On July 1, 1951, one of the most iconic moments in baseball history took place at the old Polo Grounds in New York City. It was on this day that the New York Giants' Bobby Thomson hit the famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" to win the National League pennant.
The Giants and their crosstown rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers, were tied at the end of the regular season, forcing a best-of-three playoff series. The teams split the first two games, setting up a decisive third game at the Polo Grounds.
Brooklyn held a comfortable 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. Giants manager Leo Durocher sent Thomson to the plate to lead off the inning against Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca. Thomson had already homered off Branca in Game 1 of the series.
What happened next became the stuff of legend. With one out and runners on second and third, Thomson drove Branca's second pitch, a high fastball, into the left-field stands for a three-run homer, giving the Giants a stunning 5-4 victory and the National League pennant. The home run became known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World."
The phrase itself is from a classic poem about the Revolutionary War, signifying how Thomson's homer was a baseball "shot" that, thanks to radio and television, was "heard" by millions of people across the nation and around the world.
Giants broadcaster Russ Hodges famously captured the moment with his excited call: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!" Hodges kept repeating the phrase, unable to contain his excitement.
The game-winning homer capped an incredible late-season surge by the Giants, who had trailed the Dodgers by 13.5 games in mid-August. The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the New York Yankees, but Thomson's homer remains one of the greatest moments in the history of the sport.
Interestingly, it was later revealed that the Giants had been stealing opposing catchers' signs from their clubhouse in center field for much of the season, relaying them to batters. While sign-stealing wasn't strictly illegal at the time, it added a layer of controversy to the homer.
Nonetheless, the drama of the moment, the significance of the game, and the incredible excitement in Hodges' call have ensured that the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" remains a cherished part of baseball lore. It's a reminder of the unpredictable, exhilarating nature of the sport, and how a single swing can change the course of history.
