1951 Brooklyn Dodgers season

Last updated

1951  Brooklyn Dodgers
Brooklyn Dodgers Cap Logo (1934 to 1936, 1938 to 1955).svg
League National League
Ballpark Ebbets Field
City Brooklyn, New York
Owners Walter O'Malley (majority owner); James & Dearie Mulvey, Mary Louise Smith
President Walter O'Malley
General managers Buzzie Bavasi
Managers Chuck Dressen
Television WOR-TV
Radio WMGM
Red Barber, Connie Desmond, Vin Scully
  1950
1952  

The 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers led the National League for much of the season, holding a 13-game lead as late as August. However, a late season swoon and a hot streak by the New York Giants led to a classic three-game playoff series. Bobby Thomson's dramatic ninth-inning home run off Dodger reliever Ralph Branca in the final game of a tie-breaker series won the pennant for the Giants and was immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World.

Contents

Offseason

Regular season

Season standings

National League
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
New York Giants 9859.62450284831
Brooklyn Dodgers 9760.618149294831
St. Louis Cardinals 8173.52615½44343739
Boston Braves 7678.49420½42353443
Philadelphia Phillies 7381.47423½38393542
Cincinnati Reds 6886.44228½35423344
Pittsburgh Pirates 6490.41632½32453245
Chicago Cubs 6292.40334½32453047

Record vs. opponents


Sources:
TeamBOSBRCHCCINNYGPHIPITSTL
Boston 10–12–110–1210–128–1412–1013–913–9
Brooklyn 12–10–114–814–814–1115–710–1218–4
Chicago 12–108–1410–127–157–159–139–13–1
Cincinnati 12–108–1412–105–1711–1112–10–18–14
New York 14–811–1415–717–516–614–811–11
Philadelphia 10–127–1515–711–116–1615–79–13
Pittsburgh 9–1312–1013–910–12–18–147–155–17
St. Louis 9–134–1813–9–114–811–1113–917–5

Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Lineup
#NamePosition
29 Don Thompson LF
6 Carl Furillo RF
4 Duke Snider CF
42 Jackie Robinson 2B
14 Gil Hodges 1B
39 Roy Campanella C
1 Pee Wee Reese SS
9 Rocky Bridges 3B
17 Carl Erskine P

[5]

Notable transactions

Roster

1951 Brooklyn Dodgers
Roster
PitchersCatchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Player stats

= Indicates team leader
= Indicates league leader

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

PosPlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
C Roy Campanella 143505164.32533108
1B Gil Hodges 158582156.26840103
2B Jackie Robinson 153548185.3381988
SS Pee Wee Reese 154616176.2861084
3B Billy Cox 142455127.279951
OF Duke Snider 150606168.27729101
OF Carl Furillo 158667197.2951691
OF Andy Pafko 8427769.2491858

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

PlayerGABHAvg.HRRBI
Cal Abrams 6715042.280319
Rocky Bridges 6313434.254115
Don Thompson 8011827.22906
Gene Hermanski 318020.25015
Rube Walker 367418.24329
Dick Williams 236012.20015
Wayne Terwilliger 375014.28004
Bruce Edwards 17369.25018
Hank Edwards 35317.22603
Tommy Brown 11254.16001
Jim Russell 16130.00000
Eddie Miksis 19102.20000
Mickey Livingston 252.40002
Wayne Belardi 331.33300

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Don Newcombe 40272.02093.28164*
Preacher Roe 34257.22233.04113
Ralph Branca 42204.013123.26118
  • Tied with Warren Spahn (Boston) for league lead

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGIPWLERASO
Carl Erskine 46189.216124.4695
Clem Labine 1465.1512.2039
Johnny Schmitz 1655.2145.3420
Joe Hatten 1149.1104.5622
Chris Van Cuyk 929.1125.5216

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

PlayerGWLSVERASO
Clyde King 4814764.1533
Bud Podbielan 272203.5026
Erv Palica 192604.7515
Phil Haugstad 210106.4622
Dan Bankhead 701015.439
Earl Mossor 300032.401

Shot Heard 'Round the World

One of the more famous episodes in major league baseball history, and possibly one of the greatest moments in sports history, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is the name given to Bobby Thomson's walk-off home run that clinched the National League pennant for the New York Giants over their rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. This game was the third of a three-game playoff series resulting from one of baseball's most memorable pennant races. The Giants had been thirteen and a half games behind the league-leading Dodgers in August, but under Durocher's guidance and with the aid of a sixteen-game winning streak, caught the Dodgers to tie for the lead on the last day of the season. The radio broadcast of Bobby Thomson's pennant-winning home run was chronicled on a 1955 Columbia Masterworks vinyl LP record, "The Greatest Moments in Sports." [11]

Awards and honors

All-Stars

Farm system

LevelTeamLeagueManager
AAA Montreal Royals International League Walter Alston
AAA St. Paul Saints American Association Clay Hopper
AA Ft. Worth Cats Texas League Bobby Bragan
AA Mobile Bears Southern Association Paul Chervinko
A Elmira Pioneers Eastern League George Fallon
A Pueblo Dodgers Western League Jim Bivin
B Asheville Tourists Tri-State League Ray Hathaway
B Lancaster Red Roses Interstate League Ed Head
B Miami Sun Sox Florida International League Pepper Martin
B Newport News Dodgers Piedmont League Clay Bryant
C Billings Mustangs Pioneer League Larry Shepard
C Bisbee-Douglas Copper Kings Southwest International League Syd Cohen
C Greenwood Dodgers Cotton States League Lou Rochelli
C Santa Barbara Dodgers California League Bill Hart
D Hazard Bombers Mountain States League Max Macon
D Hornell Dodgers Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League Doc Alexson
D Ponca City Dodgers Kansas–Oklahoma–Missouri League George Scherger
D Sheboygan Indians Wisconsin State League Joe Hauser
D Valdosta Dodgers Georgia–Florida League Stan Wasiak

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Montreal, Santa Barbara

Notes

  1. Dee Fondy at Baseball-Reference
  2. Buddy Hicks at Baseball-Reference
  3. Morrie Martin at Baseball-Reference
  4. Chico Fernández at Baseball-Reference
  5. 1951 Opening Day Lineup at Baseball-Reference
  6. Tommy Brown at Baseball-Reference
  7. Eddie Miksis at Baseball-Reference
  8. Bob Lillis at Baseball-Reference
  9. Ben Taylor at Baseball-Reference
  10. Ross Grimsley at Baseball-Reference
  11. "The Greatest Moments in Sports (Vinyl, US, 1955) for Sale | Discogs". Discogs .

References