Clement Walter (Clem) Labine, Baseball (6 Aug 1926 - 2 Mar 2007)

Clement Walter Labine, born 6 Aug 1926 in Lincoln, Rhode Island, was a Brooklyn Dodger pitcher during their glory years of 1950 - 1957. When the team moved out west to Los Angeles, Clem moved with them and pitched for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1958 - 1960. He was one of the famed “Boys of Summer” from the Dodger teams that won five National League Championships (1952, '53, '55, '56 and '59) and two World Series ('55 and '59) during the 1950's. A right-handed pitcher, Clem pitched in his first major league game on 18 Apr 1950. He closed a superb career by playing with the Detroit Tigers in 1960, Pittsburgh Pirates in 1960-61 and the NY Mets in '62.

During the 1955 championship season, when the Brooklyn Dodgers won their first-ever World Series over the New York Yankees, Clem Labine led the Dodger relief corps with 13 wins and 11 saves against only 5 losses. Pitching 144 innings over 60 games in 1955, Clem gave up 121 hits, 55 base-on-balls, 3 stolen bases and 57 RBI's while setting down 67 batters with strike-outs. His ERA during the 1955 season was 3.24. A bit of trivia - a lifetime 0.075 hitter Clem got just three hits during the 1955 season and all three were home runs.

Clem Labine holds the Brooklyn Dodger record for the most games pitched (62) and most games finished (47) in a single season - both in 1956. During the 1956 and 1957 seasons he had the most saves of any pitcher in the National League - 19 and 17, respectively. He currently holds the record for the most World Series games pitched (11) by a Dodger player which he accomplished during the 1952, 1955, 1956 and 1959 seasons.

Over his 13-year career Clem won 77 games, saved 96 games and lost 56 games. In 1957 he was chosen for the National League All-Star team and pitched one inning in the game at Sportsman Park in St. Louis on 9 Jul 1957 which the American League won 6-5. During his World Series performances in 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959 and 1960 (Pittsburgh Pirates), Clem Labine pitched in 13 games, won 2, saved 2, lost 2, had 1 shutout and sported a 3.16 ERA. He is probably best remembered for his heroic 10-inning shutout, 1-0 Dodger victory, against the New York Yankees in Game 6 of the 1956 World Series. Clem was honored for his pitching career with the Dodgers by being elected to the Brooklyn Dodger Hall of Fame in 1986.

Clem Labine had retired in Vero Beach, FL. Before retiring, he worked as an executive of a clothing manufacturer and briefly in the banking industry. After the death of his first wife, Clem remarried and enjoyed retirement with his second wife Barbara. Clem and his first wife had four children: Kimberly, Barbara, Gail and Clem, Jr. (Jay), who served in the Vietnam War and today is active in Rhode Island state government.