Robert Brown “Bobby” Thomson (October 25, 1923 - August 16, 2010) not only hit one of the most memorable and dramatic home runs in the history of Major League Baseball, but he hit 20 or more home runs in eight of his 15 seasons in the big leagues. Bobby signed with the New York Giants right out of high school, but did not join the club until he finished serving in the United States Air Force during World War II. Thomson enjoyed his best season in 1949 when he hit .309 with 198 hits including 27 home runs and 109 RBI. Always a power threat, Bobby belted 32 home runs in 1951, helping the Giants erase a 13-1/2 game deficit to force a one game playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers for the National League pennant. With the Giants trailing the Dodgers 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, a man on second and third, Thomson took Ralph Branca’s 0-1 pitch over the left field wall as Giants’ announcer, Russ Hodges, excitedly proclaimed “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” Dubbed “the Shot Heard Round the World”, Bobby Thomson’s clutch home run solidified both his and Ralph Branca’s place in history. The Giants then lost the World Series to the New York Yankees in six games. The three-times All-Star played outfield and third for 15 seasons with the Giants (1946-1953, 1957), the Milwaukee Braves (1954-1957), the Chicago Cubs (1958-1959), the Boston Red Sox (1960) and the Baltimore Orioles (1960). Bobby Thomson finished his career with a .270 career batting average with 1,705 hits including 267 doubles and 264 home runs, scored 903 runs and drove in 1,026 runs. He also posted a .973 career fielding percentage.
