View source for 1953 Chicago Cubs season

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox baseball team season
| name = Chicago Cubs
| season = 1953
| misc = 
| league = National League
| ballpark = [[Wrigley Field]]
| city = [[Chicago]]
| record = {{winpct|65|89|record=y}}
| league_place = 7th
| owners = [[Philip K. Wrigley]]
| general_managers = [[Wid Matthews]]
| managers = [[Phil Cavarretta]]
| television = [[WGN-TV]]<br>([[Jack Brickhouse]], Harry Creighton)
| radio = [[WIND (AM)|WIND]]<br>([[Bert Wilson (broadcaster)|Bert Wilson]], Bud Campbell)
|}}
The '''1953 Chicago Cubs season''' was the 82nd season of the [[Chicago Cubs]] franchise, the 78th in the [[National League (baseball)|National League]] and the 38th at [[Wrigley Field]]. The Cubs finished seventh in the National League with a record of 65–89.

== Regular season ==

=== Season standings ===
{{1953 National League standings}}

=== Record vs. opponents ===
{{1953 NL Record vs. opponents|team=CHC}}

=== Notable transactions ===
* June 4, 1953: [[Toby Atwell]], [[Bob Schultz]], [[Preston Ward]], [[George Freese]], [[Bob Addis]], [[Gene Hermanski]], and $150,000 were traded by the Cubs to the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]] for [[Ralph Kiner]], [[Joe Garagiola]], [[Catfish Metkovich]], and [[Howie Pollet]].<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/k/kinerra01.shtml Ralph Kiner] at ''Baseball Reference''</ref>
* September 8, 1953: [[Ernie Banks]] was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.<ref>[https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bankser01.shtml Ernie Banks] at ''Baseball Reference''</ref>

=== Roster ===
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! colspan="10" style="background-color: #0e3386; color: white; text-align: center;" | 1953 Chicago Cubs
|-
| colspan="10" style="background-color: #EE1422; color: white; text-align: center;" | '''Roster'''
|-
| valign="top" | '''Pitchers'''
{{MLBplayer|31|[[Fred Baczewski]]}}
{{MLBplayer|33|[[Bubba Church]]}}
{{MLBplayer|36|[[Don Elston]]}}
{{MLBplayer|18|[[Warren Hacker]]}}
{{MLBplayer|26|[[Sheldon Jones]]}}
{{MLBplayer|33|[[Bob Kelly (baseball)|Bob Kelly]]}}
{{MLBplayer|36|[[Johnny Klippstein]]}}
{{MLBplayer|20|[[Dutch Leonard (right-handed pitcher)|Dutch Leonard]]}}
{{MLBplayer|35|[[Turk Lown]]}}
{{MLBplayer|24|[[Paul Minner]]}}
{{MLBplayer|26|[[Bill Moisan]]}}
{{MLBplayer|16|[[Howie Pollet]]}}
{{MLBplayer|17|[[Bob Rush (baseball)|Bob Rush]]}}
{{MLBplayer|34|[[Bob Schultz]]}}
{{MLBplayer|30|[[Duke Simpson]]}}
{{MLBplayer|28|[[Jim Willis (1950s pitcher)|Jim Willis]]}}
| width="25px" | 
| valign="top" | '''Catchers'''
{{MLBplayer|11|[[Toby Atwell]]}}
{{MLBplayer|11|[[Joe Garagiola]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;8|[[Clyde McCullough]]}}
{{MLBplayer|15|[[Carl Sawatski]]}}
'''Infielders'''
{{MLBplayer|37|[[Gene Baker]]}}
{{MLBplayer|14|[[Ernie Banks]]}}
{{MLBplayer|12|[[Tommy Brown (baseball)|Tommy Brown]]}}
{{MLBplayer|40|[[Dee Fondy]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;2|[[Randy Jackson (baseball)|Randy Jackson]]}}
{{MLBplayer|21|[[Eddie Miksis]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;5|[[Bob Ramazzotti]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;6|[[Bill Serena]]}}
{{MLBplayer|39|[[Roy Smalley Jr.]]}}
| width="25px" | 
| valign="top" | '''Outfielders'''
{{MLBplayer|16|[[Bob Addis]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;7|[[Frank Baumholtz]]}}
{{MLBplayer|22|[[Gene Hermanski]]}}
{{MLBplayer|4,3|[[Hal Jeffcoat]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;4|[[Ralph Kiner]]}}
{{MLBplayer|22|[[Catfish Metkovich]]}}
{{MLBplayer|&nbsp;9|[[Hank Sauer]]}}
{{MLBplayer|14|[[Paul Schramka]]}}
{{MLBplayer|10|[[Bob Talbot]]}}
{{MLBplayer|29|[[Preston Ward]]}}
'''Other batters'''
{{MLBplayer|44|[[Phil Cavarretta]]}}
| width="25px" | 
| valign="top" | '''Manager'''
{{MLBplayer|44|[[Phil Cavarretta]]}}
'''Coaches'''
{{MLBplayer|3,29|[[Ray Blades]]}}
{{MLBplayer|47|[[Spud Davis]]}}
{{MLBplayer|42|[[Roy Johnson (pitcher)|Roy Johnson]]}}
{{MLBplayer|49|[[Charlie Root]]}}
|-
|}

