1951 New York Yankees season
Encyclopedia
The New York Yankees
season was the 49th season for the team in New York, and its 51st season overall. The team finished with a record of 98-56, winning their 18th pennant
, finishing five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians
. New York was managed by Casey Stengel
. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series
, they defeated the New York Giants
in 6 games.
This year was noted for a "changing of the guard" for the Yankees, as it was Joe DiMaggio
's final season and Mickey Mantle
's first. The 1951 season also marked the first year of Bob Sheppard
's long tenure as Yankee Stadium's public address announcer.
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All-Star Game
Newark club folded, July 17, 1951
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
season was the 49th season for the team in New York, and its 51st season overall. The team finished with a record of 98-56, winning their 18th pennant
Pennant (sports)
A pennant is a commemorative flag typically used to show support for a particular athletic team. Pennants have been historically used in all types of athletic levels: high school, collegiate, professional etc. Traditionally, pennants were made of felt and fashioned in the official colors of a...
, finishing five games ahead of the Cleveland Indians
1951 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was a season in American baseball. The team finished second in the American League with a record of 93-61, 5 games behind the New York Yankees.- Offseason :...
. New York was managed by Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series
1951 World Series
The 1951 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the New York Giants, who had won the National League pennant in a thrilling three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers on the legendary home run by Bobby Thomson .In the Series, the Yankees showed some power of...
, they defeated the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
in 6 games.
This year was noted for a "changing of the guard" for the Yankees, as it was Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
's final season and Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball player. Mantle is regarded by many to be the greatest switch hitter of all time, and one of the greatest players in baseball history. Mantle was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.Mantle was noted for his hitting...
's first. The 1951 season also marked the first year of Bob Sheppard
Bob Sheppard
Robert Leo "Bob" Sheppard was the long-time public address announcer for numerous New York area college and professional sports teams, in particular the MLB New York Yankees , and the NFL New York Giants .Sheppard announced more than 4,500 Yankees baseball games over a period of 56 years,...
's long tenure as Yankee Stadium's public address announcer.
Offseason
- Prior to 1951 season (exact date unknown)
- Jerry LumpeJerry LumpeJerry Dean Lumpe is a former Major League Baseball second baseman for the New York Yankees , Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers ....
was signed as an amateur free agent by the Yankees. - Don TaussigDon TaussigDonald Franklin Taussig is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played all or part of three seasons in the majors: for the San Francisco Giants, for the St. Louis Cardinals, and for the Houston Colt .45s.-Sources:...
was acquired from the Yankees by the New York GiantsSan Francisco GiantsThe San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
.
- Jerry Lumpe
Regular season
- April 17, 1951: Mickey Mantle makes his big league debut for the New York Yankees. The Yankees opponent is the Boston Red Sox1951 Boston Red Sox seasonThe 1951 Boston Red Sox season involved the Red Sox finishing third in the American League with a record of 87 wins and 67 losses.- Offseason :* November 16, 1950: Joe DeMaestri was drafted from the Red Sox by the Chicago White Sox in the 1950 rule 5 draft....
. - May 1, 1951: Mickey Mantle hits his first major league home run. The game was played against the Chicago White Sox1951 Chicago White Sox seasonThe 1951 Chicago White Sox season was the team's 51st season in the major leagues, and its 52nd season overall. They finished with a record 81-73, good for fourth place in the American League, 17 games behind the first place New York Yankees.- Offseason :...
and the pitcher who gave up the home run was Randy GumpertRandy GumpertRandall Pennington Gumpert was a Major League Baseball pitcher, playing for five different teams throughout his career. He was born in Monocacy, Pennsylvania. His pro career began when he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics as a free agent before the 1936 season, at the age of 18...
. The home run was in the sixth inning and was measured at 450 feet. - September 18, 1951: Allie ReynoldsAllie ReynoldsAllie Pierce Reynolds was a pitcher in Major League Baseball.-Biography:...
threw a no-hitterNo-hitterA no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...
to clinch the American League pennant. It was the first time that a pitcher threw a no-hitter to clinch a pennant.
