The Yankees won their fifth straight pennant and World Series; as you might expect, they had the best hitting and pitching in the league. Their top pitchers were a pair of lefties, Ed Lopat and Whitey Ford. Ford was getting his career back on track after spending two years serving in the Korean War.

         Actually, the best pitching staff in the league may have belonged to Boston. They had a good team ERA that looks even better when you consider they played in Fenway Park, a great hitters park. The staff ace, Mel Parnell, had one of his best seasons, and Ellis Kinder was also outstanding. If they had had a good offense, the Sox might have won... but Ted Williams was still serving in Korea.
         Billy Pierce was a lefty for the Chicago White Sox, and ranks with Ford as the AL's best pitcher of the 1950's. He was an outstanding pitcher, similar to Tom Glavine, and had 211 lifetime wins. This year, Pierce had the best combination of quality and endurance of any pitcher, and I think he was the best pitcher in the league.
        Virgil Trucks had a disastrous season in 1952, losing 19 games with Detroit, and was exiled to the lowly St. Louis Browns. He began the season pitching well, then had the good fortune of being traded to the White Sox, and ended up having a great season. Trucks led all AL pitchers in the MVP vote, though I think teammate Pierce was better.
        To round out my top four, I'll choose Bob Porterfield of the Senators. Porterfield was a workhorse who led the league in wins, complete games, and shutouts. Two years later, Porterfield would be stuck pitching for the wretched 1955 Senators, and would lose 17 games. Mickey McDermott also pitched for that Senators team. Mickey was a star prospect who joined the Red Sox when he was 19; he struggled for five seasons, but this year was outstanding. The Sox rewarded him by dealing McDermott to Washington, where his career rapidly declined.