Fansided

Top 25 MLB pennant races of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park.
(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park. /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
24 of 25
Next
Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three run homer in last half of 9th inning of the 1951 playoff at the Polo Grounds. Ralph Branca (R), the unlucky Brooklyn pitcher, walked dejectedly off the mound after throwing the pitch Thomson hit for the ‘shot heard ’round the world’ to win the playoff.
Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a three run homer in last half of 9th inning of the 1951 playoff at the Polo Grounds. Ralph Branca (R), the unlucky Brooklyn pitcher, walked dejectedly off the mound after throwing the pitch Thomson hit for the ‘shot heard ’round the world’ to win the playoff. /

2. The Shot Heard Round the World, 1951

The Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants engaged in a memorable battle to the end in September of 1951 and were forced into a three-game playoff to decide the winner of the National League pennant. The Dodgers had suffered through an all-time collapse to let the Giants back into the race. On August 11, Brooklyn held a 13.5-game lead over New York, but saw it fade away. A 16-game winning streak helped the Giants make up most of their ground.

Entering the final week of the season, the Dodgers still held a lead for the NL pennant, and a decent week would have gotten them to the World Series. Instead, the Brooklyn lost six of their final ten games, while the Giants ended their season on a seven-game winning streak. Both teams finished 96-58.

The Giants won Game One of the Series 3-1, but the Dodgers fought back to win Game Two 10-0. Game Three pitted Sal Maglie of the Giants against Don Newcombe. The Dodgers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but the Giants scrapped across a run in the bottom half of the seventh inning to even the score.

Brooklyn rallied back after losing the lead with three runs in the top of the eighth inning to seemingly cement the victory. The Giants were down to their final three outs in the ninth against a tiring Newcomb. With the winning run, Bobby Thomson, coming to the plate with one out. Ralph Branca was called on in relief, and the rest is history.

There is a good deal of controversy surrounding the home run. The Giants were accused of sign stealing using a telescope from their clubhouse in center field (the Polo Grounds featured an in-play clubhouse in the deepest part of the field). No one knows how much the shenanigans contributed to their 37-7 finish and Thomson’s home run, but it was a loosely-kept secret that the team was stealing signs.

Home/MLB