Bobby Thomson
Encyclopedia
Robert Brown "Bobby" Thomson (October 25, 1923 – August 16, 2010) was a Scottish-born American professional baseball
player. Nicknamed "The Staten Island Scot", he was an outfielder
and right-handed batter for the New York Giants
(1946–53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves
(1954–57), Chicago Cubs
(1958–59), Boston Red Sox
(1960) and Baltimore Orioles
(1960).
His season-ending three-run home run for the Giants in 1951, known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World
", is one of the most famous moments in baseball history. It overshadowed all of his other accomplishments, including eight 20-home run seasons and three All Star
selections. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me," he later said. "It may have been the best thing that ever happened to anybody."
, Scotland
, the youngest of six children. He arrived in the United States two years later. His father, a cabinet maker, had moved to New York City
shortly before Bobby's birth and sent for his family in 1925.
Thomson grew up on Staten Island
in New York City and signed with the New York Giants for a $100 bonus right out of Curtis High School
in 1942. However, on December 5, 1942 he joined the United States Army Air Forces
and trained as a bombardier. His entire service was within the continental United States. In fact, he played semi-professional baseball in the summer of 1945 while awaiting his discharge.
pitcher Ralph Branca
to win the National League
pennant. The home run, nicknamed the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
, was even more dramatic than it may seem to the modern sports observer as, until 1969, league pennants were only decided by playoff when the teams involved finished the regular season in a tie. Prior to 1951 playoffs had only been necessary in 1946 (NL) and 1948 (AL).
Thomson's three-run shot was the exclamation point on a dramatic season for the Giants. Although in mid-August they were 13½ games behind the league-leading Dodgers, they won 37 of their final 44 games to tie Brooklyn on the final day of the regular season, forcing a three-game playoff
. The Giants won the first game 3-1 as a result of a two-run home run by Thomson (off Branca). Brooklyn’s Clem Labine
shut out the Giants in the second game, 10-0. The decisive contest, played on October 3 at the Polo Grounds
, was the first major sporting event televised coast-to-coast in the United States. The Dodgers took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning; but Giants shortstop Alvin Dark
singled, advanced to third on a single by Don Mueller
, and scored on a double by Whitey Lockman
. With Lockman on second and pinch-runner Clint Hartung
at third, Thomson's walk-off home run turned looming defeat into a 5-4 victory. The moment was immortalized by Giants play-by-play announcer Russ Hodges
's excited multiple repetitions: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"
Waiting in the on-deck circle to hit behind Thomson was rookie Willie Mays
. The Giants' miracle season ended, however, at the 1951 World Series
; the Yankees swept the last three games to win the best-of-seven series, 4 games to 2. Thomson batted .238 in the Series with no home runs.
The bat from the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
in Cooperstown, New York
. The uniform worn by Thomson on that historic day is apparently a part of a large private collection owned by Dan Scheinman, a member of the San Francisco Giants ownership group.
detailed the revelations in a book titled The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. Giants catcher Sal Yvars
told Prager that he relayed to Thomson the stolen sign for Branca's fastball.
Thomson always insisted that he had no foreknowledge of Branca's pitch. Branca had been aware of the rumors and was skeptical of Thomson's denial, but later told The New York Times
, "I didn't want to diminish a legendary moment in baseball. And even if Bobby knew what was coming, he had to hit it.... Knowing the pitch doesn't always help." Whether the telescope-and-buzzer system contributed significantly to the Giants' late-season 37-7 win streak remains a subject of debate.
with 14 triples while batting .271 with 25 HRs and 109 RBI for the Giants. In his final season with the Giants in 1953 Thomson hit 26 HRs and 106 RBI and a .288 average. That winter he was sent to the Milwaukee Braves in a multi-player deal. During his first spring training with the Braves in he suffered a broken ankle, which allowed rookie Hank Aaron to earn a place in the Milwaukee lineup.
The Braves traded Thomson back to the Giants during the season and he was in the lineup for the club's final game at the Polo Grounds
. The Giants moved to San Francisco
for the season, but Thomson was gone, traded to the Cubs. He spent two seasons in Chicago before closing out his major league career in the American League
with the Red Sox and Orioles. He played one final season in 1963 with the Yomiuri Giants
in Japan
.
Thomson was a .270 career hitter with 264 home runs and 1,026 RBI
in 1,779 games. He was selected an All-Star
in , and .
In the 1990s, over 40 years after his famous home run, Thomson received a letter from a former Marine who had been stationed in Korea
in 1951:
Thomson died August 16, 2010 at his home on Skidaway Island
near Savannah
, Georgia
.
