With the post-World War II Giants falling into in the league's second division, Stoneham boldly moved to replace the popular Ott as his manager with the hyper-competitive, abrasive Durocher on July 16, 1948. Giant fans reviled Durocher as the pilot of the arch-rival Brooklyn Dodgers, but he quickly produced an exciting, hard-playing team that—within years, in 1951—won one of the most thrilling pennant races in history, capped by Thomson's come-from-behind, three-run walk-off home run in the final inning of the deciding game of the postseason playoff with the Dodgers. Durocher and Mays' 1954 Giants also took the NL flag, and won Stoneham's only World Series title with a four-game sweep over the Cleveland Indians. That season, Stoneham was hailed as "The Sporting News"' Executive of the Year in baseball.