1953 Tulsa Oilers Roster
Team Record: 83-71
Finished 2nd in the TL
Manager: Joe Schultz (83-71)
Affiliation: Cincinnati Reds
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Ballpark: Texas League Park
Attendance: 154,683, Avg. 2,009
Playoffs - Tulsa Oilers 4 games, Fort Worth Cats 2
Finals - Dallas Eagles 4 games, Tulsa Oilers 1
The Tulsa Oilers of the Texas League ended the 1953 season with a record of 83 wins and 71 losses, finishing second in the TL.
The Oilers led the circuit with 747 runs. Tulsa yielded 715 runs. Bob Prentice paced the squad with 24 home runs, while Ed Bailey walloped 15 or more as well. Ed Bailey recorded 88 runs batted in. Chuck Harmon topped all qualifying hitters on the roster with a .311 average. Don Mossi paced the squad with 12 wins and a team-best 2.91 ERA, leading pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1953 Tulsa Oilers who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Cliff Ross, Jim Bolger, Ed Bailey, Bob Hazle, Lee Wheat, Chuck Harmon, Tommy Reis, George Lerchen, Don Mossi, Howie Judson, Nino Escalera and Niles Jordan.
Joe Schultz served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Bailey | L | R | April 15, 1931 | 6'2" | 205 | Strawberry Plains, TN US |
| Ed Barr | R | R | August 2, 1920 | 6'0" | 190 | San Diego, CA US |
| Norman Bell | R | R | September 25, 1927 | 5'11" | 175 | Jamestown, OH US |
| John Berdella | R | April 4, 1924 | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Jim Bolger | R | R | February 23, 1932 | 6'2" | 180 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Bob Curley | R | R | September 20, 1926 | 5'10" | 180 | Covington, KY US |
| Nino Escalera | L | L | November 29, 1929 | 5'10" | 165 | Santurce, PR |
| Leon Foulk | L | R | February 14, 1926 | 6'2" | 188 | Williamsport, PA US |
| Ed Grenkoski | R | R | September 3, 1927 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Chuck Harmon | R | R | April 23, 1924 | 6'2" | 175 | Washington, IN US |
| Gene Hatton | R | 6'0" | 176 | |||
| Bob Hazle | L | R | December 9, 1930 | 6'0" | 190 | Laurens, SC US |
| Bud Hutson | R | February 6, 1926 | 6'0" | 185 | Atkins, AR US | |
| Edwin James | R | R | 6'2" | 188 | ||
| Bill Jankowski | R | R | February 10, 1926 | 6'1" | 200 | |
| Ziggy Jasinski | R | R | December 3, 1925 | 5'9" | 164 | Maspeth, NY US |
| Niles Jordan | L | L | December 1, 1925 | 5'11" | 180 | Lyman, WA US |
| Howie Judson | R | R | February 16, 1925 | 6'1" | 195 | Hebron, IL US |
| George Lerchen | S | R | December 1, 1922 | 5'11" | 175 | Detroit, MI US |
| John Liptak | R | 6'0" | 180 | |||
| Don Lundberg | R | R | January 13, 1930 | 6'2" | 210 | Seattle, WA US |
| Michael Lutz | R | R | August 29, 1927 | 6'1" | 208 | |
| Al McNeilance | R | R | September 4, 1927 | 5'11" | 175 | Buffalo, NY US |
| Don Mossi | L | L | January 11, 1929 | 6'1" | 195 | St. Helena, CA US |
| Meredith Murray | R | R | October 28, 1928 | 6'4" | 180 | |
| Edwin Oswald | R | R | August 3, 1926 | 6'2" | 192 | |
| Ray Petrzelka | R | R | December 2, 1927 | 6'3" | 195 | |
| Bob Prentice | R | August 12, 1928 | 6'0" | 180 | ||
| Tommy Reis | R | R | August 6, 1914 | 6'2" | 180 | Newport, KY US |
| Howard Rodemoyer | R | R | January 22, 1930 | 5'11" | 190 | Fredonia, PA US |
| Cliff Ross | L | L | August 3, 1928 | 6'4" | 195 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Jake Schmitt | L | L | November 3, 1925 | 6'1" | 173 | Norwalk, CT US |
| Jack Tanner | R | R | December 27, 1926 | 6'3" | 228 | |
| Joseph Torpey | R | 6'0" | 175 | |||
| James Turner | R | 6'0" | 180 | |||
| Edward Varhely | L | L | 6'1" | 180 | ||
| Lee Wheat | R | R | September 15, 1929 | 6'4" | 200 | Edwardsville, IL US |
| Dick Zwainz | L | December 24, 1928 | 6'3" | 205 | , CA 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.
