1955 would prove to be “next year” for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After too many World Series defeats to count and more heartbreak than any team should have to go through, especially to their crosstown rival Yankees, ’55 would be the year 'Dem Bums got the proverbial monkey off their backs. A key contributor for Brooklyn’s championship season was their veteran right-handed starter, Carl Erskine. Pronounced “Oiskin” in Brooklynese, Oisk proved to be one of the most dependable and popular Dodgers, bringing in large crowds whenever he was scheduled to pitch.
On June 10, 1955, with 22,000 on hand in Ebbets Field, Erskine took the hill against the Chicago Cubs. Oisk’s famous curveball baffled the Cubbies that evening as he fanned eight and allowed just four hits in a masterful complete game shutout. More historic that night was Oisk’s bat. The lifetime .156 hitter went 2-for-3 and hit what proved to be the only home run of his entire big league career. The shot, off “Sad” Sam Jones in the bottom of the 5th, put Brooklyn ahead 2-0. Pee Wee Reese and Roy Campanella joined the long ball parade to complete the scoring as the Dodgers blanked the Cubs, 7-0. Presented here is the very ball Erskine hit into the bleachers for his only career home run.
The ONL (Giles) ball shows obvious use, with heavy soiling and scuffing. Erskine was able to get the milestone ball back right after the game and, according to his included letter, added the following notations in still legible 5/10 blue fountain pen: the score of the game “Bklyn 7 - Chicago 0” [sic] on the east panel; the date “6/10/55” and “Nite Game - Box 214 Row A [where the ball landed in the bleachers we presume] - Chicago & Bklyn” [sic] on the west panel; and “First Homer by Erskine” along the stitching of the south panel. The other inscriptions are not legible; it appears that a couple family members may have added their autographs at some point. A truly one-of-a-kind piece that happens to be the Brooklyn Dodger star’s only career home run ball.
Comes with an LOA signed by Carl Erskine himself.