1951 New York Giants (MLB) season

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1951 New York Giants National League Champions
Major league affiliations
National League (Since 1883)
Location
Polo Grounds (Since 1911) New York, New York (Since 1883)
1951 Information
Owner(s)	Horace Stoneham
General Manager(s)	Chub Feeney
Manager(s)	Leo Durocher
Local television	WPIX (Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell)
Local radio	WMCA (Russ Hodges, Ernie Harwell)

The 1951 New York Giants season saw the Giants finish first in the National League with a record of 98 wins and 59 losses. At the end of the season, they were tied with their arch-rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers for first place in the League, prompting a three-game playoff for the pennant. In the third game, Bobby Thomson hit a stunning walk-off home run to clinch the pennant for the Giants, a moment immortalized as the Shot Heard 'Round the World (discussed in more detail below). The Giants, however, lost the 1951 World Series to the New York Yankees in six games.

Giants center fielder Willie Mays won the 1951 National League Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow outfielder Monte Irvin led the league in RBI with 121.

[edit] Offseason

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Opening Day Starters

[edit] Season standings

National League	W	L	GB	Pct.
New York Giants	98	59	--	.624
Brooklyn Dodgers	97	60	1	.618
St. Louis Cardinals	81	73	15.5	.526
Boston Braves	76	78	20.5	.494
Philadelphia Phillies	73	81	23.5	.474
Cincinnati Reds	68	86	28.5	.442
Pittsburgh Pirates	64	90	32.5	.416
Chicago Cubs	62	92	34.5	.403

[edit] Roster

1951 New York Giants roster view • talk • edit
Roster
Pitchers		Catchers Infielders		Outfielders		Manager

[edit] Shot Heard 'Round The World

The Shot Heard 'Round the World

In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m. EST on October 3, 1951. As a result of the "shot" (baseball slang for "home run" or any hard-hit ball), the Giants won the game 5-4, defeating the Dodgers in their pennant playoff series, two games to one.

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.

[edit] 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)

[edit] Player Stats

[edit] Batting

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

[edit] Other batters

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

[edit] Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

[edit] Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA

[edit] Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO

[edit] World Series

Main article: 1951 World Series

[edit] Game 1

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

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)

[edit] Game 2

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

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)

[edit] Game 3

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

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)

[edit] Game 4

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

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)

[edit] Game 5

Gil McDougald's grand slam homer for the Yankees in Game 5

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

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)

[edit] Game 6

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

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)

[edit] Award Winners

[edit] References

v • d • e 1951 MLB season by team

American League	Boston • Chicago • Cleveland • Detroit • New York • Philadelphia • St. Louis • Washington

National League	Boston • Brooklyn • Chicago • Cincinnati • New York • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • St. Louis

1951 All-Star Game • 1951 World Series

Preceded by Philadelphia Phillies 1950	National League Championship Season 1951	Succeeded by Brooklyn Dodgers 1952

v • d • e San Francisco Giants

Formerly the New York Giants • Based in San Francisco, California (Bay Area)

The Franchise	History • Seasons • Records • Players • Managers • Broadcasters

Ballparks	Polo Grounds • Oakland Park • St. George Grounds • Hilltop Park • Seals Stadium • Candlestick Park • AT&T Park

Culture	Shot Heard 'Round the World • The Catch • Loma Prieta earthquake • White Flag Trade

Rivalries	Dodgers-Giants rivalry

Important Figures	Christy Mathewson • Tim Keefe • Juan Marichal • Willie Mays • Willie McCovey • Carl Hubbell • Bill Terry • Travis Jackson • Ross Youngs • Mel Ott • Mickey Welch • Freddie Lindstrom • Amos Rusie • Alvin Dark • Bobby Thomson • Orlando Cepeda • Gaylord Perry • Barry Bonds • Jeff Kent • Will Clark • Kevin Mitchell • Matt Williams

Retired Numbers	3 • 4 • 11 • 24 • 27 • 30 • 36 • 42 • 44

World Series Champions (5)	1905 • 1921 • 1922 • 1933 • 1954

National League Championships (20)	1888 • 1889 • 1904 • 1905 • 1911 • 1912 • 1913 • 1917 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1933 • 1936 • 1937 • 1951 • 1954 • 1962 • 1989 • 2002

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v • d • e

San Francisco Giants managers

New York Giants (1885–1957)
Clapp • Price • Ward • Mutrie • Powers • Ward • Davis • Doyle • Watkins • Irwin • Joyce • Anson • Day • Hoey • Ewing • Davis • Fogel • Smith • McGraw • Terry • Ott • Durocher • Rigney

San Francisco Giants (1958–present)
Rigney • Sheehan • Dark • Franks • King • Fox • Westrum • Rigney • Altobelli • Bristol • Robinson • Ozark • Davenport • Craig • Baker • Alou • Bochy