1953 Columbia Reds Roster
Team Record: 92-48
Finished 2nd in the SAL
Manager: Ernie White (92-48)
Affiliation: Cincinnati Reds
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Ballpark: Capital City Stadium
Attendance: 97,234, Avg. 1,389
Playoffs - Columbia Reds 3 games, Columbus Cardinals 0
Finals - Columbia Reds 4 games, Jacksonville Braves 3
The Columbia Reds of the South Atlantic League ended the 1953 season with a record of 92 wins and 48 losses, finishing second in the SAL.
The Reds led the circuit with just 527 runs allowed. Columbia scored 681 runs. Jim Bolger and Lewis Davis paced batters with significant playing time with a .301 average. Clarence Zieser topped the team with 18 wins, while Maurice Fisher, Barney Martin and Ken Polivka each added 15 or more victories also Corky Valentine registered a 2.11 earned run average, best among hurlers with significant time on the mound.
Players from the 1953 Columbia Reds who spent time in the Majors during their careers included Barney Martin, Maurice Fisher, Ken Polivka, Jim Bolger and Corky Valentine.
Ernie White served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Amato | R | R | 6'3" | 220 | ||
| John Bebber | R | R | June 25, 1923 | 6'0" | 172 | Chicago, IL US |
| John Berdella | R | April 4, 1924 | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Ken Boehme | January 29, 1932 | |||||
| Jim Bolger | R | R | February 23, 1932 | 6'2" | 180 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Jay Bradberry | R | R | July 24, 1931 | 6'2" | 205 | |
| Robert Christophel | R | L | October 6, 1928 | 6'0" | 175 | |
| Leonidas Dansby | R | R | 6'2" | 180 | ||
| Lewis Davis | R | 5'10" | 170 | |||
| Maurice Fisher | R | R | February 16, 1931 | 6'5" | 210 | Uniondale, IN US |
| Bill Ford | R | December 3, 1927 | 5'10" | 170 | ||
| Gene Hatton | R | 6'0" | 176 | |||
| Ron Heughens | S | 6'0" | 180 | |||
| James Hodge | ||||||
| Edwin James | R | R | 6'2" | 188 | ||
| Everett Johnson | R | October 7, 1926 | 6'1" | 185 | Onalaska, WI US | |
| Hank Kalafut | R | 6'0" | 185 | |||
| Oscar Khederian | R | R | October 31, 1920 | 5'9" | 165 | |
| Jim Kleckley | R | R | September 8, 1926 | 6'4" | 204 | West Columbia, SC US |
| Edward Kneuper | L | L | 6'0" | 175 | ||
| John Kuchta | ||||||
| Barney Martin | R | R | March 3, 1923 | 5'11" | 170 | Columbia, SC US |
| Odell Martin | R | R | August 25, 1931 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| Wilbur McConnell | L | 5'9" | 178 | |||
| Bill Newkirk | L | R | January 4, 1934 | 6'3" | 190 | Louisville, KY US |
| Ken Polivka | L | L | January 21, 1921 | 5'10" | 175 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bill Raehse | L | L | 6'3" | 175 | ||
| Louis Ruehl | L | 5'11" | 165 | |||
| Dick Schoonover | R | R | October 19, 1928 | 6'1" | 170 | |
| Jim St. Clair | R | R | November 13, 1933 | 6'1" | 180 | Taylorsville, NC US |
| Harold Stamey | L | R | April 30, 1928 | 6'1" | 190 | |
| John Trombetta | ||||||
| Corky Valentine | R | R | January 4, 1929 | 6'1" | 203 | Troy, OH US |
| Grady Watts | R | 6'2" | 190 | |||
| Clarence Zieser | R | R | August 21, 1929 | 6'2" | 200 | Belle Plaine, IA US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
