After 1971, the 1951 Baseball Season is Next

By Glenn Guzzo

The legendary Giants-Dodgers pennant race that led to Bobby Thomson’s “Shot-Heard-’Round-The-World” home run will come to life, as well as the rookie seasons of Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, when Strat-O-Matic releases cards and computer disks for the 1951 Major League season in early 2008.

First, Strat-O-Matic will release 1971 as its historic season for 2007. The 1951 season was the leader in an online poll conducted by SOM’s Steve Barkan, who researches the company’s historic seasons.

Trailing the Dodgers by 13 1/2 games on Aug. 12, the Giants won 16 straight, 39 of 47 and their final seven. But the season wasn’t decided until Thomson’s ninth-inning, walk-off, three-run homer off Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds in the finale of a three-game playoff.

Thomson (.293-32-101), Monte Irvin (.312-24-121) and twin 23-game winners Sal Maglie and Larry Jansen led the Giants over a mighty Brooklyn team led by Roy Campanella (.325-33-108), Gil Hodges (.288-40-101), Jackie Robinson (.338-19-88 with 25 steals), Duke Snider (.277-29-101) and pitchers Preacher Roe (22-3) and Don Newcombe (20-9).

But AL MVP Yogi Berra (.294-27-88), 21-game winners Ed Lopat and Vic Raschi, Allie Reynolds (17 wins, two no-hitters) and Manager Casey Stengel led the Yankees to their third straight world championship in the Subway Series against Leo Durocher’s Giants.

The 1951 season had much else to recommend it:

Powerful Cleveland tied the Yankees for most AL homers and had three 20-game winners (Bob Feller, Mike Garcia and Early Wynn). The Indians won 93 games, just five fewer than New York.

The Red Sox’ Ted Williams had another huge season: .318-30-126 with AL-bests of 144 walks and .556 slugging.

Pittsburgh’s Ralph Kiner (.309-42-109) led the National League in home runs for the sixth straight season (in a streak of seven).

The Cardinals’ Stan Musial (.355-32-108) was his usual dominant self, winning the NL batting title while also leading the league in runs (124) and triples (12), while also slugging .614 (second to Kiner in the NL).

Andy Pafko, traded in the second half of the season from the Cubs in what was widely thought to be a pennant-clincher for the Dodgers, hit a combined 30 HR with 93 RBIs.

The leagues had 13 pitchers who won 20 or more games, including the nine already mentioned, plus Warren Spahn (22), Robin Roberts (21), Ned Garver (20) and Murray Dickson (20).