Shot Heard 'Round the World

The **Shot Heard 'Round the World** was a famous moment in American Baseball in 1951, describing the crack of the bat as New York Giants player Bobby Thompson hit a home run that won the game against the Brooklyn Dodgers and put the Giants into the World Series that year.

## Background

The Brooklyn Dodgers were having a strong season in 1951 in the National League. As late as August, the Dodgers had a thirteen game lead on the rest of the competition and seemed destined to win the competition and represent the Leagues against the American League champion in the World Series. However a late season rut combined with the New York Giants hitting form reduced that margin to the point that the two sides ended up equal at the end of the competition. A three game series was held to decide who would proceed to the World Series.

## Three Game Series

As the series wasn't scheduled, a coin toss was used to decide the schedule. The Dodgers won it, and decided they would host the opening game at Ebbets Field while allowing the second game (and the third if it was needed) to be played at the Giants' home field, the Polo Grounds.

### Game One

At Ebbets Field, the Dodgers got off to a good start at the bottom of the second when Andy Pafko scored a solo home run. But at the top of the fourth the Giants struck back when Monte Irvin was given first base after being hit, and then Bobby Thomson brought him home with the game's second homer and New York took the lead 2-1. Batters couldn't get past second base until the top of the eighth when Irvin hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 3-1 - where it would stay. The Dodgers now needed to win both games in enemy territory to gain the National League championship.

### Game Two

At the Polo Grounds, Brooklyn wasted no time at the top of the first. Pee Wee Reese got to first base and then Jackie Robinson slammed a home run to put the Dodgers 2-0 up early. The Giants couldn't bridge the gap by the top of the fifth and Brooklyn scored again through Duke Snider after an RBI by Robinson. And it got worse at the top of the sixth with Gil Hodges opening with a solo homer, and then Billy Cox got on base through an error and then got home on another to make it 5-0. A walk put Clem Labine on base - and then there was a rain delay that forced the rest of the day game to be played at night. Labine then got home after two singles, the second by Snider being the RBI. At the top of the seventh the Dodgers turned the screws with homers to Pafko and Hodges, Gil getting home on the fifth error of the game from New York. And to add insult to injury, two more homers at the top of the ninth from Rube Walker bringing another batter in making the final score 10-0. The third game was needed to decide the championship.

### Game Three

Both sides went with their ace pitchers in the deciding game - Sal Maglie for New York and Don Newcombe for Brooklyn. Maglie got off to a tardy start, walking two batters. This allowed Robinson to get the RBI bringing Reese home for a 1-0 lead. At the top of the second New York would have been in a position to tie it, if Thomson hadn't tried to turn his single into a double and not seeing until it was too late that his team mate on second, Whitey Lockman, hadn't moved. It gave the Dodgers an easy out making Thomson a villain.

Maglie and Newcombe took charge after that, with no runs through until the end of the sixth. As it went to that point, the one run lead could well have been enough. But at the bottom of the seventh Irvin opened with a double, and then got to third off a bunt before Thomson redeemed himself with a sacrifice fly to bring Irvin home and tie the game.

However at the top of the eighth the Dodgers got going. Reese and Snider both got singles, and then Maglie threw a wild pitch allowing Reese to get home for a 2-1 lead. Maglie then gave away a walk to Robinson, before a single from Pafko became another RBI as Snider got home and it was 3-1. And then Billy Cox did the same bringing Robinson home making it 4-1. In all of that, Thomson became a villain again - failing to glove Pafko's hit and then being left flat footed by Cox's hit. Brooklyn looked home.

Maglie was relieved at the top of the ninth by Larry Jansen who kept the Dodgers quiet.

### Bottom of the Ninth

The handling of the final innings of the game by Brooklyn has been heavily scrutinised. Don Newcombe was not relieved, despite pitching eight innings on only two days rest as he had been relief pitcher in the last regular season game. Alvin Dark opened by scoring a single, but then instead of the infield setting for a possible double play, Gil Hodges played behind Dark perhaps guarding against a steal. That left a gap between first and second base which Don Mueller used batting left handed. He got to first base, but more importantly Dark got to third. Irvin then hit a pop fly into foul territory where Hodges took the catch. Some argue that a double play plus that out would have ended the game.

Lockman then hit a left field line drive for an RBI double bringing Dark home to trim the deficit to 2-4. Mueller got to third, but hurt his ankle in the process and had to be replaced by a pinch runner - Clint Hartung. That was too much for Dodgers manager Chuck Dressen who pulled Newcombe out of the game. He then made a decision that also had many talking. With Ralph Branco and Carl Erskine in the bull pen, Dressen called on Branco in relief. With Thomson up next at bat for the Giants, Branco's record against him was not good. Indeed, Branco was pitching in Game One when Thomson got his homer that day. He'd also lost six of his last seven games as pitcher.

