1953 Season

16 teams competing in 2 leagues

The 1953 Major League Baseball season was played by 16 teams. The New York Yankees won the World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers. Eddie Mathews led with 47 home runs, Al Rosen led with 145 RBI, and Harvey Kuenn led with 209 hits. This page carries the 1953 standings, league leaders, postseason results, and a link to every team's season.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
L (Losses):
Games charged to the pitcher of record when the opposing team took a lead it never surrendered.
Win% (Winning Percentage):
Wins divided by games decided.
GB (Games Back):
How far a team trailed the division or league leader.

Data updated

🏆 Postseason

1953 Bracket
World Series NYA def. BRO (4-2)

📂 Quick Links

📊 Full Leaders 📋 Standings ⚾ Batting 🎯 Pitching

⏳ Browse Seasons

1943 1948 1952 1953 1954 1958 1963

⚾ Batting Leaders

1953 Home Run Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

Batting average and OPS list qualified hitters only: 3.1 plate appearances per team game — 480 plate appearances at 155 team games. Home runs, RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases are counting totals and list every player.

Batting Average qualified

1 Carl Furillo .344 2 Red Schoendienst .342 3 Stan Musial .337 4 Mickey Vernon .337 5 Duke Snider .336

OPS qualified

1 Duke Snider 1.046 2 Stan Musial 1.046 3 Al Rosen 1.034 4 Eddie Mathews 1.033 5 Roy Campanella 1.006

Home Runs all players

1 Eddie Mathews 47 2 Al Rosen 43 3 Duke Snider 42 4 Gus Zernial 42 5 Roy Campanella 41

RBI all players

1 Al Rosen 145 2 Roy Campanella 142 3 Eddie Mathews 135 4 Duke Snider 126 5 Del Ennis 125

Hits all players

1 Harvey Kuenn 209 2 Richie Ashburn 205 3 Mickey Vernon 205 4 Al Rosen 201 5 Stan Musial 200

Runs all players

1 Duke Snider 132 2 Stan Musial 127 3 Al Dark 126 4 Jim Gilliam 125 5 Al Rosen 115

Stolen Bases all players

1 Bill Bruton 26 2 Minnie Miñoso 25 3 Pee Wee Reese 22 4 Jim Rivera 22 5 Jim Gilliam 21
View Complete Batting Stats →

🎯 Pitching Leaders

1953 Strikeout Leaders

Top 10 — click a bar to view the player.

ERA and WHIP list qualified pitchers only: 1 inning pitched per team game — 155 innings at 155 team games. Wins, strikeouts and saves are counting totals and list every pitcher.

ERA qualified

1 Warren Spahn 2.10 2 Eddie Lopat 2.42 3 Billy Pierce 2.72 4 Robin Roberts 2.75 5 Virgil Trucks 2.93

WHIP qualified

1 Warren Spahn 1.06 2 Robin Roberts 1.11 3 Eddie Lopat 1.13 4 Vic Raschi 1.13 5 Harvey Haddix 1.14

Wins all pitchers

1 Robin Roberts 23 2 Warren Spahn 23 3 Bob Porterfield 22 4 Bob Lemon 21 5 Mel Parnell 21

Strikeouts all pitchers

1 Robin Roberts 198 2 Carl Erskine 187 3 Billy Pierce 186 4 Vinegar Bend Mizell 173 5 Harvey Haddix 163

Saves all pitchers

1 Ellis Kinder 27 2 Al Brazle 18 3 Fritz Dorish 18 4 Hoyt Wilhelm 15 5 Allie Reynolds 13
View Complete Pitching Stats →

📋 Standings

American League

New York Yankees ★ 99-52 Cleveland Indians 92-62 Chicago White Sox 89-65 Boston Red Sox 84-69 Washington Senators 76-76 Detroit Tigers 60-94 Philadelphia Athletics 59-95 St. Louis Browns 54-100

National League

Brooklyn Dodgers ★ 105-49 Milwaukee Braves 92-62 Philadelphia Phillies 83-71 St. Louis Cardinals 83-71 New York Giants 70-84 Cincinnati Reds 68-86 Chicago Cubs 65-89 Pittsburgh Pirates 50-104

The 1953 season in brief

The best record in the 1953 standings belonged to the Brooklyn Dodgers, who finished 105-49. The weakest record belonged to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 50-104. In the standings, the New York Yankees won the American League going away, 99-52 against 92-62 for the Cleveland Indians and nobody in the National League came near the Brooklyn Dodgers's 105-49. In the World Series, the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4 games to 2. Eddie Mathews led the majors with 47 home runs, ahead of Al Rosen with 43. Carl Furillo's .344 is the best average on the qualified board, with Red Schoendienst next at .342. That 1953 rate board needs 480 plate appearances (155 team games times the per-game rule). Warren Spahn's 2.10 ERA led the qualified pitchers; Eddie Lopat followed at 2.42. The other 1953 pitching tiles are led by Robin Roberts in wins (23), Robin Roberts in strikeouts (198), and Ellis Kinder in saves (27). The stolen-base tile is headed by Bill Bruton with 26. Every 1953 hitter and pitcher past the display floor is on the 1953 leaders page.

1953 MLB Season: Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the World Series in 1953?
The New York Yankees won the 1953 World Series, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers.
How many teams played in 1953?
16 teams played in the 1953 major league season.
Who led MLB in home runs in 1953?
Eddie Mathews led with 47 home runs in 1953.
Who led MLB in RBI in 1953?
Al Rosen led with 145 RBI in 1953.
Who led MLB in hits in 1953?
Harvey Kuenn led with 209 hits in 1953.
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