RIP Carl Erskine

Carl Erskine, who threw 14 Ks and a complete game to win Game 3 of the 1953 World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers, died in Indiana this morning at 97.

Carl Erskine, who pitched in five World Series for the Brooklyn Dodgers, passed away at Anderson Community Hospital in his hometown of Anderson, Ind., early Tuesday morning. He was 97.

Over his 12-year career, spent entirely with the Dodgers, Erskine went 122-78 with a 4.00 ERA, earning an All-Star nod in 1954 and helping the Brooklyn Dodgers win the World Series in '55. During his career, Erskine threw a pair of no-hitters and delivered an iconic and then-record 14-strikeout complete-game performance in Game 3 of the '53 World Series against the Yankees.

According to ESPN, Erskine's death leaves Koufax as the lone surviving Dodgers player from that [1953] World Series Dodgers team.

photo from Dodgers' twitter feed

Vin Scully, on Shades and Changeups

Johnny Podres in 1955.

Vin Scully, from last night's telecast:

A curveball missing inside under the hands, and a three-and-two count to the Squire from Stillwater, Matt Holliday.

Three and two the count. Wolf from the middle of the rubber, and the left-hander ready.

His three-two changeup is swung on and missed, and Holliday with that good arm motion was way out in front of it, and down he goes. Second strikeout for Randy Wolf.

Boy, that is a great pitch. Fell in love with that pitch back in 1955, when Johnny Podres beat the New York Yankees in the World Series primarily throwing a changeup.

Carl Erskine, back in those days, had a dandy.

And now the batter is Jason Giambi, and the pitch a strike.

You know how the Dodgers used to teach their pitchers to throw the changeup? They used to tell them, "Make believe you're pulling down a shade."

Hard to do.

Here's the strike-one pitch on the way....

Podres: AP photo

Opening Day Goodness

Carl Erskine, Sandy Koufax and Don Newcombe throw out the opening pitches. Looks like at least one of the three is about to be charged with a wild pitch.

Russell Martin. Just call him Home Depot because he's got hardware.

"Past becomes a present to Dodgers fans" by Bill Plaschke at the LA Times

photos by Jon SooHoo/Dodgers