Late rally earns Berra 1951 AL MVP Award

Initially, St. Louis Browns star and 20-game winner Ned Garver had been told, via a representative from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, that he had earned the honor. Ultimately, “it” (the AL MVP race) was not over, and ballots continued to be counted, and it was determined that the New York Yankees legend had passed Garver in votes. On Nov. 8, 1951, the BBWAA named Berra the American League’s Most Valuable Player.

“I’m very happy over it,” Berra told the Associated Press. “Boy was it a surprise.”

Berra had finished in the Top 20 in MVP voting in 1947 and 1949, and he came in third in 1950 – a year in which he hit .322 while tallying 28 home runs and 124 RBI.

In his first of three MVP campaigns, Berra hit .294 with 27 home runs and 88 RBI in 1951. While his production at the plate would help lead the Bronx Bombers to a first-place finish in the AL and an eventual World Series victory over the New York Giants, a late-season slump would threaten Berra’s chances for the award.

“I was afraid I had blown it with the bad finish,” Berra said, regarding the slump which saw him hit just .263 in September. In addition to Berra and Garver, fellow Yankee Allie Reynolds, Chicago White Sox rookie Minnie Miñoso and Cleveland’s Bob Feller were also in contention for the American League’s top honor. Berra, Garver and Reynolds each received six first-place votes (the most of any candidate) but Berra finished 27 points ahead of Garver (184-157) and 59 points in front of Reynolds.

In a close finish, Berra would come away with the hardware, becoming just the second catcher to win AL MVP honors. Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella also won the National League MVP Award in ’51, and the pair of backstops became the first catchers to win the award in both leagues in the same year.