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 best-of-three tiebreaker 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.
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] Ted Williams [ 17] 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] 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 "
^ "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