, named their home "Bobby Thomson Field." It was opened by the man himself in 2003, while he was in Scotland to be inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
.
The UK Chapter of The Society for American Baseball Research
(SABR) is named the Bobby Thomson Chapter.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player. Nicknamed "The Staten Island Scot", he was an outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
and right-handed batter for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1946–53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1954–57), Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
(1958–59), Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
(1960) and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
(1960).
His season-ending three-run home run for the Giants in 1951, known as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World
Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m...
", is one of the most famous moments in baseball history. It overshadowed all of his other accomplishments, including eight 20-home run seasons and three All Star
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
selections. "It was the best thing that ever happened to me," he later said. "It may have been the best thing that ever happened to anybody."
Early life
Thomson was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, the youngest of six children. He arrived in the United States two years later. His father, a cabinet maker, had moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
shortly before Bobby's birth and sent for his family in 1925.
Thomson grew up on Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
in New York City and signed with the New York Giants for a $100 bonus right out of Curtis High School
Curtis High School
Curtis High School operated by the New York City Department of Education is one of seven public high schools located in Staten Island, New York City, New York. It was founded on February 9, 1904 and was the first high school on Staten Island.-History:...
in 1942. However, on December 5, 1942 he joined the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and trained as a bombardier. His entire service was within the continental United States. In fact, he played semi-professional baseball in the summer of 1945 while awaiting his discharge.
Early baseball career
Thomson batted .283 with 29 home runs (HR) and 82 runs batted in (RBI) in his rookie year, 1947. In 1949 Thomson had career bests in RBI (109) and batting average (.309). He hit a career-high 32 HRs in 1951, the fifth-best total in the Majors; he also had the fourth-highest slugging average in baseball that year.The "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
Thomson became a celebrity for his dramatic walk-off home run off Brooklyn DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
pitcher Ralph Branca
Ralph Branca
Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball.From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers , Detroit Tigers , and New York Yankees...
to win the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant. The home run, nicknamed the "Shot Heard 'Round the World"
Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m...
, was even more dramatic than it may seem to the modern sports observer as, until 1969, league pennants were only decided by playoff when the teams involved finished the regular season in a tie. Prior to 1951 playoffs had only been necessary in 1946 (NL) and 1948 (AL).
1951 National League tie-breaker series
The 1951 National League tie-breaker series was a three-game series played at the conclusion of the 1951 Major League Baseball season between the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers...
. The Giants won the first game 3-1 as a result of a two-run home run by Thomson (off Branca). Brooklyn’s Clem Labine
Clem Labine
Clement Walter Labine was an American right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1950 to 1960...
shut out the Giants in the second game, 10-0. The decisive contest, played on October 3 at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
, was the first major sporting event televised coast-to-coast in the United States. The Dodgers took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning; but Giants shortstop Alvin Dark
Alvin Dark
Alvin Ralph Dark , nicknamed "Blackie" and "The Swamp Fox", is a former shortstop and manager in Major League Baseball who played for five National League teams from 1946 to 1960. Named the major leagues' Rookie of the Year with the Boston Braves when he batted .322...
singled, advanced to third on a single by Don Mueller
Don Mueller
Donald Frederick Mueller is a retired outfielder who played 12 seasons in American Major League Baseball . The first ten of those years were spent with the New York Giants, for whom he batted over .300 for three consecutive seasons and led the National League in hits in 1954...
, and scored on a double by Whitey Lockman
Whitey Lockman
Carroll Walter "Whitey" Lockman was a player, coach, manager and front office executive in American Major League Baseball.-Role in miraculous 1951 comeback:...
. With Lockman on second and pinch-runner Clint Hartung
Clint Hartung
Clinton Clarence Hartung was a right-handed pitcher and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the New York Giants from 1947 to 1952. His name has become associated with promising rookies who have undistinguished careers...
at third, Thomson's walk-off home run turned looming defeat into a 5-4 victory. The moment was immortalized by Giants play-by-play announcer Russ Hodges
Russ Hodges
Russell Patrick Hodges was an American broadcaster who did play-by-play for several baseball teams, most notably the New York and San Francisco Giants.-Early career:...
's excited multiple repetitions: "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"
Waiting in the on-deck circle to hit behind Thomson was rookie Willie Mays
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...
. The Giants' miracle season ended, however, at the 1951 World Series
1951 World Series
The 1951 World Series matched the two-time defending champion New York Yankees against the New York Giants, who had won the National League pennant in a thrilling three-game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers on the legendary home run by Bobby Thomson .In the Series, the Yankees showed some power of...
; the Yankees swept the last three games to win the best-of-seven series, 4 games to 2. Thomson batted .238 in the Series with no home runs.
