1951 St. Louis Browns season
| 1951 St. Louis Browns |
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| 1951 Information | ||
| Owner(s) | Bill Veeck | |
| Manager(s) | Zack Taylor | |
| Local television | KSD | |
| Local radio | KWK (Buddy Blattner, Howard Williams) |
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The 1951 St. Louis Browns season involved the Browns finishing eighth in the American League with a record of 52 wins and 102 losses.
Contents |
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Bill Veeck
When Bill Veeck bought an 80 percent interest in the Browns, the first thing he did was sign Satchel Paige.[citation needed] In his first game back in the major leagues, on July 18, 1951, against the Washington Senators, Paige pitched six innings of shutout baseball, but was roughed up in the seventh, giving up three runs. He ended the season with a 3-4 record and a 4.79 ERA.
Another of Veeck's promotions included the signing of Eddie Gaedel. Gaedel gained immortality in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday, August 19. Weighing just 65 pounds (29.5 kg), and 3 feet 7 inches (1.09 m) tall, he became the shortest player in the history of the major leagues. He stood 3 feet 4 inches (1.02 m) shorter than Jon Rauch, whose height of 6'11" (2.11 m) made him the tallest person to play in a major league game. He had been secretly signed by the Browns and put in uniform (complete with elf slippers & the number "⅛" on the back) as a publicity stunt.
Gaedel popped out of a papier-mache cake between games of a doubleheader to celebrate the American League's 50th anniversary, and as a Falstaff Brewery promotion. Falstaff, and the fans, had been promised a "festival of surprises" by Veeck. Before the second game got underway, the press agreed that the "midget-in-a-cake" appearance had not been up to Veeck's usual promotional standard. Falstaff personnel, who had been promised national publicity for their participation, were particularly dissatisfied. Keeping the surprise he had in store for the second game to himself, Veeck just meekly apologized.
Gaedel entered the game between the Browns and Detroit Tigers in the first inning as a pinch hitter for leadoff batter Frank Saucier. Immediately, umpire Ed Hurley called for Browns manager Zack Taylor. Veeck and Taylor had the foresight to have a copy of Gaedel's contract on hand, as well as a copy of the Browns' active roster, which had room for Gaedel's addition.[1] Tigers pitcher Bob Cain walked him.[2] Jim Delsing pinch ran for Gaedel,[2] but did not score.
[edit] Ned Garver
In 1951, Ned Garver fashioned an outstanding season. Pitching for the Browns, Garver compiled a 20-12 record,[3] which was noteworthy considering the Browns lost 102 games. Garver also posted a 3.73 ERA. Out of the Browns' 52 total wins, Garver accounted for nearly 40 percent of them. Garver also led the American League in complete games with 24 in 1951, and when he pitched, he often batted sixth in the order rather than the customary ninth, compiling a .305 batting average with one home run.
Garver remains the only pitcher in American League history and modern baseball history (post-1920) to win 20 or more games for a team which lost 100 or more games in the same season and the only pitcher in Major League history to do so with a winning record.
[edit] Season standings
| American League | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 98 | 56 | .636 | -- |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 61 | .604 | 5 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 67 | .565 | 11 |
| Chicago White Sox | 81 | 73 | .526 | 17 |
| Detroit Tigers | 73 | 81 | .474 | 25 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 70 | 84 | .455 | 28 |
| Washington Senators | 62 | 92 | .403 | 36 |
| St. Louis Browns | 52 | 102 | .338 | 46 |
[edit] Notable transactions
- June 4, 1951: Don Lenhardt was traded by the Browns to the Chicago White Sox for Kermit Wahl and Paul Lehner.[4]
- July 14, 1951: Satchel Paige was signed as a free agent by the Browns.[5]
- July 21, 1951: Bob Nieman was purchased by the Browns from the Oklahoma City Indians.[6]
- July 31, 1951: Ray Coleman was selected off waivers from the Browns by the Chicago White Sox.[7]
- August 19, 1951: Eddie Gaedel was signed as an amateur free agent by the Browns.[8]
[edit] Roster
| 1951 St. Louis Browns | |||||||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
Other batters |
Manager
Coaches
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[edit] Player stats
[edit] Batting
[edit] Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF | Jim Delsing | 131 | 449 | 112 | .249 | 8 | 45 |
| OF | Ray Coleman | 91 | 341 | 96 | .282 | 5 | 55 |
[edit] Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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| Don Lenhardt | 31 | 103 | 27 | .262 | 5 | 18 |
| Paul Lehner | 21 | 67 | 9 | .134 | 1 | 2 |
| Kermit Wahl | 8 | 27 | 9 | .333 | 0 | 3 |
| Frank Saucier | 18 | 14 | 1 | .071 | 0 | 1 |
| Eddie Gaedel | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
[edit] Pitching
[edit] Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ned Garver | 33 | 246 | 20 | 12 | 3.73 | 84 |
| Tommy Byrne | 19 | 122.2 | 4 | 10 | 3.82 | 57 |
| Bob Turley | 1 | 7.1 | 0 | 1 | 7.36 | 5 |
[edit] Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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| Bill Kennedy | 19 | 56 | 1 | 5 | 5.79 | 29 |
[edit] Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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| Satchel Paige | 23 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4.79 | 48 |
| Cliff Fannin | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6.46 | 11 |
| Bobby Herrera | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 | 1 |
[edit] Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Dayton
[edit] References
- ^ Numbelivable!, p. 92, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- ^ a b Numbelivable!, p. 93, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, ISBN 978-1-57243-990-0
- ^ Roger Maris: Baseball’s Reluctant Hero, p. 105, Tom Clavin and Danny Peary, Touchstone Books, Published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-1-4165-8928-2
- ^ Kermit Wahl page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Satchel Paige page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Bob Nieman page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Ray Coleman page at Baseball Reference
- ^ Eddie Gaedel page at Baseball Reference
[edit] External links
- 1951 St. Louis Browns team page at Baseball Reference
- 1951 St. Louis Browns season at baseball-almanac.com
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