Bobby Thomson Dies but his shot still heard ’round the world
You’ve heard this before: “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” For those of you not into baseball history, that familiar audio drop is in reference to Game 3 of a regular season playoff between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers in which Bobby Thomson hit a game winning home run off pitcher Ralph Branca to send the Giants to the World Series. Thomson died yesterday at 86, so expect to hear plenty of talk about him in the coming days. Here are a few interesting notes to shares with friends about Thomson and that fateful 1951 season:
- Thomson also hit a home run off Branca in Game 1.
- The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the Yankees, 4 games to 2. Branca did NOT homer in the Series.
- For a short time during the ’51 season, Branca was replaced in the lineup by Willie Mays, a 20-year-old rookie.
- Theories now abound that the Giants were stealing the catcher’s signals from a centerfield “spy” and relaying them to the hitter in the ’51 season, which is why the team was able to make a late surge.
Get FREE 10 ct. Crayola Super Tips Markers at CrayolaStore.com on orders over $15! Enter Coupon Code CRAYFREE15.
Read on:
nytimes.com – Bobby Thomson Dies at 86; Hit Epic Home Run
baseball-reference.com – 1951 National League Standings
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment