1947 New York Giants

1947 New York Giants / Franchise: San Francisco Giants / BR Team Page

Record: 81-73, Finished 4th in National League (1947 NL)

Managed by Mel Ott

Coaches: Hank Gowdy, Travis Jackson and Red Kress

Ballpark: Polo Grounds IV

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1947 New York Giants were not a very good team - they finished in 4th place in the National League at 81-73, 13 games back of the pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers - but they excelled in one aspect: hitting home runs. Their 221 homers led the league by a huge margin (the Pittsburgh Pirates were second with 156), and that power was responsible for their leading the league with 830 runs scored, even if their other offensive numbers were just average. They set a franchise record by homering in 19 consecutive games during the season - a record that was still in place over 75 years later in 2025! Their propensity to hit home runs earned them the nickname "the Window-Breakers".

The big boppers leading the home run charge were 1B Johnny Mize, who led the league with 51, while OF Willard Marshall hist 35, C Walker Cooper 35 and OF Bobby Thomson 29. Mize also led the league in runs with 137 and RBIs with 138.

Obviously, if the hitting was good but the team's record was mediocre, the pitching was responsible. Larry Jansen was great at the top of the starting rotation, going 21-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 248 innings, but among the next seven in innings pitched, only reliever Ken Trinkle had an ERA below 4.00, at 3.75. He went 8-4 with 10 saves as the team's closer, but no other pitcher was effective and they had to rely on getting great run support to win games. For example, number 2 starter Dave Koslo finished at 15-10, but he led the league in allowing earned runs (106) and homers (23). The team's 761 runs allowed was second-worst, only trailing Pittsburgh, and they allowed 122 homers, also second-worst, without having to face the best home run-hitting team in the league.

Awards and Honors

• All-Stars: Walker Cooper, Willard Marshall and Johnny Mize

Further Reading

• Roger Kahn: The Era, 1947-1957: When the Yankees, the Giants, and the Dodgers Ruled the World, Bison Books, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2002 (originally published in 1993). ISBN 0803278055
• Steve Treder: "The Windowbreakers: The New York Giants in 1947", in The National Pastime - A Review of Baseball History, Society for American Baseball Research, Cleveland, OH, number 26 (May, 2006), pp. 92-94.