1951 Brooklyn Dodgers season

The 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers led the National League for much of the season, holding a 13-game lead as late as August. However, a late season swoon and a hot streak by the New York Giants led to a classic three-game playoff series. Bobby Thomson's dramatic ninth-inning home run off Dodger reliever Ralph Branca in the final game won the pennant for the Giants and was immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World.

1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
Major League affiliations
Location
Other information
Owner(s)Walter O'Malley (majority owner); James & Dearie Mulvey, Mrs. John L. Smith
General manager(s)Buzzie Bavasi
Manager(s)Chuck Dressen
Local televisionWOR-TV
Local radioWMGM
Red Barber, Connie Desmond, Vin Scully
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Offseason

Regular season

Season standings

National League W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Giants 9859 0.624 50–28 48–31
Brooklyn Dodgers 9760 0.618 1 49–29 48–31
St. Louis Cardinals 8173 0.526 15½ 44–34 37–39
Boston Braves 7678 0.494 20½ 42–35 34–43
Philadelphia Phillies 7381 0.474 23½ 38–39 35–42
Cincinnati Reds 6886 0.442 28½ 35–42 33–44
Pittsburgh Pirates 6490 0.416 32½ 32–45 32–45
Chicago Cubs 6292 0.403 34½ 32–45 30–47

Record vs. opponents

1951 National League Records

Sources:
Team BOS BR CHC CIN NYG PHI PIT STL
Boston 10–12–110–1210–128–1412–1013–913–9
Brooklyn 12–10–114–814–814–1115–710–1218–4
Chicago 12–108–1410–127–157–159–139–13–1
Cincinnati 12–108–1412–105–1711–1112–10–18–14
New York 14–811–1415–717–516–614–811–11
Philadelphia 10–127–1515–711–116–1615–79–13
Pittsburgh 9–1312–1013–910–12–18–147–155–17
St. Louis 9–134–1813–9–114–811–1113–917–5

Opening Day lineup

Opening Day lineup
NamePosition
Don ThompsonLeft fielder
Carl FurilloRight fielder
Duke SniderCenter fielder
Jackie RobinsonSecond baseman
Gil HodgesFirst baseman
Roy CampanellaCatcher
Pee Wee ReeseShortstop
Rocky BridgesThird baseman
Carl ErskineStarting pitcher

Notable transactions

Roster

1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
CRoy Campanella143505164.32533108
1BGil Hodges158582156.26840103
2BJackie Robinson153548185.3381988
SSPee Wee Reese154616176.2861084
3BBilly Cox142455127.279951
OFDuke Snider150606168.27729101
OFCarl Furillo158667197.2951691
OFAndy Pafko8427769.2491858

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Cal Abrams6715042.280319
Rocky Bridges6313434.254115
Don Thompson8011827.22906
Gene Hermanski318020.25015
Rube Walker367418.24329
Dick Williams236012.20015
Wayne Terwilliger375014.28004
Bruce Edwards17369.25018
Hank Edwards35317.22603
Tommy Brown11254.16001
Jim Russell16130.00000
Eddie Miksis19102.20000
Mickey Livingston252.40002
Wayne Belardi331.33300

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Don Newcombe402722093.28164
Preacher Roe34257.22233.04113
Ralph Branca4220413123.26118

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Carl Erskine46189.216124.4695
Clem Labine1465.1512.2039
Johnny Schmitz1655.2145.3420
Joe Hatten1149.1104.5622
Chris Van Cuyk929.1125.5216

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Clyde King4814764.1533
Bud Podbielan272203.5026
Erv Palica192604.7515
Phil Haugstad210106.4622
Dan Bankhead701015.439
Earl Mossor300032.401

Shot Heard 'Round the World

One of the more famous episodes in major league baseball history, and possibly one of the greatest moments in sports history, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is the name given to Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run that clinched the National League pennant for the New York Giants over their rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This game was the third of a three-game playoff series resulting from one of baseball's most memorable pennant races. The Giants had been thirteen and a half games behind the league-leading Dodgers in August, but under Durocher's guidance and with the aid of a sixteen-game winning streak, caught the Dodgers to tie for the lead on the last day of the season. The radio broadcast of Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run was chronicled on a 1955 Columbia Masterworks vinyl LP record, "The Greatest Moments in Sports."[10]

Awards and honors

All-Stars

Farm system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Montreal Royals International League Walter Alston
AAA St. Paul Saints American Association Clay Hopper
AA Ft. Worth Cats Texas League Bobby Bragan
AA Mobile Bears Southern Association Paul Chervinko
A Elmira Pioneers Eastern League George Fallon
A Pueblo Dodgers Western League Jim Bivin
B Asheville Tourists Tri-State League Ray Hathaway
B Lancaster Red Roses Interstate League Ed Head
B Miami Sun Sox Florida International League Pepper Martin
B Newport News Dodgers Piedmont League Clay Bryant
C Billings Mustangs Pioneer League Larry Shepard
C Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings Southwest International League Syd Cohen
C Greenwood Dodgers Cotton States League Lou Rochelli
C Santa Barbara Dodgers California League Bill Hart
D Hazard Bombers Mountain States League Max Macon
D Hornell Dodgers Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League Doc Alexson
D Ponca City Dodgers Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League George Scherger
D Sheboygan Indians Wisconsin State League Joe Hauser
D Valdosta Dodgers Georgia–Florida League Stan Wasiak

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montreal, Santa Barbara

Notes

  1. Dee Fondy at Baseball-Reference
  2. Buddy Hicks at Baseball-Reference
  3. Morrie Martin at Baseball-Reference
  4. Chico Fernández at Baseball-Reference
  5. Tommy Brown at Baseball-Reference
  6. Eddie Miksis at Baseball-Reference
  7. Bob Lillis at Baseball-Reference
  8. Ben Taylor at Baseball-Reference
  9. Ross Grimsley at Baseball-Reference
  10. https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/2070650?ev=rb

References

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