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Giants
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In 1951 the Giants finished
the regular season winning 37 of their last 45 games to make up a 13-game deficit on the league leading Brooklyn Dodgers.
On the final day they deadlocked for first place. The pennant would be settled by a three game play-off. The Giants and Dodgers
split the first two games, and going into the bottom of the ninth in Game Three, Brooklyn held a comfortable 4-1 lead and
seemed to be heading to the World Series.
But the momentum shifted and those in attendance at the Polo
Grounds witnessed one of the greatest moments in all sport. The Giants scored one run and placed two men on base while only
using one out. Then, Bobby Thomson stepped to the plate against Ralph Branca, who had been brought in to replace a tiring
Don Newcombe. Thomson launched the 0-1 pitch deep into the left field stands and the crowd erupted. Giants' fans swarmed the
field to share in the victory and carried Thomson on their shoulders, while Branca slowly walked off the field in stunned
silence.
One pitch, one swing, one goat, one hero. The 156 games and the
countless opportunities for victory along the way were forgotten in an instant. It's unreasonable, and it's cruel, but it's
baseball. After the celebration in the clubhouse, Thomson did what he did after every home game: he headed for the subway,
paid his fare, took the Staten Island Ferry home, and forever entered the record books.
The home run Thomson
hit that became "the Shot Heard 'Round the World" was his 9th off Dodger pitching in 
1951. Perhaps instead of the "Staten Island Scot," his nickname should have been "Dodger Killer."
Thomson was born in Scotland but moved to the United States with his family as a boy. He signed his first baseball contract
with the Giants in 1942 and missed three full seasons while in service in World War II.
As a rookie he hit 29 homers in 1947, the first of eight seasons he would top the 20-mark. He was an All-Star in 1948 and
1949 and was part of a talented Giant outfield that included Whitey Lockman and Willard Marshall.
1951 was Thomson's best offensive season, as he hit 32 homers
and drove in 101 runs (the final three on his famous blast). He proved less successful in the World Series against the New
York Yankees, collecting five hits in the six-game loss.
After two more productive years with New York, Thomson was dealt
to the Milwaukee Braves in a trade consistent with the Giants philosophy of getting rid of ballplayers before they declined.
With the Braves he injured himself in spring training, opening the way for rookie Henry Aaron to earn his first big league
job.
Though he watched his former team win the World Series in 1954,
he gained some solace when he was dealt back to the Giants in 1957, appearing that year in the final game ever played at the
Polo Grounds.
Thomson enjoyed his final productive season in 1958 with the
Chicago Cubs when he belted 20 homers. He retired in 1960 after a failed attempt in the American League with two clubs. He
hit 264 career home runs - but will always be remembered for the one he swatted on October 3, 1951.
