Baseball Legend Carl Erskine at Indians Game

A special guest stole the show as the Indianapolis Indians took on the Toledo Mud Hens downtown this afternoon. Brooklyn and L.A. Dodgers legend Carl Erskine, an Anderson native, was on hand. This is a man who pitched two of Major League Baseball’s seven no-hitters in the National League during the 1950s. He also won 20 games in the 1953 season and struck out a then-record 14 hitters in the World Series.

But on this day, Erskine, now 85, wielded his harmonica to perform the seventh-inning stretch’s trademark “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” tune. He also signed hats, balls, tickets—basically anything placed in front of him—for fans who approached his seat. And he was readily approachable.

When all was said and done, it was a fine day at Victory Field, once named the best minor-league ballpark by Sports Illustrated. (See No. 45 here.) Oh, and the Indians notched a 9-6 victory over their division-rival Mud Hens to boot.

Photos by Jacob Wolverton