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1951 New York Giants (MLB) season

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1951 New York Giants
National League Champions
BallparkPolo Grounds
CityNew York City
OwnersHorace Stoneham
ManagersLeo Durocher
TelevisionWPIX
(Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell)
RadioWMCA
(Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell)
← 1950 Seasons 1952 →

The 1951 New York Giants season was the franchise's 69th season and saw the Giants finish the regular season in a tie for first place in the National League with a record of 96 wins and 58 losses. This prompted a three-game playoff against the Brooklyn Dodgers, which the Giants won in three games, clinched by Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run, a moment immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World.[1] The Giants, however, lost the 1951 World Series to the New York Yankees in six games.

Offseason

Spring training

The Giants had trained in Phoenix since 1947 In 1951, the team swapped spring training sites with the New York Yankees, with the Yankees moving to Phoenix and the Giants training at Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was a one-year arrangement and the Giants would return to Phoenix in 1952.[2]

Notable transactions

Regular season

Center fielder Willie Mays made his major league debut in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 25.[6] He went on to win the 1951 National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Outfielder Monte Irvin led the league in RBI with 121. Five players on the 1951 Giants team went on to become major league managers.[7] Eddie Stanky (1952), Bill Rigney (1956), Alvin Dark (1961), Wes Westrum (1965) and Whitey Lockman (1972).[7]

In June, future NFL Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli was offered a tryout with the New York Giants. The Giants offered Robustelli a $400 contract to play with Class AA Knoxville.[8]

Opening Day lineup

Season standings

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Giants 98 59 .624 — 50‍–‍28 48‍–‍31
Brooklyn Dodgers 97 60 .618 1 49‍–‍29 48‍–‍31
St. Louis Cardinals 81 73 .526 15½ 44‍–‍34 37‍–‍39
Boston Braves 76 78 .494 20½ 42‍–‍35 34‍–‍43
Philadelphia Phillies 73 81 .474 23½ 38‍–‍39 35‍–‍42
Cincinnati Reds 68 86 .442 28½ 35‍–‍42 33‍–‍44
Pittsburgh Pirates 64 90 .416 32½ 32‍–‍45 32‍–‍45
Chicago Cubs 62 92 .403 34½ 32‍–‍45 30‍–‍47

Record vs. opponents

1951 National League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Team BOS BR CHC CIN NYG PHI PIT STL
Boston — 10–12–1 10–12 10–12 8–14 12–10 13–9 13–9
Brooklyn 12–10–1 — 14–8 14–8 14–11 15–7 10–12 18–4
Chicago 12–10 8–14 — 10–12 7–15 7–15 9–13 9–13–1
Cincinnati 12–10 8–14 12–10 — 5–17 11–11 12–10–1 8–14
New York 14–8 11–14 15–7 17–5 — 16–6 14–8 11–11
Philadelphia 10–12 7–15 15–7 11–11 6–16 — 15–7 9–13
Pittsburgh 9–13 12–10 13–9 10–12–1 8–14 7–15 — 5–17
St. Louis 9–13 4–18 13–9–1 14–8 11–11 13–9 17–5 —


The comeback

After a slow start, the team went 50–12 over their final 62 games to complete one of the biggest comebacks in major league history. Longstanding rumors that the Giants engaged in systematic sign stealing during the second half of the 1951 season were confirmed in 2001. Several players told the Wall Street Journal that beginning on July 20, the team used a telescope, manned by coach Herman Franks in the Giants clubhouse behind center field, to steal the finger signals of those opposing catchers who left their signs unprotected. Stolen signs were relayed to the Giants dugout via a buzzer wire.[9] Joshua Prager, the author of the Journal article, outlined the evidence in greater detail in a 2008 book.[10] He noted that sign stealing, then as now, is not specifically forbidden by MLB rules and, moral issues aside, "...has been a part of baseball since its inception".[11]

The playoff

Main article: 1951 National League tie-breaker series

At the end of the season, they were tied with their arch-rivals, the Dodgers, for first place in the League, prompting a three-game playoff for the pennant. The Giants had home field advantage for the series.

Game 1

The first game of the series was played at Ebbets Field. Jim Hearn started for the Giants against Ralph Branca for the Dodgers. Monte Irvin and Bobby Thomson homered for the Giants, powering them to a 3–1 win. Andy Pafko hit a home run for the only Dodgers run.[12]

Game 2

The series moved to the Polo Grounds for game two. Sheldon Jones took the mound for the Giants against the Dodgers' Clem Labine. Jones was pulled in the third inning despite giving up just two runs, one of which was a Jackie Robinson homer. However, the game went downhill from there, as the Dodgers abused relievers George Spencer and Al Corwin for eight more runs, while Labine pitched a six-hit shutout for a 10–0 shellacking. Pafko hit his second homer of the series, while Gil Hodges and Rube Walker added home runs of their own.[13]

Game 3

Game three was also held at the Polo Grounds. Sal "The Barber" Maglie was on the mound for New York, while Brooklyn called on Don Newcombe. After Maglie walked two batters in the top of the first, Jackie Robinson singled home the game's first run. The score remained 1–0 until the bottom of the seventh. In that inning, Monte Irvin led off with a double for the Giants. He was bunted over to third, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Thomson.[14]

In the top of the eighth, the Dodgers came roaring back with three runs off Maglie. A pair of singles, a wild pitch, and two more singles made the score 4–1 Dodgers. Newcombe set down the Giants in order in the bottom of the eighth, while Larry Jansen did the same in relief of Maglie.[14]

The "shot heard 'round the world"
See also: Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)

In the bottom of the ninth, Alvin Dark led off with a single, and Don Mueller followed with another. After Monte Irvin popped out to first base, Whitey Lockman lined a double to left-center field, scoring Dark and putting Mueller on third. Dodger manager Chuck Dressen summoned game 1 starter Ralph Branca in to relieve Newcombe, despite having only had one day's rest. On his second pitch, Bobby Thomson drove a pitch to deep left field for a walk-off home run to clinch the pennant for the Giants.[14] This home run, hit at 3:58 p.m. EST on October 3, 1951, came to be known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World".

The phrase shot heard 'round the world is from a classic poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson, originally used to refer to the first clash of the American Revolutionary War and since used to apply to other dramatic moments, military and otherwise. In the case of Thomson's home run, it was particularly apt as U.S. servicemen fighting in the Korean War listened to the radio broadcast of the game.

Thomson's homer, and the Giants' victory, are also sometimes known as the Miracle of Coogan's Bluff.

Line score

Polo Grounds

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Brooklyn 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 8 0
New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 8 0
WP: Larry Jansen (23–11)   LP: Ralph Branca (13–12)

Roster

1951 New York Giants
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

Batting

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
C Wes Westrum 124 361 79 .219 20 70
1B Whitey Lockman 153 614 173 .282 12 73
2B Eddie Stanky 145 515 127 .247 14 43
3B Hank Thompson 87 264 62 .235 8 33
SS Alvin Dark 156 646 196 .303 14 69
OF Monte Irvin 151 558 174 .312 24 121
OF Willie Mays 121 464 127 .274 20 68
OF Don Mueller 122 469 130 .277 16 69

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
Bobby Thomson 148 518 152 .293 32 101
Bill Rigney 44 69 16 .232 4 9

Pitching

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
Larry Jansen 39 278.2 23 11 3.04 145

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
Al Corwin 15 59 5 1 3.66 30
Roger Bowman 9 26.1 2 4 6.15 24

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
George Bamberger 2 0 0 0 18.00 1

1951 World Series

Main article: 1951 World Series

Game 1

October 4, 1951, at Yankee Stadium in New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (N) 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 5 10 1
New York (A) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 1
W: Dave Koslo (1–0)   L: Allie Reynolds (0–1)
HR: NYG – Alvin Dark (1)

Game 2

October 5, 1951, at Yankee Stadium in New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (N) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 1
New York (A) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 x 3 6 0
W: Ed Lopat (1–0)   L: Larry Jansen (0–1)
HR: NYY – Joe Collins (1)

Game 3

October 6, 1951, at the Polo Grounds in, New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (A) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 5 2
New York (N) 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 0 x 6 7 2
W: Jim Hearn (1–0)  L: Vic Raschi (0–1)
HR: NYY – Gene Woodling (1)   NYG – Whitey Lockman (1)

Game 4

October 8, 1951, at the Polo Grounds in, New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (A) 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 6 12 0
New York (N) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 2
W: Allie Reynolds (1–1)  L: Sal Maglie (0–1)
HR: NYY – Joe DiMaggio (1)

Game 5

October 9, 1951, at the Polo Grounds in New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (A) 0 0 5 2 0 2 4 0 0 13 12 1
New York (N) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 3
W: Ed Lopat (2–0)  L: Larry Jansen (0–2)
HR: NYY – Gil McDougald (1),  Phil Rizzuto (1)

Game 6

October 10, 1951, at Yankee Stadium in New York City

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
New York (N) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 3 11 1
New York (A) 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 x 4 7 0
W: Vic Raschi (1–1)   L: Dave Koslo (0–1)   S: Bob Kuzava (1)

Awards and honors

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Minneapolis Millers American Association Tommy Heath
AAA Ottawa Giants International League Hugh Poland
A Jacksonville Tars Sally League Ben Geraghty
A Sioux City Soos Western League Frank Genovese
B Sunbury Giants Interstate League Charlie Fox
B Knoxville Smokies Tri-State League Jack Aragón
C St. Cloud Rox Northern League Harold Kollar
C Idaho Falls Russets Pioneer League Red Jessen
C Muskogee Giants Western Association Hal Bamberger
D Bristol Twins Appalachian League Russ Wein
D Sanford Giants Florida State League Richie Klaus
D Springfield Giants Ohio–Indiana League Andy Gilbert
D Lawton Giants Sooner State League Ray Baker
D Lenoir Red Sox Western Carolina League Claude Jonnard, Okey Flowers and John Olsen
D Oshkosh Giants Wisconsin State League Dave Garcia

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Sioux City[15]

References

  1. ^ "1951 The Shot Heard 'Round the World". thisgreatgame.com. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "Major Leaguers to Start Spring training Feb. 20". The Evening Independent. January 19, 1951. p. 14. Retrieved September 22, 2009. [dead link]
  3. ^ Tom Acker at Baseball-Reference
  4. ^ Dom Zanni at Baseball-Reference
  5. ^ Don Taussig at Baseball-Reference
  6. ^ Willie Mays at Baseball-Reference
  7. ^ a b Peterson, Armand. "The Baseball Biography Project: Wes Westrum". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved July 20, 2010.
  8. ^ Giants Among Men, Jack Cavanaugh, p.7, 2008, Random House, ISBN 978-1-4000-6717-6
  9. ^ Prager, Joshua Harris (January 31, 2001). "Inside Baseball: Giants' 1951 Comeback, The Sport's Greatest, Wasn't All It Seemed". Wall Street Journal.
  10. ^ Prager, J: The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. New York: Vintage Books, 2008. ISBN 0375713077.
  11. ^ Prager (2006), p. 162
  12. ^ Game 1 box score from Baseball-Reference
  13. ^ Game 2 box score from Baseball-Reference
  14. ^ a b c Game 3 Box score from Baseball-Reference
  15. ^ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007
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