The 1953 Season
Final Standings
The booklet closes with both league schedules as they stood in the spring of 1953. Below is what was actually played — 1,240 games, reconstructed from contemporaneous box scores.
It was Milwaukee’s first season after the Braves left Boston and St. Louis’s last before the Browns became the Baltimore Orioles. Brooklyn won 105 games, a figure the franchise never bettered, and lost the World Series to the Yankees anyway — New York’s fifth in a row.
Final standings
National League
| Club | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 105 | 49 | .682 | — |
| Milwaukee Braves | 92 | 62 | .597 | 13.0 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 83 | 71 | .539 | 22.0 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 83 | 71 | .539 | 22.0 |
| New York Giants | 70 | 84 | .455 | 35.0 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs | 68 | 86 | .442 | 37.0 |
| Chicago Cubs | 65 | 89 | .422 | 40.0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 50 | 104 | .325 | 55.0 |
American League
| Club | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 99 | 52 | .656 | — |
| Cleveland Indians | 92 | 62 | .597 | 8.5 |
| Chicago White Sox | 89 | 65 | .578 | 11.5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 84 | 69 | .549 | 16.0 |
| Washington Senators | 76 | 76 | .500 | 23.5 |
| Detroit Tigers | 60 | 94 | .390 | 40.5 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 59 | 95 | .383 | 41.5 |
| St. Louis Browns | 54 | 100 | .351 | 46.5 |
Every date, club by club
The booklet’s last two pages carry a grid for each league: clubs down the side, the park visited across the top, and the league’s name spelled in red down the diagonal where a club would meet itself. These are those grids, rebuilt.
They are not quite what the booklet printed. That page was a schedule, set before a ball was thrown; this is the season as it happened, and rain moved about one date in twenty. Brooklyn was due at Chicago on the 12th and 13th of May, played the 12th, and made the other up in a doubleheader on June 19th — which is why some cells carry a dagger where the printed page carried a second date.
National League
| 1953 | atBrooklyn | atChicago | atCincinnati | atMilwaukee | atNew York | atPhiladelphia | atPittsburgh | atSt. Louis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | May 12June 19†,20,21,22July 28,29,30Sept. 13,14 | May 17†,*18June *23,*24,25Aug. *7,*8,9Sept. *9,10 | May *19,20June *26,*27,28Aug. *3,5,6†Sept. *11,12 | Apr. *17†May *21,22July 5Aug. *11,12,*13Sept. *4,5,6 | Apr. *21,*22,*23May *23,24,*25July *8,*9Sept. *25,*26,27 | Apr. 19May 29,30†July *6,7†Aug. *21,22,23† | May *14,15June *16,*17,18July *31Aug. *1,2Sept. *15,*16,17 | |
