Giants History: Bobby Thomson Hits Shot Heard ‘Round the World
By David Hill
On this day in 1951, one of the greatest collapses in MLNB history was completed when New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson crushed the hopes and dreams of Brooklyn Dodgers fans for yet another season.
“Wait ’til next year!” was the popular rallying cry for fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers. After years of heartbreak in the postseason, where they were defeated by the dynastic New York Yankees, Dodgers fans turned that lament into an unofficial slogan for the ballclub, a promise of better things to come.
‘Next Year’ appeared to have finally come in 1951. The Dodgers held a 13.5 game lead over the second place New York Giants on August 11, as another trip to the World Series appeared to be within grasp. However, the Giants went on a tear, winning 37 of their final 44 games to force a three game playoff for the National League pennant.
After splitting the first two games, the third game was needed to determine who would advance to take on those mighty Yankees. The Dodgers jumped out to a 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the, and then, disaster struck.
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The inning started innocently enough, with Alvin Dark leading off the frame with a base hit against Don Newcombe. Then Don Mueller singled. Newcombe was able to get Monte Irvin to foul out for the first out of the inning, but Whitey Lockman had an RBI double to cut the lead to 4-2. Newcombe, obviously laboring, was taken out, and Ralph Branca came in to close out the game.
Bobby Thomson, the Giants leading home run hitter, stepped to the plate to face Branca. The best option would have likely been to walk the slugger to set up a force at every base, but instead, the Dodgers elected to pitch to him. That proved to be a mistake, as Thompson belted Branca’s second offering into the seats, sending the Giants to the pennant and once again, shattering the Dodgers hopes.
That home run would go down as one of the more iconic plays in MLB history. No one remembers that the Giants fell to the Yankees in six games in the World Series; they recall that Thomson hit the shot that ended the Dodgers season.
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On this day in 1951, one of the more memorable home runs was hit, as Bobby Thomson sent the Giants to the World Series. The “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” ended the Dodgers dreams once more, as they once again had to wait ’til next year.