1951 New York Giants (MLB) season

1951  New York Giants
National League Champions
League	National League
Ballpark	Polo Grounds
City	New York City
Owners	Horace Stoneham
General managers	Chub Feeney
Managers	Leo Durocher
Television	WPIX (Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell)
Radio	WMCA (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 best-of-three National League tiebreaker 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 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

• December 4, 1950: Tom Acker was drafted from the Giants by the Buffalo Bisons in the 1950 minor league draft. ^[3]
• Prior to 1951 season (exact date unknown)
  • Dom Zanni was signed as an amateur free agent by the Giants. ^[4]
  • Don Taussig was acquired by the Giants from the New York Yankees. ^[5]

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]

Season standings

v t e National League	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
New York Giants	98	59	0.624	—	50–28	48–31
Brooklyn Dodgers	97	60	0.618	1	49–29	48–31
St. Louis Cardinals	81	73	0.526	15½	44–34	37–39
Boston Braves	76	78	0.494	20½	42–35	34–43
Philadelphia Phillies	73	81	0.474	23½	38–39	35–42
Cincinnati Reds	68	86	0.442	28½	35–42	33–44
Pittsburgh Pirates	64	90	0.416	32½	32–45	32–45
Chicago Cubs	62	92	0.403	34½	32–45	30–47

Record vs. opponents

1951 National League record v t e Sources:
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] [10]} Joshua Prager, the author of the Journal article, outlined the evidence in greater detail in a 2008 book. ^[11] 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." ^[12]

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. ^[13]

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. ^[14]

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. ^[15]

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 sat down the Giants in order in the bottom of the eighth, while Larry Jansen did the same in relief of Maglie. ^[15]

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. ^[15] 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 39 George Bamberger 38 Roger Bowman 39 Al Corwin 44 Al Gettel 38 Red Hardy 21 Jim Hearn 46 Larry Jansen 37 Sheldon Jones 32 Monte Kennedy 38 Alex Konikowski 31 Dave Koslo 33 Jack Kramer 35 Sal Maglie 30 George Spencer		Catchers  5 Ray Noble  9 Wes Westrum  7 Sal Yvars Infielders 19 Al Dark 25 Whitey Lockman 17 Jack Lohrke 18 Bill Rigney 12 Eddie Stanky 16 Hank Thompson 14 Davey Williams 15 Artie Wilson		Outfielders 26 Clint Hartung 20 Monte Irvin 27 Spider Jorgensen 24 Jack Maguire 14,24 Willie Mays 22 Don Mueller 23 Bobby Thomson Other batters 27 Earl Rapp 10 Hank Schenz		Manager  2 Leo Durocher Coaches  6 Fred Fitzsimmons  3 Herman Franks  1 Frank Shellenback

Player stats

= Indicates team 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

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
Ray Noble	55	141	33	.234	5	26
Bill Rigney	44	69	16	.232	4	9
Davey Williams	30	64	17	.266	2	8
Spider Jorgensen	28	51	12	.235	2	8
Clint Hartung	21	44	9	.205	0	2
Sal Yvars	25	41	13	.317	2	3
Jack Lohrke	23	40	8	.200	1	3
Artie Wilson	19	22	4	.182	0	1
Jack Maguire	16	20	8	.400	1	4
Earl Rapp	13	11	1	.091	0	1
Hank Schenz	8	0	0	----	0	0

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
Sal Maglie	42	298.0	23	6	2.93	146
Larry Jansen	39	278.2	23	11	3.04	145
Jim Hearn	34	211.1	17	9	3.62	66

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
Dave Koslo	39	149.2	10	9	3.31	54
Sheldon Jones	41	120.1	6	11	4.26	58
Al Corwin	15	59.0	5	1	3.66	30
Roger Bowman	9	26.1	2	4	6.15	24
Jack Kramer	4	4.2	0	0	15.43	2

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 Spencer	57	10	4	6	3.75	36
Al Gettel	30	1	2	0	4.87	36
Monty Kennedy	29	1	2	0	2.25	22
Alex Konikowski	3	0	0	0	0.00	5
George Bamberger	2	0	0	0	18.00	1
Red Hardy	2	0	0	0	6.75	0

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 (1-1)   S: Bob Kuzava (1)

Awards and honors

• Willie Mays: National League Rookie of the Year

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 ^[16]

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. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
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. 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 (January 31, 2001). "Inside Baseball: Giants' 1951 Comeback, The Sport's Greatest, Wasn't All It Seemed". The Wall Street Journal.
10. "ESPN Classic – Hitters knew pitches in stretch drive". ESPN. February 1, 2001. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
11. Prager, Joshua: 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.
12. Prager (2006), p. 162
13. Game 1 box score from Baseball-Reference
14. Game 2 box score from Baseball-Reference
15. Game 3 Box score from Baseball-Reference
16. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

• 1951 New York Giants team at Baseball-Reference
• 1951 New York Giants team at Baseball Almanac