One of Major League Baseball history’s most iconic games was the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World Game.” The shot refers to the game-winning home run that Bobby Thomson hit off of Ralph Branca on October 3, 1951, to win the National League Pennant. The three-run home run gave the New York Giants the win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the best of three playoff series. The Giants went on to lose the World Series to the Yankees in six games. But, the fact that this was the first televised game nationally, coupled with an epic homer and cross-town rivalry, made it legendary. There are many theories on why the name “shot heard round the world” stuck, but I think it’s because of the extended media coverage.
Russ Hodges gave the epic live description of Thomson’s home run on WMCA-AM:
There’s a long drive … it’s gonna be, I believe … The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant! Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they’re going crazy! They’re going crazy! I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it! I do not believe it! Bobby Thomson hit a line drive into the lower deck of the left-field stands and this blame place is going crazy! The Giants! Horace Stoneham has got a winner! The Giants won it by a score of 5 to 4, and they’re picking Bobby Thomson up, and carrying him off the field!
Russ Hodges
In this post, I’ll focus on some obtainable collectibles of Bobby Thomson and his legendary home run.
First, collectors can obtain signed prints of the moment as it happened.
Encapsulated playoff tickets are also available, though they’re pretty rare. Nineteen stubs, fourteen full tickets, and eight “game 2&3” passes exist in the PSA Population Report.
Bobby Thomson also signed baseballs with the game’s date. Sometimes, he inscribed them with “shot heard ’round the world’. Some are available with Ralph Branca’s signature, too.
Three different cards described or commemorated the game: the 1953 Red Man Tobacco #25, 1961 Nu-Card Scoops #480, and 1991 Bowman #410.
Additionally, the 1952 Topps and Bowman cards of Bobby Thomson enumerate the season he had played leading up to this epic playoff game,
Other artifacts, like Thomson’s game bat and shoes, can be found in the National Hall of Fame and Museum. His game jersey is part of a private collection, but the location of the ball isn’t known. However, the other items described are a great way to grow your post-war collection and commemorate one of the greatest games of the 20th century.
Happy Collecting!