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1951
The regular season: Under Karl Winsch, the 1951 Blue Sox went 76–36 and won the regular-season pennant outright, clinching first place on September 1 with a 5–1 win over Rockford. This is the club's one true pennant, and it is printed here as a regular-season honor, distinct from what followed.
The first round: In the best-of-three playoff round, South Bend beat the Fort Wayne Daisies two games to one: Jean Faut stopped the Daisies on six hits, 2–1, in the opener at Playland Park; Fort Wayne took the second game 9–1; and in the deciding game at Fort Wayne, Faut scattered eight hits and South Bend scored the tie-breaking run in the tenth to win 2–1.
The championship series: Against Rockford in the best-of-five final, the Blue Sox fell behind two games to none and came back to win the playoff championship — the final game a 10–2 rout, headlined in the South Bend Tribune of September 14, 1951: "Sox Trounce Rockford, 10-2 in Final Tilt."
The honors: Faut was the league's Player of the Year for 1951. Charlene Pryer led the league in hits (133), runs (106) and stolen bases (129) — the offensive engine of the pennant winner, at the one-line size this section allows the players.
Sources:
- SABR Biography Project, Elizabeth Mahon — the 76–36 record, the September 1 clincher, the Fort Wayne series game by game.
- South Bend Tribune, September 14, 1951 — the final game's headline and score.
- Charlene Pryer record — the 1951 league leads in hits, runs and stolen bases; All-Star selection.