MLB: Top Ten Comeback Moments in Baseball History
By Keaton Moore
1951 New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
Although they came out of the postseason without a World Series championship, the 1951 New York Giants pulled off the undisputed greatest come back in baseball history. Struggling to keep up with the red-hot Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giants spent nearly all of the season in second place. In fact, with less than two months left in the season the Giants trailed their rival by 13 games.
However, as the Dodgers skidded to a 14-13 record in September, the Giants shot ahead and finished the season 40-14. Their two-game sweep of the Boston Braves to end the season tied the Giants with the Dodgers. As a result, a three-game series was set to determine who would move on to the World Series.
"“There’s a long drive…it’s gonna be…I believe – the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” –Broadcaster Russ Hodges"
The Giants scrapped by with three runs in first game with Jim Hearn on the mound. He pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one run with five strikeouts. The second game fell in favor of Brooklyn as the Dodgers evened the series with a 10-0 victory. Sheldon Jones allowed only two runs through 2.1 innings, but the Dodgers jumped on George Spencer and Al Corwin as the tie-breaker came down to a decisive third game.
Immediately, it seemed like the Dodgers were bound for the World Series, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Shortly after Bobby Thomson hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the seventh, Brooklyn scored three in the eighth. Trailing 2-4 and on the brink of elimination, Thomson sent the Giants to the World Series with a walk-off, three-run home run.