== Player stats ==

=== Batting ===

==== Starters by position ====
''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="5%" | Pos
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" | Player
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | G
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | AB
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | H
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | Avg.
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | HR
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | RBI
|- align="center"
| C || [[Clyde McCullough]] || 77 || 229 || 59 || .258 || 6 || 23
|- align=center
| 1B || [[Dee Fondy]] || 150 || 594 || 184 || .309 || 18 || 78
|- align=center
| 2B || [[Eddie Miksis]] || 142 || 577 || 145 || .251 || 8 || 39
|- align=center
| SS || {{sortname|Roy|Smalley Jr.}} || 82 || 253 || 63 || .249 || 6 || 25
|- align="center"
| 3B || [[Randy Jackson (baseball)|Randy Jackson]] || 139 || 498 || 142 || .285 || 19 || 66
|- align=center
| OF || [[Ralph Kiner]] || 117 || 414 || 117 || .283 || 28 || 87
|- align=center
| OF || [[Frank Baumholtz]] || 133 || 520 || 159 || .306 || 3 || 25
|- align=center
| OF || [[Hank Sauer]] || 108 || 395 || 104 || .263 || 19 || 60
|}

==== Other batters ====
''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" | Player
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | G
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | AB
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | H
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | Avg.
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | HR
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | RBI
|- align="center"
| [[Bill Serena]] || 93 || 275 || 69 || .251 || 10 || 52
|- align=center
| [[Joe Garagiola]] || 74 || 228 || 62 || .272 || 1 || 21
|- align=center
| [[Hal Jeffcoat]] || 106 || 183 || 43 || .235 || 4 || 22
|- align=center
| [[Tommy Brown (baseball)|Tommy Brown]] || 65 || 138 || 27 || .196 || 2 || 13
|- align=center
| [[George Metkovich]] || 61 || 124 || 29 || .234 || 2 || 12
|- align=center
| [[Preston Ward]] || 33 || 100 || 23 || .230 || 4 || 12
|- align=center
| {{sortname|Toby|Atwell}} || 24 || 74 || 17 || .230 || 1 || 8
|- align="center"
| [[Carl Sawatski]] || 43 || 59 || 13 || .220 || 1 || 5
|- align=center
| [[Gene Hermanski]] || 18 || 40 || 6 || .150 || 0 || 1
|- align=center
| [[Bob Ramazzotti]] || 26 || 39 || 6 || .154 || 0 || 4
|- align=center
| [[Ernie Banks]] || 10 || 35 || 11 || .314 || 2 || 6
|- align=center
| [[Bob Talbot]] || 8 ||| 30 || 10 || .333 || 0 || 0
|- align=center
| [[Gene Baker]] || 7 || 22 || 5 || .227 || 0 || 0
|- align=center
| {{sortname|Phil|Cavarretta}} || 27 || 21 || 6 || .286 || 0 || 3
|- align="center"
| [[Bob Addis]] || 10 || 12 || 2 || .167 || 0 || 1
|- align=center
| [[Paul Schramka]] || 2 || 0 || 0 || ---- || 0 || 0
|}

=== Pitching ===

==== Starting pitchers ====
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" | Player
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | G
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | IP
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | W
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | L
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | ERA
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | SO
|- align="center"
| [[Warren Hacker]] || 39 || 221.2 || 12 || 19 || 4.38 || 106
|- align=center
| [[Paul Minner]] || 31 || 201.0 || 12 || 15 || 4.21 || 64
|- align=center
| [[Bob Rush (baseball)|Bob Rush]] || 29 || 166.2 || 9 || 14 || 4.54 || 84
|}

