The signing with Mr. Erskine today went great. He was gracious as always and was overwhelmed with the response we had to the signing. We had 150 items for Mr. Erskine to sign and he asked us to thank each and every person willing to participate. Pictures will be posted soon.
Mr. Erskine had great stories to tell as the signing went on. He quickly verified that the no-hitter photo we offered for the signing is from the 1956 no-hitter he pitched and not the 1952 no-hitter he pitched at Ebbets Field as well. He remembered the umpire in the picture from the 1956 game because he sent Mr. Erskine a congratulatory letter a week after the game.
Mr. Erskine had a great story to share about his 1952 no-hitter. He explained that it looked like rain was imminent as the game began and after they quickly got a lead, they just hoped to get past 5 innings before the rain came. Needless to say the rain came and they headed to the clubhouse for a 45-minute rain delay. Mr. Erskine said they all enjoyed playing cards and so he and three other players passed the time playing Bridge. He said he just put together a great hand with 4 Hearts when the clubhouse manager called them back to the field. He warmed up again and completed the no-hitter! After the game, Mr. Erskine said the media asked him what he did to stay focused during the rain delay and he told them he was just playing cards!
Needless to say, Mr. Erskine had great stories to share and showed off some amazing items that he has in his personal collection. His World Series record 14 strikeouts came on October 2, 1953. Koufax broke the record with 15 on October 2, 1963 and Bob Gibson broke that record with 17 strikeouts on October 2, 1968. Mr. Erskine worked with both of these gentlemen over the years and he has a baseball in his collection signed by Mr. Koufax, Mr. Erskine, and Mr. Gibson. Each of them signed the ball and inscribed it with the date, their strikeout totals and the result of the game! What an amazing piece and one of only many other items in his collection.