Why Baseball Hall of Fame picked Indiana's Carl Erskine for Lifetime Achievement Award

Anderson native Carl Erskine has done a tremendous amount during his lifetime. And for those achievements in and contributions to baseball, he will be recognized at Sunday's hall of fame induction ceremony with the 2023 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame gives the award to people who have made extraordinary efforts to improve baseball’s impact on society. Erskine, 96, has done just that.

Erskine played his entire career with the Dodgers organization (first in Brooklyn, then Los Angeles) from 1948 through 1959. He was All-Star in 1954 and helped the Dodgers win the World Series a year later.

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After his playing days came to an end, Erskine coached at Anderson College (now Anderson University) for 12 seasons, earning four conference championships.

Here are five things to know about Erskine:

After graduating from Anderson, Carl Erskine served in the Navy

Erskine worked out for the Dodgers at Ebbets Field after graduating high school, but he couldn't sign because he had to serve his time in the Navy due to World War II. After finishing boot camp, Erskine was stationed at the Boston Navy Yard.

In 1946, Erskine approached the Recreation Officer about joining the local Navy team. When Erskine was asked about his weight (165 pounds), he was told the team already had enough pitchers. He ended up playing for a semi-pro team on Sundays.

A couple of years later when Erskine was playing for the Dodgers, a fan tried to get his attention from the stands. Erskine walked over to the fan, who held out his hand.

"Shake hands with the dumbest so ‘so and so’ in the world," the man said to Erskine. "I’m the ‘Rec’ officer that wouldn’t let you pitch for the U.S. Navy. With guys like me, I’m surprised that we won the war."

Carl Erskine played with Jackie Robinson for nine seasons

While Erskine was playing for the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate against Brooklyn's big league team, he pitched twice against Robinson.

"I heard this voice say, 'Where’s Erskine?' It was Jackie," Erskine said in a 2019 IndyStar article. "He said, 'Young man, you’re not going to be in this league very long. I hit against you twice today. You’re gonna be with us real quick.'"

Erskine said at the time, he and his teammates didn't realize the magnitude of what was happening when Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball.

"Jackie was not a historical figure when we played together," said Erskine. "He was just a ballplayer trying to win the next game. We didn’t sense the history, because how could you encompass the history of what that meant to our culture? He made America take a good look at itself on the biggest stage — baseball."

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Carl Erskine pitched two no-hitters, including the first on national television

Erskine's two no-hitters came against the Chicago Cubs on June 19, 1952, and against the New York Giants on May 12, 1956. The game against the Giants ended up being the first nationally-televised no-hitter.

One of the people watching the game was his wife, Betty. According to a 2015 IndyStar story, Erskine's arm had been giving him trouble and she was nervous.

"I'm at the ballpark and she's back home with the kids in Bay Ridge (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) ironing in front of the TV so she can watch the game," Erskine said. "And she's ironing a tablecloth. So now I pitch a couple good three innings and she's kind of hesitant to quit ironing the tablecloth because she wants things to keep going good. So she keeps ironing. So now about the fifth inning, she finally turns it over and she keeps ironing. So she ironed the same tablecloth for nine innings. She watched every pitch and she never scorched a spot. And I never allowed a hit. That's teamwork."

Carl Erskine has been a fierce advocate for the Special Olympics

Erskine's youngest child, Jimmy, was born with Down syndrome in 1960. Since then, Carl and Betty have been involved with the Special Olympics.

Erskine has volunteered with the Special Olympics for more than four decades and earned the program's highest honor — the Spirit of the Special Olympics. The Carl and Betty Erskine Society was formed by Erskine in order to raise money for the Special Olympics.

Carl Erskine is famous for also playing the harmonica

Playing the harmonica is a hobby Erskine has honed over the years. According to a 2015 IndyStar story, none of his Dodgers teammates knew he played.

Erskine has played the harmonica all over Indiana and the nation — at Dodgers games, in a local band, on the radio. He also never accepts any money for playing.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carl Erskine: What to know about 2023 Buck O'Neil Award winner