The 1951 Carolina League was a Class B baseball season played between April 18 and September 3. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Winston-Salem Cardinals won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Reidsville Luckies in the final round of the playoffs.
Team changes The Burlington Bees began an affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Greensboro Patriots began an affiliation with the Chicago Cubs.
Teams 1951 Carolina League Team City MLB Affiliate Stadium Burlington Bees Burlington, North Carolina Pittsburgh Pirates Elon College Park Danville Leafs Danville, Virginia None League Park Durham Bulls Durham, North Carolina Detroit Tigers Durham Athletic Park Fayetteville Athletics Fayetteville, North Carolina Philadelphia Athletics Pittman Stadium Greensboro Patriots Greensboro, North Carolina Chicago Cubs World War Memorial Stadium Raleigh Capitals Raleigh, North Carolina None Devereaux Meadow Reidsville Luckies Reidsville, North Carolina None Kiker Stadium Winston-Salem Cardinals Winston-Salem, North Carolina St. Louis Cardinals South Side Park
Map of teams
Regular season Summary The Durham Bulls finished with the best record in the regular season for the first time since in team history. The regular season schedule was shortened from 154-games to 140-games.
Standings 1951 CL Standings at stats-crew.com, URL accessed December 1, 2024 Carolina League Team Win Loss % GB Durham Bulls 84 56 – Winston-Salem Cardinals 81 58 2.5 Raleigh Capitals 78 62 6 Reidsville Luckies 76 64 8 Greensboro Patriots 67 73 17 Danville Leafs 66 73 17.5 Fayetteville Athletics 59 79 24 Burlington Bees 47 93 37
League Leaders
Batting leaders 1951 CL Batting Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 1, 2024 Stat Player Total AVG Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals .363 H Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals 200 R Hank Navarro, Durham Bulls 116 2B Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals 45 3B Joe Cunningham, Winston-Salem Cardinals 11 HR Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals Carl Miller, Reidsville Luckies 28 RBI Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals 127 SB Herb Mancini, Winston-Salem Cardinals 36
Pitching leaders 1951 CL Pitching Leaders at baseball-reference.com, URL accessed December 1, 2024 Stat Player Total W Mike Forline, Reidsville Luckies 21 ERA Jim Lewey, Winston-Salem Cardinals 2.65 CG Mike Forline, Reidsville Luckies 21 SHO Jim Lewey, Winston-Salem Cardinals John McPadden, Durham Bulls 5 SO Dennis Reeder, Winston-Salem Cardinals 155 IP Mike Forline, Reidsville Luckies 264.0
Playoffs The Winston-Salem Cardinals won their second consecutive Carolina League championship, defeating the Reidsville Luckies in five games. The league semi-finals were lengthened from a best-of-five series to a best-of-seven.
Playoff bracket
Awards Carolina League awards Award name Recipient Most Valuable Player Ray Jablonski, Winston-Salem Cardinals Manager of the Year Ace Parker, Durham Bulls
See also 1951 Major League Baseball season
References
External links Minor League Baseball official website