| Chicago | May *1June *12,14†July *20,21,*22†Aug. *25†,26,27 | May 29,30†July *10†,11,12†Sept. *22†,23 | May *8,9,10†,*27July *7,*8Aug. *21,22,23† | May 6June *5,6,7†July *16,18Aug. 30†,31Sept. 1 | May 3†,*4June 8,*9,*10†July 19†Aug. *28,29 | Apr. *28,*29,30June *2,*3,4July *24,25,26†Sept. *2 | Apr. *16May 31June *29,*30July *1Aug. *18,*19,20Sept. *19,20,*21 | |
| Cincinnati | Apr. *28,29,30June *8,9,*10,11July 19†Aug. *28,29 | Apr. 14July 5†,6Aug. 11,12†,13Sept. 5,6† | Apr. 25May *25†,26July *2,3,4†Sept. 19,20† | May 4†June *2,3,4July *24,25,26†Sept. 2,3 | June *12,14†July *16†,*17,18Aug. 30†,*31† | May *1,2June *5,6,7†July *21,22,23Aug. *25† | Apr. *21,*22May *21,*22,*23,24Aug. *21,*22,23Sept. 7† | |
| Milwaukee | May 3,*4June *2,3,4July *24,25,26†Sept. *2,3 | Apr. 22,23May 23,24†Aug. 14,15,16†Sept. 7† | Apr. 13,17May 31†June *30†July 1Aug. *18,19Sept. 26,27 | Apr. *28,29,30June 8,*9,10,11July 19†Aug. *28,29 | May *1June *5,6,7†July *21†,*22Aug. *25†,*26 | June *12†,13,14†,*15July *16,*17,18Aug. 30† | Apr. 19,*20May 29,30†July *10,*11,12†Sept. *22†,*23 | |
| New York | Apr. *24,25,26May *27,28July *10,11,12Aug. *18,19,20 | May 19,20June 26,27,28Aug. 4,5†,6Sept. 11,12 | May 15June *16†,*17,18July *31Aug. 1,2†Sept. *15,16 | May *12,13June *19,20,21†July *27,*28,*29,30Sept. 13† | Apr. 14,15July 3,4†Aug. *21,*22†,23Sept. *22,*23 | Apr. *21,*22,23May 23,24,25July *8,9Sept. *25,26,27 | May *16,17,18June *23,*24,25Aug. *7,*8,9Sept. *9,10 | |
| Philadelphia | May *9†,10June *30July *1,2Sept. 7†,19,20† | May 15June 23,24,25Aug. 7,8,9†Sept. 15,16,17 | May *19,20June *19,20,21†July *28,*29,30Sept. *11,12 | May 16,*18June *16†,*17July *31†Aug. 1,2†Sept. *8,*9 | Apr. 20May 29July 6,*7†Aug. 15†,16†,17† | Apr. 16May *21,*27†,28July 5†Aug. *11,*12,13Sept. 6 | May *12June *26,*27†,28Aug. *3,*4,*5,*6Sept. 13,*14 | |
| Pittsburgh | Apr. 14,15May 31†July 4†Aug. 15,16†,*17Sept. 22 | May 16,17†June 16†,17,18July 31Aug. 1,2Sept. 9 | June *26†,27,28†Aug. *3,*4,5,6Sept. 13† | May *14,15June *23,*24,25Aug. *7,8,9†Sept. *15,16 | May 9†,10†June *30July 1Sept. 7†,19†,20 | Apr. *24,25,26†July *10,11,12†Aug. *18,*19,*20 | May *19,*20June *19,*20,21,*22July *28,*29,30Sept. *11,12 | |
| St. Louis | May *6June *5,6,7July *16,*17†,18Aug. 30,*31Sept. 1 | Apr. 25,26May 25,26†July 3,4†Sept. 25,26,27 | May *8,9,10†,*27,*28July *7,*8Aug. *14,*15,16† | Apr. 14July 5†Aug. *10,*11,*12†Sept. *4,5,6† | May 1June *12,14†,15July *21,22Aug. *25†,26,27 | Apr. *28,*29,*30June *2,*3†,*4July *24,*25,26Sept. *2,*3 | May 3,*4June *8,9,*10,11July 19†,20Aug. *28,29 |
Scroll the grid sideways for the rest of the league
* night game† doubleheaderAll-Star Game — Cincinnati, Tuesday, July 14
American League
| 1953 | atBoston | atChicago | atCleveland | atDetroit | atNew York | atPhiladelphia | atSt. Louis | atWashington |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | May *5,6June *12,13,14†July 22,23Aug. *27,*28,29 | May *1,2June *2,*3,4July 19†Aug. 30†,*31Sept. 1 | Apr. 28,29June 6†,7,8July *16,*17,18Sept. 2,3 | Apr. 21,22,23May 23,24,*25July *8,9Sept. *25,26,27 | Apr. 16,17May *27,28July 5Aug. *11†,*12,*13Sept. 6† | May 3†June *9,*10†,*11July *24†,25,26† | Apr. 19May *29,30†July *6,*7Aug. *10,*21†,*22,23 | |
