| 1953 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | American League (AL) National League (NL) |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | Regular season:
|
| Games | 154 |
| Teams | 16 (8 per league) |
| TV partner(s) | ABC,NBC |
| Regular season | |
| SeasonMVP | AL:Al Rosen (CLE) NL:Roy Campanella (BRO) |
| 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 |
| FinalsMVP | Billy Martin (NYY) |
| MLB seasons | |
The1953 major league baseball season began on April 13, 1953. The regular season ended on September 27, with theBrooklyn Dodgers andNew York Yankees as the regular season champions of theNational League andAmerican League, respectively. In a rematch of the previous season, the postseason began with Game 1 of the50th World Series on September 30 and ended with Game 6 on October 5. In the fifth iteration of thisSubway Series World Series matchup (and a rematch of theprevious year), the Yankees defeated the Dodgers, four games to two, capturing their 16th championship in franchise history, concluding their 5-year World Series winning streak, anall-time record.
The20th Major League Baseball All-Star Game was held on July 14 atCrosley Field inCincinnati,Ohio, home of theCincinnati Reds. TheNational League won, 5–1.
The Cincinnati Reds changed their name to theCincinnati Redlegs due to the escalatingCold War and resultingred scare; as Cincinnati's general manager,Gabe Paul, noted 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 theMilwaukee Brewers moved fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin, toSt. Louis, Missouri, as theSt. Louis Browns, with theBoston Braves, coincidentally, relocating to Milwaukee as theMilwaukee Braves. It would be the first National League relocation since theSt. Louis Maroons moved toIndianapolis, Indiana, and became theIndianapolis Hoosiers. This season began a trend ofrelocation 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 toBaltimore, Maryland, the following season as theBaltimore Orioles.
On September 13, thePhiladelphia Athletics became the seventh team in professional baseball tobreak the color line when they fieldedBob Trice; theChicago Cubs became the eighth team just four days later when they fielded futureHall-of-FamerErnie Banks.[2]
This was also the first regular season of the televisedMajor League Baseball Game of the Week, originally broadcast onABC.
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 the1904 season (except for1919) and would be used until1961 in the American League and1962 in the National League.
National League Opening Day took place on April 13, featuring the newly relocatedMilwaukee Braves andCincinnati Reds, while American League Opening Day took place the following day, featuring six teams. This was the first season since1951 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 from1946. TheWorld Series took place between September 30 and October 5.
The 1953 season saw the following rule changes:
| 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 |
| 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 |
11 tie games (5 in AL, 6 in NL), which are not factored intowinning percentage orgames behind (and were often replayed again) occurred throughout the season.
The postseason began on September 30 and ended on October 5 with theNew York Yankees defeating theBrooklyn Dodgers in the1953 World Series in six games.
| World Series | ||||
| AL | New York Yankees | 4 | ||
| NL | Brooklyn Dodgers | 2 | ||
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Billy Meyer | Fred Haney |
| Team | Former Manager | New Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds | Rogers Hornsby | Buster Mills |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| WHIP | Eddie Lopat (NYY) | 1.127 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Carl Furillo (BRO) | .344 |
| OPS | Duke Snider (BRO) | 1.046 |
| HR | Eddie Mathews (MIL) | 47 |
| RBI | Roy Campanella (BRO) | 142 |
| R | Duke Snider (BRO) | 132 |
| H | Richie Ashburn (PHI) | 205 |
| SB | Bill Bruton (MIL) | 26 |
| Stat | Player | Total |
|---|---|---|
| W | Robin Roberts (PHI) Warren Spahn (MIL) | 23 |
| L | Murry Dickson (PIT) Warren Hacker (CHC) | 19 |
| ERA | Warren Spahn (MIL) | 2.10 |
| K | Robin Roberts (PHI) | 198 |
| IP | Robin Roberts (PHI) | 346.2 |
| SV | Al Brazle (STL) | 18 |
| WHIP | Warren Spahn (MIL) | 1.058 |
| Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| BBWAA Award | National League | American League |
| Rookie of the Year | Jim Gilliam (BRO) | Harvey Kuenn (DET) |
| Most Valuable Player | Roy Campanella (BRO) | Al Rosen (CLE) |
| Babe Ruth Award (World Series MVP) | — | Billy Martin (NYY) |
| Team name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Braves[15] | 92 | 43.8% | 1,826,397 | 549.3% | 23,119 |
| New York Yankees[16] | 99 | 4.2% | 1,537,811 | −5.6% | 19,972 |
| Chicago White Sox[17] | 89 | 9.9% | 1,191,353 | −3.3% | 15,274 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[18] | 105 | 9.4% | 1,163,419 | 6.9% | 14,916 |
| Cleveland Indians[19] | 92 | −1.1% | 1,069,176 | −26.0% | 13,707 |
| Boston Red Sox[20] | 84 | 10.5% | 1,026,133 | −8.0% | 13,502 |
| Detroit Tigers[21] | 60 | 20.0% | 884,658 | −13.8% | 11,198 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[22] | 83 | −5.7% | 880,242 | −3.6% | 11,285 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[23] | 83 | −4.6% | 853,644 | 13.0% | 10,944 |
| New York Giants[24] | 70 | −23.9% | 811,518 | −17.6% | 10,539 |
| Chicago Cubs[25] | 65 | −15.6% | 763,658 | −25.5% | 9,918 |
| Washington Senators[26] | 76 | −2.6% | 595,594 | −14.8% | 7,941 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[27] | 50 | 19.0% | 572,757 | −16.6% | 7,438 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs[28] | 68 | −1.4% | 548,086 | −9.3% | 7,027 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[29] | 59 | −25.3% | 362,113 | −42.3% | 4,642 |
| St. Louis Browns[30] | 54 | −15.6% | 297,238 | −42.7% | 3,860 |
With the relocation of theBoston Braves fromBoston,Massachusetts toMilwaukee,Wisconsin as theMilwaukee Braves, they leaveBraves Field (where they played 38 seasons) and move intoMilwaukee County Stadium. They would go on to play there for 13 seasons through1965 before againrelocating.
Two venues were renamed early in the year:
TheSt. Louis Browns would play their last game atBusch Stadium on September 27 against theChicago White Sox, relocating toBaltimore,Maryland atBaltimore Memorial Stadium as theBaltimore Orioles for the start of the1954 season.
All American League teams (except for theSt. Louis Browns) signed a two-year reciprocal agreement that guaranteed the visiting team a percentage of the radio and television broadcast revenue. The result of the Browns not signing said agreement, was that the team was shut out of the television and radio market at home and on the road.[3]
In the National League, while theSt. Louis Cardinals forged agreements with theChicago Cubs andCincinnati Redlegs, other teams could continue to broadcast games with opponents, even if they had not signed an agreement to do so.[3]
ABC executiveEdgar J. Scherick approached MLB with a SaturdayGame of the Week. With fewer outlets thanCBS orNBC, 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 theSports 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 (thePhiladelphia Athletics,Cleveland Indians,[35] andChicago White Sox[36][37] were interested.[38] To make matters worse, Major League Baseball barred theGame of the Week from airing within fifty miles of any big-league city.[39]
TheAll-Star Game andWorld Series aired exclusively on NBC.
