Joe's Question #1:
During your career you threw two no-hitters. In 1952 you no-hit the Cubs 5-0. In 1956 you no-hit the Giants 3-0. What were those two games like for you?

Mr. Erskine's Answer:
In 1952, I'd been in the league since 1948, and I had a winning record. I would go around the city with Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and some of my good buddies on the team. Everybody knew them but nobody knew me. I was kind of an unknown.
But the game with the Cubs kind of gave me status, I guess, with that outstanding team. After that it seemed like I was more recognized along with the rest of my teammates.
That game had a rain delay of 40 some minutes in the middle of the game. In a hurry to try and get five innings in, (We had a five run lead so we were just trying to get five innings in because it looked like heavy rain). I hurried and pitched to Willie Ramsdell, the pitcher for the Cubs who had relieved the starter Warren Hacker. I walked Willie Ramsdell on four pitches. Then we had the 40 some minute delay. We went in, we played cards in the clubhouse.
After 40 some minutes they said, "Hey, they're taking of the covering. They're going to start the game again." So I had to change clothes as I had to take off my wet clothes, because it had been drizzling. I went back and finished.
Turned out that Willie Ramsdell, the pitcher who I walked on four straight pitches, was the only base runner. So he was a week hitter and I walked him.
The Cubs game was a thriller because no-hitters are kind of rare birds. They happen to a lot of different kind of pitchers too. Some are great, some are obscure names that still at least pitched one no hitter.

The Giant game (1956) was real satisfying because it happened four or five years later. I had lots of arm trouble and I was pitching on a Saturday game of the week and was real worried about being able to pitch because my arm was giving me problems. I'd had a shot of cortisone the night before which made my arm even a little bit more sore.
Jackie Robinson played third base that day; made a marvelous stop on a smash by Willie Mays that saved a base hit. I pitched the rest of the ball game and there were no other close calls except in the ninth. Whitey Lockman hit a hard hit ground ball back through the middle and I happened to be able to nail it and turned it into an easy out.
So, to beat the Giants in front of our home crowd was a big, big highlight. Especially since I was doubtful that I could pitch at all that day and ended up pitching a no hitter.

Joe's Question #2:
In 1953 you had probably your best year in baseball. You won 20 games, struck out 187 and went to the World Series. What was that season, and postseason, like for you?

Mr. Erskine's Answer:
Well in 1953, of course by that time I had become an established starter. I pitched pretty well the first half of the season. Charlie Dressen, (our manager), came to me about mid season, about the all-star break and said, "Boy Carl, I can't believe it, you've pitched good baseball this year and your record is five and four. Boy, you need a change of luck. You've had some bad luck. You should have 10 wins. I'm going to take you fishing and change your luck."
I went upstate New York with Charlie Dressen, (our manager), and fished during the all-star break. Came back and was 15 and 2 the second half.
So I could have real, probably won at least two more ball games but we clinched the pennant early. So they wouldn't let me pitch more than three or four innings in a game, just to keep in tune for the series. I had leads a couple of time but had to come out because they didn't want me to pitch very many innings.

In the series, I was pitching very well. But the opening game of the series, in the stadium, I had a bad first inning. Just one of those peculiar things. Had to be taken out early in the game and Dressen (the manager) said to me, "Well Carl, you didn't pitch much today and I'm going to bring you back in the third game. We'll start you in the third game."
So I started the first game (and then with no travel day in between in New York). We lost the first game, even though I wasn't the losing pitcher and we lost the second game. So now we're zero and two and we go to Ebbets Field and this is an absolutely must win.
Well, to get to start again after a bad beginning. I was so determined to not pitch a bad first inning or get out early. I told my roommate, Duke Snider, I'm going to go after them tooth and nail here because I don't want to get knocked out early.
It turned out, tough ball game, against Vic Raschi. It went one to one, two to two, and the two runs the Yankees got were so cheap. They just scratched out two cheap runs, but they got them. We went into the bottom of the eight when Campanella hit a home run off Vic Raschi to give us a three two lead. Then I got two strike outs in the ninth and finished with a ground ball by Joe Collins for the end of the game.
When I went inside, everybody's around my locker. Preacher Roe kind of broke through the crowd. Shook my hand and he said, " Carl, great game and you set a strike out record today." Which I had no idea how many strike outs I had. But he said I had 14 and that's a New World Series record.
So that was a big, big, big highlight for me in my career.

Joe's Question #3:
Here's a question that I've always wanted to ask: What was it like to be a Brooklyn Dodger and play in Ebbets Field?

Mr. Erskine's Answer:
I think we did feel a special bond with the city of Brooklyn. The teams in the past years in Brooklyn had been up and down. They had a good team occasionally and some superstars occasionally but basically they'd been a team that just didn't win very much.
Then they had a reputation of being kind of clowns and all these peculiar things that happened at Ebbets Field. The Brooklyn Dodgers were called the Bums.
But in 1947 when Jackie Robinson came to the club and then Mr. Rickey began to assemble this great team in the late 1940's. I came up in 48, Duke Snider came about then, Campanellla, Newcome came up in 49, and they made a trade and got Preacher Roe and Billy Cox in 48. So that team began to come together in the 40's.
We won the pennant in 49; we didn't win the series. We won the pennant again in 52, 53, 55 and 56. Of course we won the World Championship in 55.
That team endeared themselves to the borough of Brooklyn because they were constantly winners. It gave new respect to the borough and that team was dubbed "The Boys of Summer" by Roger Cahn.
It was a great team of great individuals. Not just players, they were good players, outstanding players, many Hall of Famers on that team. But they were also real men of character and of good morals. There're just a solid bunch of men.
I was very privileged to be pitching for that team instead of pitching against them.

Joe's Question #4:
What are the things about your career that you look back on and with the best memories?

Mr. Erskine's Answer:
You know after awhile the scores kind of fade into the background, who won, who lost. I think of playing with men and against some outstanding men in that era. We had some outstanding people on the team.
Jackie Robinson was a man of Great character. He was intelligent, polished a very high class individual. And a very tenacious competitor. Just absolutely could turn a team on.
Campanella was my catcher for some 300 ball games. Campy was a master at receiving and he could throw, he was smart. It was just marvelous to have a relationship with Campanella as pitcher and catcher.
Gil Hodges, our first baseman of course was from Indiana and I knew his family here. So he and I had a close bond.
Pee Wee Reese was from Louisville and we were very close buddies.
Duke Snider was my roommate for about 10 or 11 seasons. We became extremely close friends and still are.
Playing with that team, I guess the scores, the series, the championships were all important at the time. Now I look back, I think of myself as being one of the most fortunate players in baseball. I could have signed with more than one team and I selected the Dodgers. Couldn't of made a better choice, to play with, and had the experience with, these outstanding men.

Robin Roberts I pitched against many times. I respected him a great deal.
Sal Maglie of the Giants, he was a real pro. He was traded to the Dodgers and we got to know him as a real professional and a real gentleman.
Hank Aaron was in the league then, Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Clemente, Stan Musial. These were all quality men. These were good players but they also had great life styles.
It was just a great time to be in baseball.