Joe Dobson of the Chicago White Sox pitches 7 1/3 innings of hitless ball against the Philadelphia Athletics before yielding a single to Skeeter Kell. Dobson goes on to complete the two-hit shutout in the 3 – 0 White Sox victory at Shibe Park.
1951 – Former Chicago Cubs first baseman and future star of the TV series The Rifleman Chuck Connors becomes the first player to refuse to participate in the major league draft. Currently the 1B for the Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League, Connors wants to stay in California, instead of going to whatever team might draft him for the major leagues. The PCL views his refusal in a positive manner, allowing them to ask for higher prices for minor league players than what the major leagues usually offers.
1951 – In Tokyo, 50,000 fans are on hand as an American All-Star team battles a Central League All-Star team. Joe DiMaggio hits a 400-foot home run in the 8th inning to tie the game at 1 – 1, then his brother Dom laces an RBI triple in the 9th and later scores to give the Americans a 3 – 2 victory. The Americans have won 12 games and tied one.
In one of the closest votes in the history of the award, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America names Yankees catcher Yogi Berra (.294, 27, 88) as the American League’s Most Valuable Player. The Yankees catcher, who will also cop the honor in 1954 and 1955, edges out the Browns’ 20-game winner Ned Garver, who was told he had won the award by a representative from the BBWAA before a recount gave the Bronx Bomber backstop a slight edge.
1951 – Representative Emanuel Celler’s committee issues financial data from 1945-1949 that differs with Walter O’Malley’s numbers. According to Celler, the Brooklyn Dodgers made a profit of 2.364 million dollars in the five-year period. The Dodgers’ “loss” of $129,318 in 1950 included a $167,000 loss due to the promotion of the Brooklyn Dodgers professional football team. In his continuing investigation into antitrust violations, Celler says that evidence in his committee suggests altering the reserve clause in that it does limit players.
1951 – Brooklyn Dodgers president Walter O’Malley denies that his minor league team system constitutes a monopoly. He cites the Dodgers’ deficit in 1950.
Future Hall of Famer Roy Campanella (.325, 33, 108) wins the first of his three National League MVP Awards. The Dodger backstop will also receive the prestigious honor in 1953 and 1955.
The Red Sox trade catcher Les Moss and flychaser Tom Wright to the Browns for backstop Gus Niarhos and outfielder Ken Wood. The deal will have little impact in Boston (6th place) and in St. Louis (7th place) as both teams will finish in the second division.
Former Reds and Dodger owner Larry MacPhail suggests there should be four new major leagues, including one located on the West Coast. The innovative baseball executive, responsible for introducing night baseball and commercial air travel, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.
The Associated Press selects Giants skipper Leo Durocher as the Manager of the Year. Under his leadership, the Giants rallied from a 13 1/2-game deficit in mid-August to win the pennant, beating the Dodgers in a three-game playoff series best remembered for Bobby Thomson’s fabled home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of the deciding game at the Polo Grounds.
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