TOPS AND BOTTOMS IN THE SERIES
"Highlights of the World Series of 1951:
Biggest Thrill: Joe DiMaggio's home run in the fourth game. It was like an old actor putting a plaid coat and playing a dashing juvenile so well you couldn't tell the difference.
Most Underrated Player: Wes Westrum, the New York Giants' catcher, who drew raves from Bill Dickey, New York Yankee coach and backstopping great.
Best Pitcher: Ed Lopat, who allowed only one earned run in eighteen innings. The second run off Lopat was 'unearned' mentally. It stemmed from a rock-head throw by Gene Woodling to the wrong base in the fifth game.
Most Consistent Performer: Gil McDougald of the Yankees, who played second base or third base with equal skill and who developed into the most feared Yankee batsman.
Bust of the Series: Willie Mays, the Giants' young center fielder. He contributed nothing in the way of offense, grounding into three double plays in the fourth game.
Worst Fielder: Bobby Thomson, the Giants' third baseman. A reformed outfielder, the slugging Scot threw wild, manhandled ground balls, was a better hitter than historian [sic].
Best Fielder: Phil Rizzuto, Yankee shortstop, despite his nonchalant tag of Eddie Stanky at second base in the second game. Stanky kicked the ball out of Rizzuto's hand on a slide. With that exception, Rizzuto was terrific.
Best Game: The last, or sixth. The Giants were never really out of competition [sic]. They were so close in the ninth you could have given odds they would square the Series. They hit three tremendous blows off Bob Kuzava. Two were long, but easy outs. The third was a sensational catch by Hank Bauer.
Best All-Around Performance: Alvin Dark, shortstop and captain of the Giants, played a heroic game in the field and at the plate, with his straddle stance and his guardianship of the platter glaringly apparent.
Goat: Monte Irvin, despite his deeds with the willow, played a silly outfield. The Giants' ace man with the stick set up the Yankee triumph in the fifth game because he was against the bleacher wall in the Polo Grounds when Joe DiMaggio hit a pop fly to left that went for a single and paved the way for Gil McDougald's grand-slam homer. Irvin also played Hank Bauer's triple poorly in the sixth game.
Most Dangerous Batter: Monte Irvin, who, according to Allie Reynolds, 'guards the plate every minute.'
Best Strategy: That of Manager Casey Stengel of the Yankees in the daily juggling of the lineup. This must have been the best strategy. Casey won with it.
Worst Strategy: Stengel's decision to let Bauer hit, instead of Johnny Mize, in the eighth inning of the second game. The Yankees were five runs down. Bauer, notorious for his failures against right-handed curve ball pitchers, was to face Sheldon Jones. With Mize on the bench, Stengel went along with Bauer, who tapped out to the pitcher.
Best Prat Fall: By Hank Bauer as he caught Sal Yvars' liner for the final out of the sixth game.
Second Best Prat Fall: By the Giants, period.
Most Glaring Weakness in the Series: The Giants' bench, or array of substitutes.
Best Umpiring: No other World Series ever was marked by as few beefs. Bill Summers and Joe Paparella of the American League and Lee Ballanfant and Al Barlick of the National League were all remarkable. To them ... huzzahs!
Best Fielding Play: Gene Woodling's one-handed of Monte Irvin's long drive to left center in the fifth game."
-Franklin Lewis, condensed from the Cleveland Press (Baseball Digest, January 1952)
"Biggest Break: That Sunday rainout that gave Allie Reynolds the extra day's rest he needed to come back at the Giants after his defeat in the opener. If Sunday's weather had been fair, Reynolds wouldn't have pitched- and maybe the Giants would be world champs today.
Best Footwork: Eddie Stanky's field goal with Scooter Rizzuto holding, in the third game.
Biggest Gamble: Casey Stengel's snap decision to call on Bob Kuzava, a southpaw, to face three dangerous right-handed batters in the final inning of the deciding game by which he saved the day and possibly the Series.
Toughest Break: The Giants' loss of right fielder Don Mueller in the playoffs. His hitting might have aided the club materially, although the Yankees also lost power when Mickey Mantle was injured in the second game.
Best Managerial Job: Casey Stengel, although Durocher left little to be desired. Leo's choice of Ray Noble, who looked at a third strike with three on and two out in the eighth inning of the final game was roundly booed by Giant fans, but who was left except Sal Yvars?"
-Dan Parker in the New York Mirror (Baseball Digest, January 1952)
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