# 1951 Chicago White Sox season

The 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 of 81–73, good for fourth place in the American League, 17 games behind the first place New York Yankees.

## Offseason

* November 16, 1950: Joe DeMaestri was drafted by the White Sox from the Boston Red Sox in the 1950 rule 5 draft.
* Prior to 1951 season: Jay Porter was signed as an amateur free agent by the White Sox.

## Regular season

In 1951, the White Sox began using a bullpen car.
* May 1, 1951: Mickey Mantle hit his first big league home run against the White Sox. The pitcher who gave up the home run was Randy Gumpert.

### Season standings

vteAmerican League :
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
| New York Yankees | 98 | 56 | .636 | — | 56‍–‍22 | 42‍–‍34 |
| Cleveland Indians | 93 | 61 | .604 | 5 | 53‍–‍24 | 40‍–‍37 |
| Boston Red Sox | 87 | 67 | .565 | 11 | 50‍–‍25 | 37‍–‍42 |
| Chicago White Sox | 81 | 73 | .526 | 17 | 39‍–‍38 | 42‍–‍35 |
| Detroit Tigers | 73 | 81 | .474 | 25 | 36‍–‍41 | 37‍–‍40 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 70 | 84 | .455 | 28 | 38‍–‍41 | 32‍–‍43 |
| Washington Senators | 62 | 92 | .403 | 36 | 32‍–‍44 | 30‍–‍48 |
| St. Louis Browns | 52 | 102 | .338 | 46 | 24‍–‍53 | 28‍–‍49 |

### Record vs. opponents

1951 American League recordvte Sources: :
| Team | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | NYY | PHA | SLB | WSH |
| Boston | — | 11–11 | 8–14 | 12–10 | 11–11 | 15–7 | 15–7 | 15–7 |
| Chicago | 11–11 | — | 12–10–1 | 12–10 | 8–14 | 9–13 | 15–7 | 14–8 |
| Cleveland | 14–8 | 10–12–1 | — | 17–5 | 7–15 | 16–6 | 16–6 | 13–9 |
| Detroit | 10–12 | 10–12 | 5–17 | — | 10–12 | 13–9 | 12–10 | 13–9 |
| New York | 11–11 | 14–8 | 15–7 | 12–10 | — | 13–9 | 17–5 | 16–6 |
| Philadelphia | 7–15 | 13–9 | 6–16 | 9–13 | 9–13 | — | 14–8 | 12–10 |
| St. Louis | 7–15 | 7–15 | 6–16 | 10–12 | 5–17 | 8–14 | — | 9–13 |
| Washington | 7–15 | 8–14 | 9–13 | 9–13 | 6–16 | 10–12 | 13–9 | — |

### Notable transactions

* April 30, 1951: Gus Zernial and Dave Philley were traded by the White Sox to the Philadelphia Athletics as part of a three-team trade. Minnie Miñoso was traded to the White Sox by the Cleveland Indians, and Paul Lehner was traded to the White Sox by the Athletics. The Athletics sent Lou Brissie to the Indians. The Indians sent Sam Zoldak and Ray Murray to the Athletics.
* June 4, 1951: Hank Majeski was traded by the White Sox to the Philadelphia Athletics for Kermit Wahl.
* June 4, 1951: Kermit Wahl and Paul Lehner were traded by the White Sox to the St. Louis Browns for Don Lenhardt.
* July 31, 1951: Ray Coleman was selected off waivers by the White Sox from the St. Louis Browns.

### Opening Day lineup

* Chico Carrasquel, SS
* Floyd Baker, 3B
* Al Zarilla, RF
* Gus Zernial, LF
* Eddie Robinson, 1B
* Phil Masi, C
* Jim Busby, CF
* Nellie Fox, 2B
* Billy Pierce, P

