In August of 1951 the
Brooklyn Dodgers had a 13.5 game lead on their
crosstown rivals the
New York Giants. In a remarkable four week stretch the Giants closed the gap and finished the season
tied with the Dodgers. Baseball rules at the time called for a three game playoff.
The teams split the first two games, leaving the third game to decide it all.
With this winner take all game tied in the bottom of the ninth, solid hitting Bobby Thomson stepped up to the plate and corked a home run over the left field fence to clinch the game and a trip to the World Series. The home run is stunning and typifies the best of baseball, but the most memorable part of this episode is the Giants announcer yelling "The Giants win the penant! The Giants win the penant! The Giants win the penant! Bobby Thomson's hit a home run, and the Giants win the penant!!!" as he breaks down in tears.
A New York tabloid ran the game story with the headline "The Shot Heard Round the World".