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.
Some early runs provided the St. Louis Browns an edge that led to a 6-1 win over the New York Giants in the opening round of the 1951 Tournament.
With the victory, the Browns will travel to the meet the winner of the Philadelphia Phillies at Chicago White Sox contest in the second round.
The Browns got some help with the first tally in the second inning off Giants starter Sal Maglie.
Earl Rapp singled to begin the frame. After an out, Sherm Lollar reached on an error before Fred Marsh beat out a double play attempt that allowed Rapp to come home.
A sacrifice fly in the third by Jim Delsing put the Browns on top 2-0. A two-run single by Bill Jennings in the fourth doubled the advantage for the Browns.
New York scored its only run in the bottom of the fourth off Browns starter Ned Garver. Al Dark singled to begin the inning and Don Mueller doubled to produce the run.
Maglie (0-1) would be ousted in the sixth with one out as he would surrender all six runs on nine hits with two strikeouts.
After Rapp was retired, Hank Arft singled and Lollar doubled to set up Marsh who knocked in both runners with a single for the final margin of the affair.
Dave Koslo replaced Maglie and got out of the sixth before tossing a scoreless seventh, while George Spencer didn’t give up a run over the last two innings.
Garver (1-0) went the distance allowing six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
1951 Tournament
Second Round Pairings
(8) Chicago Cubs at (4) Boston Braves
(6) Cincinnati Reds at (2) Brooklyn Dodgers
First Round Results and Pairings
(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 (73-81) at (4) Chicago White Sox (81-73)
(6) Philadelphia Athletics (70-84) at (3) St. Louis Cardinals (81-73)
(7) Pittsburgh Pirates (64-90) at (2) Cleveland Indians (93-61)