| Chicago | May *12,13June *26,27,28July *28,29,30Sept. 13,14,15 | Apr. 14May *11July 5†,*6Aug. *11,*12,13Sept. *4,*5†,6 | Apr. 21,22,23May *22,23,24Aug. *14,15,16Sept. 7† | May 14,16June *23,24,25Aug. 7,8†,9Sept. *9,10 | May *19,*20June *19,20,21†Aug. *4,*5,6Sept. *11,12 | Apr. *24,25,26†May *25,*26July 4†Sept. *25,*26,27 | May 17,*18June *16,*17,*18July *31Aug. *1,2,*3Sept. *16,*17 | |
| Cleveland | May 14,16June *23†,24,25Aug. *7,8,9Sept. *9,10 | Apr. 18May *29,30†July *10†,11,12†Sept. *22,23 | Apr. 16,17May 31June *30July 1,2Aug. *18,19,20Sept. 20† | May *12,13June *26,27,28July *28,29,30Sept. 13,14,15 | May 17†June *16,*17,*18July *31Aug. 1,2†Sept. *16,*17 | May *8,*9,10,*27,*28July *7,*8,*9Aug. *14,16† | May *20June *19,*20,21,22†Aug. *4,*5,6Sept. *11,12 | |
| Detroit | May 18†June *16,17,18July *31Aug. 1,2†Sept. 16,17 | May *8,9,10†,*27July *7,8,9Aug. *21,22,23† | Apr. *24,25,26†May *26July *3,4†Sept. *25,26,27 | May *19,20June 19,20,21†Aug. *4,5,6Sept. 11,12 | May *14,*15,16June *23,*24,*25Aug. *7,8,9†Sept. *9† | Apr. *14July 5†,*6Aug. *11†,*12,13Sept. *4,*5,6 | May *12June *26,*27,28†July *28,*29,30Sept. 13†,*14 | |
| New York | May *8,9,10June *30July 1,2Sept. 7†,19,20 | Apr. 30May *1,2June *2,3,4July 19†Aug. 30†Sept. *1 | May *5June *12,13,14†July *21,*22,23Aug. *27,*28,29 | May 3,4June *9,10,11July *24,25,26†Aug. 25,26 | Apr. 19†May 29July *6†,*7Aug. 15,16†,*17† | Apr. *28June *5,6,7†July *16†,*17,18Sept. *2,3 | Apr. 16,17May *21,22July 5†Aug. *11,*12,*13 | |
| Philadelphia | Apr. 24,25May 21,22†July *10,11,12†Aug. *18,19 | May 3†June *9,10,11July *24,25,26†Aug. *25,26 | Apr. *28,29June *5,6,7†July *16,*17,18Sept. *2,3 | May 1,2June *2,3,4†July 19†Aug. 30†,*31†Sept. 1 | Apr. 14,15May 31July 3,4†Aug. *21,22,23Sept. *22,23 | May *5,*6June *12,13,14†July *22,*23Aug. *27†,*28 | Apr. *21,*22,23May *23,24,*25July *8,9Sept. *25,*26,27 | |
| St. Louis | May 19,20June *19,20,21†Aug. *4,5,6Sept. 11,12 | Apr. 16,17May 31†June *30July 1Aug. *18†,19Sept. 20† | Apr. 21May 23,24†Aug. *21†,22,23†Sept. 7† | Apr. 18†,19May 29,30†July *10,11,12†Sept. *22 | May 17June *16,17,18†July 31Aug. 1,3Sept. *16†,17 | May *12,*13June *26,27,28†July *28,*29,*30Sept. 13† | May *14,*15,16June *23,*24,*25Aug. *7,9†Sept. *9† | |
| Washington | Apr. 20†May 31†July *3,4†Aug. 15†,16† | Apr. 28,29June *5,7†July 16†,*17,18Sept. 2,*3 | May 3†June *9,*10,11July *24,25,26†Aug. *25,26 | May 5,6June *12,13,14July 21,23†Aug. 27,*28,29 | Apr. 24,25,26May 27,28July 10,*11,12Aug. *18,19,20 | May *8,9,10†June *30July *1Sept. 7†,19,20† | Apr. *30May *1,2June *2,*3,*4July 19†Aug. 30†,*31 |
Scroll the grid sideways for the rest of the league
* night game† doubleheaderAll-Star Game — Cincinnati, Tuesday, July 14
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