There was an option for the Dodgers. With Thomson at bat, Willie Mays (at this time in his first season) was in the on deck circle and walking Thomson would have helped Branco's confidence. But Dressen didn't want the winning run on base at all. There was even a chance that if Thomson was intentionally walked, the Giants might sub a pinch hitter. So Branco pitched to Thomson.

The first pitch caught the inside corner for a strike. Branco then made the fatal error. His second pitch was a fast ball, high and inside - intended to cramp Thomson for room and in the process set for his next intended as was his habit (the breaking ball down and away). But Thomson's swing caught the ball strongly and loudly - and the ball was sent flying over left field and into the lower stands for the game's only out of the field home run. Bringing home Hartung and Lockman, Thomson (after being a villain earlier in the game) was the hero making the final score 5-4 in favour of the Giants to given them the National League title and a spot in the 1951 World Series.

The game had been one of the first events to be transmitted across the United States on television. It was also covered by several different radio stations, from which emerged the call of the moment by Russ Hodges. He was calling the game for WMCA in New York, the station that covered games for the Giants. His call is regarded as the best and captured the moment thus;

> 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! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they're going crazy! They're going crazy! I don't believe it! I don't believe it! I do not believe it! Bobby Thomson hit a line drive into the lower deck of the left-field stands and this blame place is going crazy! The Giants! Horace Stoneham has got a winner! The Giants won it by a score of 5 to 4, and they're picking Bobby Thomson up, and carrying him off the field!
>
>

The game was also transmitted on Armed Forces Radio around the world.

## The Aftermath

Writing for the New York Herald Tribune, Red Smith titled his article the next day "The Miracle of Coogan's Bluff". But over at the New York Daily News, the front page page blared "The Shot Heard 'Round the Baseball World", and the New York Times editorial called it "the home run heard round the world". Smith's term only stuck for the entire 1951 comeback by the Giants and not the homer that finished it. It is remembered all round as the completion of the comeback from 13 games down in August.

The Giants failed to win the World Series, losing to the New York Yankees 2 games to 4. The Dodgers would win four of the next five National League titles. In 1958 the Giants moved the San Francisco where they remain today. Ironically, the Dodgers also moved to California that same year - to Los Angeles where they also remain today. The two sides have continued their fierce on field rivalry in the National League, which included another three game tiebreaker in 1962 which the Giants also won - but no National League Championship Series after that was introduced in 1969.

The TV series M\*A\*S\*H used the comeback as a back drop to its late 1980 episode "A War for All Seasons" - using the Armed Forces Radio coverage, although it is not likely the Hodges call (which was used here) was the one heard on the coverage. ESPN's SportsCentury ranked Game Three as the second greatest game of the 20th century, and Sports Illustrated ranked the home run fifteenth on its list of the 100 Greatest Moments in Sporting History.

In the 1990's Bobby Thomson received a letter from a marine who was in Korea at the time of the game. It read;

> I was in a bunker in the front line with my buddy listening to the radio. It was contrary to orders, but he was a Giants fanatic. He never made it home and I promised him if I ever got back I'd write and tell you about the happiest moment of his life. It's taken me this long to put my feelings into words. On behalf of my buddy, thanks, Bobby."
>
>

In 2001, the 50th anniversary was celebrated and the surviving players from Game Three got together at Coogan's Bluff, overlooking where the Polo Grounds had been (it was demolished in 1964). This included Bobby Thomson (who eventually passed away in 2010) and Ralph Branca (who passed away in 2016).

## *Opinions*

* I ran this up tonight (July 30, 2021) after Australian Pay TV channel Fox Classics repeated *A War for All Seasons*. It was the original showing of this episode in Australia or maybe a later repeat that first brought my attention to the Shot. I like baseball and have a followed the local game in spurts. Reviewing this in more recent times, it goes to show - as Hawkeye said so well in the M\*A\*S\*H "it's not over until the last man is out". He said that right at the moment that the Dodgers had their 13 game break. I didn't mention it in the article, but part of the reason the Giants got onto a roll was because they started what was called sign stealing. I didn't add it because really if the Dodgers hadn't hit their run of bad form, it wouldn't have made a difference. And there were legal ways to sign steal - especially with video cameras around. And finally it's all very well for people to second guess Chuck Dressen. I'm willing to bet that had anyone else been in his position, they would have made the same calls he did. **TLPG** 12:22, 30 July 2021 (UTC)