1953 Milwaukee Braves season
Major League Baseball season
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The 1953 Milwaukee Braves season was the 83rd season of the franchise. It saw the return of Major League Baseball to Milwaukee for the first time since 1901 when Braves team owner Lou Perini, due to very low attendance, moved the team to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This move was approved by all seven fellow National League owners and occurred during spring training, just weeks prior to the start of the season.[1][2][3][4]
| 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) |
In their first season in Wisconsin, the Braves finished in second place in the National League standings, with a 92–62 (.597) record, thirteen games behind the NL Champion Brooklyn Dodgers.
At the new County Stadium, the Braves drew a then-NL record 1.82 million fans.[5][6] The previous year in Boston, the home attendance for the season was under 282,000.[1]
Move of Braves from Boston to Milwaukee
Construction began on Milwaukee County Stadium in 1950 in hopes of both luring a Major League baseball team, as well as the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. The minor league Milwaukee 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, the National League approved owner Lou Perini's move of the Braves 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 to Toledo, Ohio, and changed their name to the Mudhens.[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 manager Charlie 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 the Mexican League attracting some MLB players in the 1940s, as of 2025[update], professional baseball in the United States comprises only two major leagues: the National League and the American League.
Regular season
Season standings
| 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 |
Opening game
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 its 1953 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 the Pittsburgh Pirates, and opened their season on the road against the Cincinnati Redlegs in the traditional NL opener at Crosley Field on Monday, April 13. Braves' starting pitcher Max Surkont threw a three-hit shutout, however, and Sid Gordon and Jack Dittmer drove in the only runs of the day, as Milwaukee triumphed, 2–0.[8] The following day, April 14, they opened at home before 34,357 fans, and in ten innings they defeated the St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee County Stadium, 3–2. Warren Spahn earned the complete game victory.[9]
Starting lineup, April 13, 1953
| 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] |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — | |||||
Roster
| 1953 Milwaukee Braves | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
| = Indicates team leader |
| = Indicates league leader |
Batting
Starters by position
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 |
Other batters
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 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
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 |
- Tied with Robin Roberts (PHI) for league lead
Other pitchers
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 |
Relief pitchers
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 |
Awards and honors
- Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year - Warren Spahn
- Sporting News Executive of the Year - Lou Perini
- Warren Spahn, Pitcher, Reserve
Farm system
| Level | Team | League | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA | Toledo Sox | American Association | Tommy Holmes and George Selkirk |
| AA | Atlanta Crackers | Southern Association | Gene Mauch |
| A | Jacksonville Braves | Sally League | Ben Geraghty |
| A | Lincoln Chiefs | Western League | Lou Finney and Walt Linden |
| B | Wichita Falls Spudders | Big State League | Whitey Wietelmann |
| B | Evansville Braves | Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League | Bob Coleman |
| B | Hagerstown Braves | Piedmont League | Dutch Dorman, Jimmy Zinn and Billy Jurges |
| C | Modesto Reds | California League | Guy Fletcher |
| C | Eau Claire Bears | Northern League | Rex Carr |
| C | Quebec Braves | Provincial League | George McQuinn |
| D | Sandersville Wacos | Georgia State League | Gabby Grant, Parnell Ruark, Lucius Morgan and Julian Morgan |
| D | Wellsville Braves | PONY League | Ted Sepkowski |
| D | Appleton Papermakers | Wisconsin State League | Travis Jackson |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Wichita Falls, Quebec