Game 3 – October 3, 1951 @ Polo Grounds (NY)
On October 3, 1951, the Giants staged a dramatic come‑from‑behind comeback in the bottom of the ninth at the Polo Grounds when Bobby Thomson hit the legendary walk-off homer off Ralph Branca, turning a 4–2 deficit into a 5–4 pennant win. The radio broadcast, carried on WMCA in New York, featured broadcaster Russ Hodges, whose repeated exclamation “The Giants win the pennant!” became one of the most timeless calls in sports history.
Why It Still Matters
One of baseball’s most-cinematic finishes from a 13½-game deficit in mid-August to a pennant-clinching home run. ☑️
The first major league game ever televised coast-to-coast, opening a new era radio remained the emotional centerpiece for that moment. sabr.org
Russ Hodges’ radio narration, captured by a lucky fan on home tape recorder, ensures that moment lives on even decades later.
Radio Broadcast: “The Giants win the pennant…”
Local Giants radio home broadcasts on WMCA (New York) featured Russ Hodges at the mic, with his partner Ernie Harwell (listed as Giants radio team for the season), though for Game 3 Harwell was assigned to national TV while Hodges handled the radio alone. Russell Hodges’ ecstatic call, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!", repeated four times, became the most famous call in baseball history. sabr.org
This game was also carried on multiple networks, including the Mutual and Liberty systems, as well as Dodgers’ and Giants’ local affiliate feeds. Dodgers’ radio voice Red Barber, calling the play for Brooklyn fans, had his own classic ending:
“It is … a home run! And the New York Giants win the National League pennant and the Polo Grounds goes wild!”
