This article is about the 1951 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see
1951 in baseball .
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 home run 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.
Awards and honors
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Statistical leaders
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Standings
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American League
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National League
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Postseason
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Managers
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American League
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National League
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Home field attendance
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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 [10]
70
34.6%
465,469
50.2%
5,892
St. Louis Browns [15]
52
-10.3%
293,790
18.9%
3,815
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.[16]
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 .[17] [18] 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 [17] 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[17] against reliever Ray Scarborough , to give the White Sox and reliever Harry Dorish a 9–7 victory.[19]
July 7 – The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Chicago Cubs 8–6 - every scoring half-inning featured two runs.[20]
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 .[21]
September 14 – Bob Nieman of the St. Louis Browns becomes the first player to hit two home runs in his first two at-bats .[22]
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
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References
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^ "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 .
^ a b "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 .
^ "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 .
^ a b c May 15 in Baseball History [permanent dead link ] . 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 (May 16, 2016). "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 .
External links
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