1953 Rochester Red Wings Roster
Team Record: 97-57
Finished 1st in the IL
Manager: Harry Walker (97-57)
Affiliation: St. Louis Cardinals
Location: Rochester, New York
Ballpark: Silver Stadium
Attendance: 252,467, Avg. 3,279
Playoffs - Rochester Red Wings 4 games, Baltimore Orioles 3
Finals - Montreal Royals 4 games, Rochester Red Wings 0
The Rochester Red Wings of the International League ended the 1953 season with a record of 97 wins and 57 losses, finishing first in the IL.
The Red Wings scored 820 runs, best in the league. Rochester conceded 607 runs. Chuck Kress led the team with 25 home runs, while Tom Burgess and Don Richmond walloped 15 or more as well. Chuck Kress drove in 121 runs and topped all qualifying hitters on the roster by connecting at a .317 clip. Cot Deal paced the squad with 16 wins, and Dennis Reeder recorded a 3.22 ERA, best among pitchers with enough qualifying appearances.
Members of the 1953 Rochester Red Wings who played in Major League Baseball during their careers were Chuck Kress, Ed Mierkowicz, Floyd Wooldridge, Tom Burgess, Don Richmond, Tony Jacobs, Kurt Krieger, Ralph Beard, Bobby Tiefenauer, Niles Jordan, Jack Faszholz, Vern Benson, Jack Crimian, Allie Clark, Fred Hahn, Lou Ciola, Harry Walker, Les Fusselman, Al Papai, Cot Deal and Wally Moon.
Harry Walker served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Baich | R | R | December 25, 1924 | 5'10" | 190 | Detroit, MI US |
| Ralph Beard | R | R | February 11, 1929 | 6'5" | 200 | Cincinnati, OH US |
| Vern Benson | L | R | September 19, 1924 | 5'10" | 160 | Granite Quarry, NC US |
| Joe Budny | R | R | March 14, 1926 | 6'1" | 185 | |
| Tom Burgess | L | L | September 1, 1927 | 6'0" | 180 | London, ON CA |
| Lou Ciola | R | R | September 6, 1922 | 5'9" | 165 | Norfolk, VA US |
| Allie Clark | R | R | June 16, 1923 | 6'0" | 185 | South Amboy, NJ US |
| George Condrick | R | R | 6'0" | 190 | ||
| Jack Crimian | R | R | February 17, 1926 | 5'10" | 180 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Cot Deal | S | R | January 23, 1923 | 5'10" | 185 | Arapaho, OK US |
| Benjamin Downs | L | R | August 13, 1929 | 6'2" | 200 | Highland Park, MI US |
| Jack Faszholz | R | R | April 11, 1927 | 6'3" | 205 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Les Fusselman | R | R | March 7, 1921 | 6'1" | 195 | Pryor, OK US |
| Fred Hahn | R | L | February 16, 1929 | 6'3" | 174 | Nyack, NY US |
| Robert Hoch | L | L | August 20, 1925 | 5'11" | 160 | |
| Harry Hoitsma | R | R | September 26, 1929 | 6'3" | 198 | |
| Jack Huesman | R | 5'10" | 170 | |||
| Tony Jacobs | S | R | August 5, 1925 | 5'9" | 150 | Dixmoor, IL US |
| Niles Jordan | L | L | December 1, 1925 | 5'11" | 180 | Lyman, WA US |
| Lou Kahn | R | R | December 4, 1915 | 5'10" | 200 | St. Louis, MO US |
| William Killinger | R | R | December 1, 1927 | 5'10" | 175 | , PA US |
| Chuck Kress | L | L | December 9, 1921 | 6'0" | 190 | Philadelphia, PA US |
| Kurt Krieger | R | R | September 16, 1926 | 6'3" | 212 | Traisen, AT |
| Wally Lammers | R | R | October 31, 1926 | 5'11" | 180 | Buckley, IL US |
| Hector Mayer | R | R | November 25, 1927 | 5'10" | 172 | Nogales, Sonora MX |
| Floyd Melliere | R | R | 6'2" | 190 | ||
| Ed Mierkowicz | R | R | March 6, 1924 | 6'4" | 205 | Wyandotte, MI US |
| Wally Moon | L | R | April 3, 1930 | 6'0" | 169 | Bay, AR US |
| Lou Ortiz | R | May 14, 1923 | 6'3" | 200 | Albuquerque, NM US | |
| Al Papai | R | R | May 7, 1917 | 6'3" | 185 | Divernon, IL US |
| Vern Rapp | R | R | May 11, 1928 | 6'0" | 195 | St. Louis, MO US |
| Dennis Reeder | L | L | 5'9" | 185 | ||
| Don Richmond | L | R | October 27, 1919 | 6'1" | 175 | Gillett, PA US |
| Octavio Rubert | R | R | April 9, 1925 | 6'0" | 160 | Sancti Spiritus, Sancti Spiritus CU |
| Donald Spencer | R | R | September 9, 1927 | 5'11" | 185 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Bobby Tiefenauer | R | R | October 10, 1929 | 6'2" | 185 | Desloge, MO US |
| Harry Walker | L | R | September 22, 1918 | 6'2" | 175 | Pascagoula, MS US |
| Floyd Wooldridge | R | R | August 25, 1928 | 6'1" | 185 | Jerico Springs, MO 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.
