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 [ edit ] Statistical leaders [ edit ] Standings [ edit ] American League [ edit ] National League [ edit ]
Postseason [ edit ] Bracket [ edit ] Managers [ edit ] American League [ edit ] National League [ edit ] Home field attendance [ edit ] 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 [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ "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 [ edit ]
American League National League
Pre-modern era
Beginnings Competition NL monopoly
Modern era
See also