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This article is about the 1951 Major League Baseball season only. For information on all of baseball, see
1951 in baseball .
Sports 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 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
Statistical leaders
Standings
American League
National League
Postseason
Bracket
Managers
American League
National League
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
[10]
70
34.6%
465,469
50.2%
5,892
St. Louis Browns
[15]
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.
[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
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 .
^
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
American League National League
Pre-modern era
Beginnings Competition NL monopoly
Modern era
See also