Notable transactions
- May 14, 1951: Billy Johnson was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
for Don BollwegDon BollwegDonald Raymond Bollweg was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who played for three teams from 1950 to 1955....
and $15,000.
Roster
| 1951 New York Yankees | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
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 | 141 | 547 | 161 | .294 | 27 | 88 | |
| 1B | 125 | 262 | 75 | .286 | 9 | 48 | |
| 2B | 121 | 362 | 90 | .249 | 3 | 43 | |
| 3B | 103 | 313 | 84 | .268 | 6 | 51 | |
| SS | 144 | 540 | 148 | .274 | 2 | 43 | |
| OF | 120 | 420 | 118 | .281 | 15 | 71 | |
| OF | 116 | 415 | 109 | .263 | 12 | 71 | |
| OF | 118 | 348 | 103 | .296 | 10 | 54 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131 | 402 | 123 | .306 | 14 | 63 | |
| 96 | 341 | 91 | .267 | 13 | 65 | |
| 113 | 332 | 86 | .259 | 10 | 49 | |
| 56 | 168 | 50 | .298 | 8 | 25 | |
| 46 | 63 | 13 | .206 | 2 | 4 | |
| 51 | 58 | 15 | .259 | 0 | 2 | |
| 45 | 51 | 11 | .216 | 2 | 8 | |
| 18 | 51 | 14 | .275 | 1 | 7 | |
| 15 | 40 | 12 | .300 | 0 | 4 | |
| 12 | 28 | 6 | .214 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2 | 8 | 3 | .375 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | 5 | 1 | .200 | 0 | 2 | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 258.1 | 21 | 10 | 3.27 | 164 | |
| 31 | 234.2 | 21 | 9 | 2.91 | 93 | |
| 40 | 221 | 17 | 8 | 3.05 | 126 | |
| 4 | 9.1 | 0 | 2 | 13.50 | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 124.2 | 9 | 3 | 3.68 | 57 | |
| 25 | 95.2 | 5 | 5 | 4.33 | 38 | |
| 23 | 82.1 | 8 | 4 | 2.40 | 50 | |
| 11 | 46.1 | 3 | 1 | 3.88 | 19 | |
| 15 | 44.2 | 1 | 1 | 4.63 | 14 | |
| 19 | 40.2 | 1 | 3 | 4.65 | 15 | |
| 7 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 4.14 | 21 | |
| 11 | 26.2 | 0 | 3 | 3.71 | 10 | |
| 9 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 6.86 | 14 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 3.49 | 30 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7.50 | 3 | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 2 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 2 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | 1 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15.00 | 2 |
1951 World Series
AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL New York Giants1951 New York Giants (MLB) season
The New York Giants season 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...
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| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giants – 5, Yankees – 1 | October 4 | Yankee Stadium | 65,673 |
| 2 | Giants – 1, Yankees – 3 | October 5 | Yankee Stadium | 66,018 |
| 3 | Yankees – 2, Giants – 6 | October 6 | Polo Grounds Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963... |
52,035 |
| 4 | Yankees – 6, Giants – 2 | October 8 | Polo Grounds Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963... |
49,010 |
| 5 | Yankees – 13, Giants – 1 | October 9 | Polo Grounds Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963... |
47,530 |
| 6 | Giants – 3, Yankees – 4 | October 10 | Yankee Stadium | 61,711 |
Awards and honors
- Yogi BerraYogi BerraLawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, American League MVP - Phil RizzutoPhil RizzutoPhilip Francis Rizzuto , nicknamed "The Scooter", was an American Major League Baseball shortstop. He spent his entire 13-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
, Babe Ruth AwardBabe Ruth AwardThe Babe Ruth Award is given annually to the Major League Baseball player with the best performance in the postseason. The award, created by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America in honor of Babe Ruth, was first awarded in 1949 to the MVP of the World Series, one...
All-Star Game
1951 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1951 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 18th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League and National League , the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July 10, 1951, at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan the home of the...
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Quincy, Norfolk, LaGrange, McAlesterNewark club folded, July 17, 1951