The Home Run That Changed an Iconic Baseball Rivalry
By Shawn Stewart
Imagine it is October, 1951, at the Polo Grounds in New York, home of the New York Giants. The stands were filled with just over 34,000 fans anticipating a game that could be talked about for years to come, and the game did not disappoint. In fact, some people will tell you that this is the greatest baseball game ever played, and with what was on the line, that made it even more exciting.
Bobby Thomson crushes the ball cementing himself in baseball lore. (Associated Press)
The Dodgers and Giants rivalry goes back a long time, but nothing is bigger than this moment for the two teams. In fact, the first meeting ever between these two goes back to 1890. Now, the Dodgers did move to Los Angeles in 1957, and the Giants followed suit with their own move from New York to San Francisco in 1958, but back to the 1951 season for just a moment. The Dodgers did have a comfortable lead in the division in August, in fact they had a 13 1/2 game lead, but the Giants caught fire and ended up winning 37 of their last 44 games, and the Giants and Dodgers ended the regular season with identical records of 96 wins and 58 loses. This forced a 3 game playoff series between the rivals, and this would determine who would represent the Nation League in the World Series against the New York Yankees, by the way, the Yankees did end up winning the World Series in 1951. Keep in mind there were no playoffs back in those days like there are today. If you won the division, you won the pennant, and represented your league in the Fall Classic. So this 3 game series was something for the ages. In game 1 the Giants were victorious with a 3-1 victory, but the Dodgers took game 2 in blow out fashion to set up an exciting and unforgettable decisive game 3. In game 3, the Dodgers had built a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the 9th inning. The Giants did score 1 run to cut the deficit to 4-2, with 2 runners on and 1 out, Bobby Thomson walked to the plate, and with Ralph Branca on the mound, Thomson took an 0-1 pitch, and what happened next was and still is unforgettable. Thompson drilled the pitch over the left field fence sending the Giants fans and players into an uproar and sending the Giants to the World Series.
Russ Hodges, the well known announcer, memorably described the home run;
“Branca throws.... There’s a long fly.... it’s going to be, I believe... The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby hit it into the lower deck of the left field stands.. The Giants win the pennant and they’re going crazy... I don’t believe it... I don’t believe it... I will not believe it.... Bobby Thomson hit a line drive into the lower deck of the left field stands and the place is going crazy.... Oh! Oh! And they are picking up Bobby Thomson and carrying him off the field”.
This is known as the Shot Heard ’Round the World which was derived from the Concord Hymn (1837), a famous poem written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, depicts the first clash of the American Revolutionary War.
There is also some speculation that the Giants cheated and Thomson knew the pitch was coming, sound familiar? The Houston Astros were also accused of the same thing during their 2017 playoff run which led to a World Series title against, ironically, the Los Angeles Dodgers. This well known rivalry goes back a long time and will continue to for years to come, but for that brief moment and an unforgettable 3 game series between this bitter rivalry, it is something a baseball fan, or even a sports fan will talk about for a long time and will be passed on for generations.
You can follow Shawn on Twitter @ShawnSportsNut.
