1951 Major League Baseball season
The 1951 Major League Baseball season opened on April 16 and finished on October 12, 1951. Teams from both leagues played a 154-game regular season schedule. At the end of the regular season, the National League pennant was still undecided resulting in a three game playoff between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. After splitting the first two games, the stage was set for a decisive third game, won in dramatic fashion on a walk-off homerun from the bat of Giant Bobby Thomson, one of the most famous moments in the history of baseball, commemorated as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and "The Miracle at Coogan's Bluff". The Giants lost the World Series to defending champion New York Yankees, who were in the midst of a 5-year World Series winning streak.
| 1951 MLB season | |
|---|---|
| League | Major League Baseball |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | April 16 – October 12, 1951 |
| Number of games | 154 |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Regular season | |
| Season MVP | AL: Yogi Berra (NYY) NL: Roy Campanella (BKN) |
| AL champions | New York Yankees |
| AL runners-up | Cleveland Indians |
| NL champions | New York Giants |
| NL runners-up | Brooklyn Dodgers |
| World Series | |
| Champions | New York Yankees |
| Runners-up | New York Giants |
| Finals MVP | Phil Rizzuto (NYY) |
Awards and honors
Statistical leaders
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Standings
American League
|
National League
|
- The New York Giants defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in best-of-three playoff series to earn the National League pennant.
Postseason
Managers
American League
National League
| Team | Manager | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Boston Braves | Billy Southworth and Tommy Holmes | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | Chuck Dressen | |
| Chicago Cubs | Frankie Frisch and Phil Cavarretta | |
| Cincinnati Reds | Luke Sewell | |
| New York Giants | Leo Durocher | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Eddie Sawyer | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Billy Meyer | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Marty Marion |
Home Field Attendance
| Team Name | Wins | %± | Home attendance | %± | Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees[1] | 98 | 0.0% | 1,950,107 | -6.3% | 25,001 |
| Cleveland Indians[2] | 93 | 1.1% | 1,704,984 | -1.3% | 22,143 |
| Chicago White Sox[3] | 81 | 35.0% | 1,328,234 | 70.0% | 17,029 |
| Boston Red Sox[4] | 87 | -7.4% | 1,312,282 | -2.4% | 17,497 |
| Brooklyn Dodgers[5] | 97 | 9.0% | 1,282,628 | 8.2% | 16,444 |
| Detroit Tigers[6] | 73 | -23.2% | 1,132,641 | -42.0% | 14,710 |
| New York Giants[7] | 98 | 14.0% | 1,059,539 | 5.0% | 13,584 |
| St. Louis Cardinals[8] | 81 | 3.8% | 1,013,429 | -7.3% | 12,828 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates[9] | 64 | 12.3% | 980,590 | -15.9% | 12,572 |
| Philadelphia Phillies[10] | 73 | -19.8% | 937,658 | -23.0% | 12,177 |
| Chicago Cubs[11] | 62 | -3.1% | 894,415 | -23.3% | 11,616 |
| Washington Senators[12] | 62 | -7.5% | 695,167 | -0.6% | 9,147 |
| Cincinnati Reds[13] | 68 | 3.0% | 588,268 | 9.2% | 7,640 |
| Boston Braves[14] | 76 | -8.4% | 487,475 | -48.4% | 6,250 |
| Philadelphia Athletics[15] | 70 | 34.6% | 465,469 | 50.2% | 5,892 |
| St. Louis Browns[16] | 52 | -10.3% | 293,790 | 18.9% | 3,815 |
Events
- May 1 – Umpire Frank Dascoli banishes all 11 players on the Chicago Cubs bench during the fourth inning of the game against the New York Giants, after the Cubs players allegedly call Dascoli "Rabbit Ears". Bill Serena and Smoky Burgess are later allowed to return to the game to pinch hit for the Cubs.[17]
- May 15 – At Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox celebrated the franchise's 50th anniversary and honored members of the 1901 Boston Americans. Overall, 29 old-timers who played, managed, or umpired in the American League in that first year attended, including Bill Bradley, Tom Connolly, Wid Conroy, Hugh Duffy, Clark Griffith, Dummy Hoy, Connie Mack, Ollie Pickering, Billy Sullivan and Cy Young.[18][19] Eight of them participated in the first-ever game of the American League, played in Chicago on April 24, 1901. The regular game that followed the ceremony featured the 300th career home run of Ted Williams[18] in the 4th inning off Chicago White Sox pitcher Howie Judson. With the game tied at 7–7 in the top of the 11th inning, Nellie Fox hit the first homer of his six-year career[18] against reliever Ray Scarborough, to give the White Sox and reliever Harry Dorish a 9–7 victory.[20]
- July 7 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Chicago Cubs 8–6 - every scoring half-inning featured two runs.[21]
- September 13 – The St. Louis Cardinals become the first team in Major League history to play two different teams on the same day. Due to a rained out game, the Cardinals are forced to play the New York Giants in an afternoon game prior to their scheduled night game against the Boston Braves.[22]
- September 14 – Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns becomes the first player to hit two home runs in their first two at bats.[23]
- October 1–3 – The Giants and Dodgers meet in a special three-game playoff to decide the National League pennant. Bobby Thomson's walk-off homerun at the bottom of the ninth in the third game becomes known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
See also
References
- "New York Yankees Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Cleveland Indians Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Chicago White Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Boston Red Sox Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Los Angeles Dodgers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Detroit Tigers Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "San Francisco Giants Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "St. Louis Cardinals Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Chicago Cubs Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Minnesota Twins Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Cincinnati Reds Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Atlanta Braves Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Oakland Athletics Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Baltimore Orioles Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- "Charlton's Baseball Chronology". www.baseballlibrary.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- May 15 in Baseball History. Know More About Baseball]. Retrieved on May 15, 2019.
- Fenway Park Timeline. MLB.com. Retrieved on May 15, 2019.
- Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox Box Score, May 15, 1951. Baseball Reference. Retrieved on May 15, 2019.
- Firstman, Diane. "And all the Runs were Scored 2 by 2". valueoverreplacementgrit.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- "Strange and Unusual Plays". www.retrosheet.org. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- Mackin, Bob (2004). The Unofficial Guide to Baseball's Most Unusual Records. Canada: Greystone Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781553650386.
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