Editor’s note: Tournament games are played with Strat-o-Matic cards and dice. Three-man pitching rotations will be used for starting pitchers. Injuries are in-game only during this single elimination event.
Ralph Branca tossed a two-hitter to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to the championship game of the 1951 Tournament.
The Dodgers won 5-0 in the semifinal contest with the Boston Braves as they scored all of their runs during the bottom of the seventh inning.
Brooklyn will host the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies at Cleveland Indians contest in the title affair.
Branca (1-0) allowed singles by Roy Hartsfield in the fourth and Sam Jethroe in the sixth. He also fanned nine, but walked five.
Boston’s serious threat of the game was in the top of the seventh as Walker Cooper reached on an error and Hartsfield walked. Branca was able to keep the game scoreless as he induced Braves starting pitcher Chet Nichols to ground into a double play.
In the bottom of the frame, the Dodgers ousted Nichols as 10 batters came to the plate.
With two outs, Carl Furillo drove in the first run with a single. After Pee WeeReese walked, Duke Snider sent Nichols to the showers with a RBI single and it was 2-0.
Bob Chipman was called from the Braves bullpen, but he faced two hitters and didn’t record an out.
Jackie Robinson greeted Chipman with a run-scoring single and Roy Campanella walked.
Max Surkont went to the mound and surrendered a two-run single to Andy Pafko before retiring Gil Hodges, who made two outs in the inning.
Nichols (0-1) gave up four runs on eight hits with with two walks and a strikeout.
1951 Tournament
Championship Game
(5) Philadelphia Phillies-(2) Cleveland Indians winner at (2) Brooklyn Dodgers
Semifinals
(2) Brooklyn Dodgers 5, (4) Boston Braves 0
(5) Philadelphia Phillies at (2) Cleveland Indians
Second Round Results
(4) Boston Braves 5, (8) Chicago Cubs 3
(2) Brooklyn Dodgers 4, (6) Cincinnati Reds 1
(5) Philadelphia Phillies 5, (8) St. Louis Browns 3
(2) Cleveland Indians 5, (3) St. Louis Cardinals 2
First Round Results
(8) Chicago Cubs 2 at (1) New York Yankees 1
(4) Boston Braves 5, (5) Detroit Tigers 2
(6) Cincinnati Reds 4, (3) Boston Red Sox 2
(2) Brooklyn Dodgers 4, (7) Washington Senators 2
(8) St. Louis Browns 6, (1) New York Giants 1
(5) Philadelphia Phillies 10, (4) Chicago White Sox 3
(3) St. Louis Cardinals 2, (6) Philadelphia Athletics 0
(2) Cleveland Indians 5, (7) Pittsburgh Pirates 3