The bat from the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" is in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
in Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
. The uniform worn by Thomson on that historic day is apparently a part of a large private collection owned by Dan Scheinman, a member of the San Francisco Giants ownership group.
Controversy
Rumors that the 1951 Giants secretly learned opponents' finger signals were confirmed in 2001 when several players told the Wall Street Journal that beginning on July 20, the team used a telescope and buzzer wire to steal the finger signals of opposing catchers careless enough to leave their signs unprotected. Joshua PragerJoshua Prager (writer)
Joshua Harris Prager is an American journalist and author. His book The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World, is about the Shot Heard 'Round the World, a famous 1951 baseball playoff game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York...
detailed the revelations in a book titled The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. Giants catcher Sal Yvars
Sal Yvars
Salvador Anthony Yvars was a Major League Baseball catcher who played with the New York Giants from to and the St. Louis Cardinals from to . Born in Manhattan's Little Italy to a Spanish gravedigger and an Italian laundress, he was a three-sport star at White Plains High School, playing...
told Prager that he relayed to Thomson the stolen sign for Branca's fastball.
Thomson always insisted that he had no foreknowledge of Branca's pitch. Branca had been aware of the rumors and was skeptical of Thomson's denial, but later told The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "I didn't want to diminish a legendary moment in baseball. And even if Bobby knew what was coming, he had to hit it.... Knowing the pitch doesn't always help." Whether the telescope-and-buzzer system contributed significantly to the Giants' late-season 37-7 win streak remains a subject of debate.
Later years
In 1952, Thomson led the National LeagueNational League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
with 14 triples while batting .271 with 25 HRs and 109 RBI for the Giants. In his final season with the Giants in 1953 Thomson hit 26 HRs and 106 RBI and a .288 average. That winter he was sent to the Milwaukee Braves in a multi-player deal. During his first spring training with the Braves in he suffered a broken ankle, which allowed rookie Hank Aaron to earn a place in the Milwaukee lineup.
The Braves traded Thomson back to the Giants during the season and he was in the lineup for the club's final game at the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. The Giants moved to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
for the season, but Thomson was gone, traded to the Cubs. He spent two seasons in Chicago before closing out his major league career in the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
with the Red Sox and Orioles. He played one final season in 1963 with the Yomiuri Giants
Yomiuri Giants
The are a professional baseball team based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan. The team competes in the Central League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the top level of professional play in Japan. They play their home games in the Tokyo Dome, opened in 1988. The English-language press occasionally calls the...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Thomson was a .270 career hitter with 264 home runs and 1,026 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
in 1,779 games. He was selected an All-Star
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
in , and .
In the 1990s, over 40 years after his famous home run, Thomson received a letter from a former Marine who had been stationed in Korea
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
in 1951:
- I was in a bunker in the front line with my buddy listening to the radio. It was contrary to orders, but he was a Giants fanatic. He never made it home and I promised him if I ever got back I’d write and tell you about the happiest moment of his life. It’s taken me this long to put my feelings into words. On behalf of my buddy, thanks Bobby.
Thomson died August 16, 2010 at his home on Skidaway Island
Skidaway Island, Georgia
Skidaway Island is a census-designated place in Chatham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 8,341 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is one of the most affluent communities in the state...
near Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Honors
Scottish baseball team, the Edinburgh Diamond DevilsEdinburgh Diamond Devils
The Edinburgh Diamond Devils are a baseball club that was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland.-History:Baseball has existed in the Edinburgh since the 1930s when it was played at United States air bases at Kirknewton and East Fortune...
, named their home "Bobby Thomson Field." It was opened by the man himself in 2003, while he was in Scotland to be inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports hall of fame in Scotland, initiated on St Andrew's Day 2001. It is a joint project organised by sportscotland, the national governmental body for Scottish sport, and the National Museums of Scotland. It is also funded by BBC Scotland and...
.
The UK Chapter of The Society for American Baseball Research
Society for American Baseball Research
The Society for American Baseball Research was established in Cooperstown, New York, in August 1971 by Bob Davids of Washington, D.C. The Society's mission is to foster the research and dissemination of the history and record of baseball, while generating interest in the game...
(SABR) is named the Bobby Thomson Chapter.
See also
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- List of Major League Baseball triples champions
External links
- ESPN/The Associated Press obituary
- BBC obituary
- Thomson's profile at Baseball Library
- Joshua Prager's The Echoing Green
- Baseball's 25 Greatest Moments: The Shot Heard 'Round the World at The Sporting News
- Bobby Thomson at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...
- Article, The Herald (Scotland)