### Roster
## Player stats
### Batting

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Base on balls; SO = Strikeouts; AVG = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | SB |
| Floyd Baker, 3B,2B | 82 | 133 | 24 | 35 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 12 | .263 | 0 |
| Bob Boyd, 1B | 12 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | .167 | 0 |
| Jim Busby, CF | 143 | 477 | 59 | 135 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 68 | 40 | 46 | .283 | 26 |
| Chico Carrasquel, SS | 147 | 538 | 41 | 142 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 58 | 46 | 39 | .264 | 14 |
| Ray Coleman, OF | 51 | 181 | 21 | 50 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 21 | 15 | 14 | .276 | 2 |
| Joe DeMaestri, SS,2B | 56 | 74 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 11 | .203 | 0 |
| Bob Dillinger, 3B | 89 | 299 | 39 | 90 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 15 | 17 | .301 | 5 |
| Joe Erautt, C | 16 | 25 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | .160 | 0 |
| Nellie Fox, 2B | 147 | 604 | 93 | 189 | 32 | 12 | 4 | 55 | 43 | 11 | .313 | 9 |
| Gordon Goldsberry, 1B | 10 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .091 | 0 |
| Bert Haas, 1B,RF | 23 | 43 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 | .163 | 0 |
| Sam Hairston, C | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .400 | 0 |
| Paul Lehner, OF | 23 | 72 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 4 | .208 | 0 |
| Don Lenhardt, LF | 64 | 199 | 23 | 53 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 45 | 24 | 25 | .266 | 1 |
| Hank Majeski, 3B | 12 | 35 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .257 | 0 |
| Phil Masi, C | 84 | 225 | 24 | 61 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 32 | 27 | .271 | 1 |
| Minnie Miñoso, 3B,RF,LF | 138 | 516 | 107 | 167 | 32 | 14 | 10 | 74 | 71 | 41 | .324 | 31 |
| Rocky Nelson, PH | 6 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Gus Niarhos, C | 66 | 168 | 27 | 43 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 47 | 9 | .256 | 4 |
| Dave Philley, LF | 7 | 25 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .240 | 0 |
| Eddie Robinson, 1B | 151 | 564 | 85 | 159 | 23 | 5 | 29 | 117 | 77 | 54 | .282 | 2 |
| Bud Sheely, C | 34 | 89 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | .180 | 0 |
| Bud Stewart, LF,RF | 95 | 217 | 40 | 60 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 29 | 9 | .276 | 1 |
| Red Wilson, C | 4 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .273 | 0 |
| Al Zarilla, RF,LF | 120 | 382 | 56 | 98 | 21 | 2 | 10 | 60 | 60 | 57 | .257 | 2 |
| Gus Zernial, LF | 4 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .105 | 0 |
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | SB |
| Luis Aloma, P | 25 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .350 | 0 |
| Hal Brown, P | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 |
| Bob Cain, P | 4 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .333 | 0 |
| Joe Dobson, P | 28 | 46 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | .065 | 0 |
| Fritz Dorish, P | 32 | 31 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .258 | 0 |
| Ross Grimsley, P | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 |
| Randy Gumpert, P | 37 | 45 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 9 | .333 | 0 |
| Ken Holcombe, P | 28 | 44 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | .250 | 0 |
| Howie Judson, P | 27 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | .121 | 0 |
| Lou Kretlow, P | 26 | 48 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 24 | .083 | 0 |
| Dick Littlefield, P | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 0 |
| Billy Pierce, P | 39 | 79 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 17 | .203 | 0 |
| Saul Rogovin, P | 24 | 74 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | .203 | 1 |
| Marv Rotblatt, P | 26 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 0 |
| Team Totals | 155 | 5378 | 714 | 1453 | 229 | 64 | 86 | 668 | 594 | 525 | .270 | 99 |

### Pitching

Note: W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; SV = Saves; IP = Innings pitched; H = Hits allowed; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; HR = Home runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K |
| Luis Aloma | 6 | 0 | 1.82 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 69.1 | 52 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 24 | 25 |
| Hal Brown | 0 | 0 | 9.35 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Bob Cain | 1 | 2 | 3.76 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 26.1 | 25 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 3 |
| Joe Dobson | 7 | 6 | 3.62 | 28 | 21 | 3 | 146.2 | 136 | 68 | 59 | 17 | 51 | 67 |
| Fritz Dorish | 5 | 6 | 3.54 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 96.2 | 101 | 50 | 38 | 6 | 31 | 29 |
| Ross Grimsley | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 8 |
| Randy Gumpert | 9 | 8 | 4.32 | 33 | 16 | 2 | 141.2 | 156 | 74 | 68 | 20 | 34 | 45 |
| Ken Holcombe | 11 | 12 | 3.78 | 28 | 23 | 0 | 159.1 | 142 | 69 | 67 | 9 | 68 | 39 |
| Howie Judson | 5 | 6 | 3.77 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 121.2 | 124 | 67 | 51 | 9 | 55 | 43 |
| Lou Kretlow | 6 | 9 | 4.20 | 26 | 18 | 0 | 137.0 | 129 | 77 | 64 | 7 | 74 | 89 |
| Dick Littlefield | 1 | 1 | 8.38 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9.2 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 17 | 7 |
| Bob Mahoney | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Billy Pierce | 15 | 14 | 3.03 | 37 | 28 | 2 | 240.1 | 237 | 93 | 81 | 14 | 73 | 113 |
| Saul Rogovin | 11 | 7 | 2.48 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 192.2 | 166 | 64 | 53 | 11 | 67 | 77 |
| Marv Rotblatt | 4 | 2 | 3.40 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 47.2 | 44 | 21 | 18 | 4 | 23 | 20 |
| Team Totals | 81 | 73 | 3.50 | 155 | 155 | 14 | 1418.1 | 1353 | 644 | 552 | 109 | 549 | 572 |

## Farm system

| Level | Team | League | Manager |
| AAA | Sacramento Solons | Pacific Coast League | Joe Gordon |
| AA | Memphis Chicks | Southern Association | Luke Appling |
| A | Colorado Springs Sky Sox | Western League | Skeeter Webb and Otto Denning |
| B | Waterloo White Hawks | Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League | Otto Denning, Ed Taylor and Skeeter Webb |
| C | Hot Springs Bathers | Cotton States League | Rex Carr |
| C | Superior Blues | Northern League | Buster Mills |
| D | Madisonville Miners | KITTY League | Burl Storie |
| D | Wisconsin Rapids White Sox | Wisconsin State League | Ira Hutchinson |