83rd season of the franchise. It saw the return ofMajor League Baseball to Milwaukee for the first time since 1901 whenBraves team ownerLou Perini, due to very low attendance, moved the team toMilwaukee,Wisconsin. This move was approved by all seven fellowNational League owners and occurred during spring training, just weeks prior to the start ofthe season.[1][2][3][4]
In their first season in Wisconsin, the Braves finished in second place in theNational League standings, with a92–62 (.597) record, thirteen games behind the NL ChampionBrooklyn Dodgers.
At the newCounty Stadium, the Braves drew a then-NL record1.82 million fans.[5][6] The previous year in Boston, the home attendance for theseason wasunder 282,000.[1]
Construction began onMilwaukee County Stadium in 1950 in hopes of both luring a Major League baseball team, as well as theGreen Bay Packers of theNational Football League. The minor leagueMilwaukee Brewers were scheduled to begin play at the start of the 1953 season.[7]
However, in the first move of a Major League team in half a century, on March 18, 1953, theNational League approved ownerLou Perini's move of theBraves to Milwaukee 8–0 because of his "fine standing" with the other owners and also because there was an open city for his minor league team then in Milwaukee. The minor league Brewers moved toToledo, Ohio, and changed their name to theMudhens.[1] The full AP quote about fine standing: "Warren Giles, National League president, repeated again and again that 'Perini's fine standing with the other club owners was the most important reason for their approval.'"[7]
Braves managerCharlie Grimm had won two minor league pennants while in Milwaukee (one with the Cubs farm team and the second with the Braves farm team in 1951). In addition, the Braves organization promoted him from their Milwaukee farm team to the MLB Boston Braves the summer of 1952. Furthermore, 21 of 40 players on the Braves' starting roster had played at least some of their minor league careers in Milwaukee.[1]
Milwaukee County gave the Braves a favorable stadium deal. For the first two years, the team would pay only $1,000 a year for the use of Milwaukee County Stadium. For the next three years, the team would pay 5% of ticket prices and concessions. After that, the rent would be negotiated afresh, with the Braves being required to open their books.[1]
At the time of the move, the Braves owner Lou Perini said, "A third major league is the only answer for the future."[1] This did not come to pass. In spite of theMexican League attracting some MLB players in the 1940s, as of 2025[update],professional baseball in the United States comprises only two major leagues: theNational League and theAmerican 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 |
The Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee on March 18, 1953, less than four weeks before the start of the regular season, causing the National League to quickly realign its1953 schedule. Before 1953, the NL was divided into four Eastern teams (Boston, Brooklyn, New York, Philadelphia) and four "Western" ones (Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, St. Louis). With the Milwaukee Braves now a Western club, they exchanged 1953 schedules with thePittsburgh Pirates, and opened their season on the road against theCincinnati Redlegs in the traditional NL opener atCrosley Field on Monday, April 13. Braves'starting pitcherMax Surkont threw athree-hitshutout, however, andSid Gordon andJack Dittmer drove in the onlyruns of the day, as Milwaukee triumphed, 2–0.[8] The following day, April 14, they opened at home before 34,357 fans, and in teninnings they defeated theSt. Louis Cardinals atMilwaukee County Stadium, 3–2.Warren Spahn earned thecomplete game victory.[9]
| 38 | Bill Bruton | CF |
| 23 | Johnny Logan | SS |
| 41 | Eddie Mathews | 3B |
| 4 | Sid Gordon | LF |
| 48 | Andy Pafko | RF |
| 9 | Joe Adcock | 1B |
| 1 | Del Crandall | C |
| 6 | Jack Dittmer | 2B |
| 36 | Max Surkont | P[8] |
Sources:[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BRO | CHC | CIN | MIL | NYG | PHI | PIT | STL | |||||
| Brooklyn | — | 13–9–1 | 15–7 | 13–9 | 15–7 | 14–8 | 20–2 | 15–7 | |||||
| Chicago | 9–13–1 | — | 12–10 | 8–14 | 9–13 | 5–17 | 11–11 | 11–11 | |||||
| Cincinnati | 7–15 | 10–12 | — | 8–14 | 9–13 | 12–10 | 15–7 | 7–15–1 | |||||
| Milwaukee | 9–13 | 14–8 | 14–8 | — | 14–8–1 | 13–9–1 | 15–7 | 13–9–1 | |||||
| New York | 7–15 | 13–9 | 13–9 | 8–14–1 | — | 9–13 | 11–11 | 9–13 | |||||
| Philadelphia | 8–14 | 17–5 | 10–12 | 9–13–1 | 13–9 | — | 15–7 | 11–11–1 | |||||
| Pittsburgh | 2–20 | 11–11 | 7–15 | 7–15 | 11–11 | 7–15 | — | 5–17 | |||||
| St. Louis | 7–15 | 11–11 | 15–7–1 | 9–13–1 | 13–9 | 11–11–1 | 17–5 | — | |||||
| 1953 Milwaukee Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders Other batters | Manager Coaches | ||||||
| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Del Crandall | 116 | 382 | 104 | .272 | 15 | 51 | 2 |
| 1B | Joe Adcock | 157 | 590 | 168 | .285 | 18 | 80 | 3 |
| 2B | Jack Dittmer | 138 | 504 | 134 | .266 | 9 | 63 | 1 |
| SS | Johnny Logan | 150 | 611 | 167 | .273 | 11 | 73 | 2 |
| 3B | Eddie Mathews | 157 | 579 | 175 | .302 | 47 | 135 | 1 |
| OF | Sid Gordon | 140 | 464 | 127 | .274 | 19 | 75 | 1 |
| OF | Andy Pafko | 140 | 516 | 153 | .297 | 17 | 72 | 2 |
| OF | Bill Bruton | 151 | 613 | 153 | .250 | 1 | 41 | 26 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Pendleton | 120 | 251 | 75 | .299 | 7 | 27 |
| Walker Cooper | 53 | 137 | 30 | .219 | 3 | 16 |
| Harry Hanebrink | 51 | 80 | 19 | .238 | 1 | 8 |
| Ebba St. Claire | 33 | 80 | 16 | .200 | 2 | 5 |
| George Crowe | 47 | 42 | 12 | .286 | 2 | 6 |
| Bob Thorpe | 27 | 37 | 6 | .162 | 0 | 5 |
| Sibby Sisti | 38 | 23 | 5 | .217 | 0 | 4 |
| Mel Roach | 5 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Billy Klaus | 2 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 |
| Paul Burris | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Spahn | 35 | 265.2 | 23* | 7 | 2.10 | 148 |
| Johnny Antonelli | 31 | 175.1 | 12 | 12 | 3.18 | 131 |
| Max Surkont | 28 | 170.0 | 11 | 5 | 4.18 | 83 |
| Jim Wilson | 20 | 114.0 | 4 | 9 | 4.34 | 71 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lew Burdette | 46 | 175.0 | 15 | 5 | 3.24 | 58 |
| Bob Buhl | 30 | 154.1 | 13 | 9 | 2.97 | 83 |
| Don Liddle | 31 | 128.2 | 7 | 6 | 3.08 | 63 |
| Vern Bickford | 20 | 58.0 | 2 | 5 | 5.28 | 25 |
| Joey Jay | 3 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 | 4 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ernie Johnson | 36 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2.67 | 36 |
| Dave Jolly | 24 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.52 | 23 |
| Dave Cole | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8.59 | 13 |
| Virgil Jester | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.50 | 0 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Wichita Falls, Quebec
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| World Series Championships (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National League Championships (18) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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