==== Other pitchers ====
''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" | Player
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | G
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | IP
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | W
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | L
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | ERA
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | SO
|- align="center"
| [[Johnny Klippstein]] || 48 || 167.2 || 10 || 11 || 4.83 || 113
|- align=center
| [[Turk Lown]] || 49 || 148.1 || 8 || 7 || 5.16 || 76
|- align=center
| [[Howie Pollet]] || 25 || 111.1 || 5 || 6 || 4.12 || 45
|- align=center
| {{sortname|Bubba|Church}} || 27 || 104.1 || 4 || 5 || 5.00 || 47
|- align="center"
| [[Jim Willis (1950s pitcher)|Jim Willis]] || 13 || 43.1 || 2 || 1 || 3.12 || 15
|- align=center
| {{sortname|Bob|Schultz}} || 7 || 11.2 || 0 || 2 || 5.40 || 4
|- align=center
| [[Don Elston]] || 2 || 5.0 || 0 || 1 || 14.40 || 2
|}

==== Relief pitchers ====
''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="16%" | Player
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | G
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | W
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | L
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | SV
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | ERA
! bgcolor="#DDDDFF" width="9%" | SO
|- align="center"
| [[Dutch Leonard (right-handed pitcher)|Dutch Leonard]] || 45 || 2 || 3 || 9 || 4.60 || 27
|- align=center
| [[Duke Simpson]] || 30 || 1 || 2 || 0 || 8.00 || 21
|- align=center
| [[Sheldon Jones]] || 22 || 0 || 2 || 0 || 5.40 || 9
|- align=center
| [[Bob Kelly (baseball)|Bob Kelly]] || 14 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 9.53 || 6
|- align=center
| {{sortname|Fred|Baczewski}} || 9 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6.30 || 3
|- align="center"
| [[Bill Moisan]] || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 5.40 || 1
|}

== Farm system ==
{{See also|Minor League Baseball}}

{{MLB Farm System|level11=[[Minor League Baseball#Pre-1963 classifications|Open]]|team11=[[Los Angeles Angels (PCL)|Los Angeles Angels]]|league11=[[Pacific Coast League]]|manager11=[[Stan Hack]]
|level12=[[Triple-A (baseball)|AAA]]|team12=[[Springfield Cubs]]|league12=[[International League]]|manager12=[[Bruce Edwards (baseball)|Bruce Edwards]] and [[Jack Sheehan (baseball)|Jack Sheehan]]
|level13=[[Class A (baseball, 1946–62)|A]]||team13=[[Macon Peaches]]|league13=[[South Atlantic League (1904–1963)|Sally League]]|manager13=[[Frank Kerr (baseball)|Frank Kerr]]
|level14=[[Class A (baseball, 1946–62)|A]]|team14=[[Des Moines Bruins]]|league14=[[Western League (1900–1958)|Western League]]|manager14=[[Kemp Wicker]] and [[Bruce Edwards (baseball)|Bruce Edwards]]
|level15=[[Class B (baseball)|B]]|team15=[[Cedar Rapids Indians]]|league15=[[Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League]]|manager15=[https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=kubski001alb Al Kubski] and [[Bill Prince]]
|level16=[[Class C (baseball)|C]]|team16=[[Stockton Ports]]|league16=[[California League]]|manager16=[[Bill Salkeld]]
|level17=[[Class C (baseball)|C]]|team17=[[Sioux Falls Fighting Pheasants|Sioux Falls Canaries]]|league17=[[Northern League (baseball, 1902–71)|Northern League]]|manager17=[[Dale Lynch]] 
|level18=[[Class D (baseball)|D]]|team18=[[Gainesville Owls]]|league18=[[Sooner State League]]|manager18=[[Jimmy Grigg]], [[Ernie Shadid]] and [[Jesse Landrum]] 
|level19=[[Class D (baseball)|D]]|team19=[[Hickory Rebels]]|league19=[[Tar Heel League]]|manager19=[[Bill Parker (baseball)|Bill Parker]]
|level20=[[Class D (baseball)|D]]|team20=[[Janesville Cubs]]|league20=[[Wisconsin State League]]|manager20=[[Bob Dant]]
}}
<small>LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Des Moines</small>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== References ==
*{{Cite book| editor1-last=Johnson| editor1-first=Lloyd| editor2-last=Wolff| editor2-first=Miles| title=The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball| edition=2nd| location=Durham, North Carolina| publisher=Baseball America| year=1997| isbn=978-0-9637189-8-3}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHC/1953.shtml 1953 Chicago Cubs season at Baseball Reference]
{{1953 MLB season by team}}
{{Chicago Cubs}}

[[Category:Chicago Cubs seasons]]
[[Category:1953 Major League Baseball season|Chicago Cubs season]]
[[Category:1953 in sports in Illinois|Chicago Cubs]]


{{ChicagoCubs-season-stub}}