October 3rd, 1951
National League Playoff, Game 3
Brooklyn Dodgers at New York Giants
Polo Grounds, New York
On
August 10th, the Brooklyn Dodgers had a 12 ½ game lead over the New
York Giants at the top of the National League standings. They were cruising and
one member of the press wrote that “unless they completely fold in their last
50 games, they’re in.”
From
August 12 to 27, the Giants won 16 consecutive games and the Brooklyn lead was
down to six. By September 20th, they had narrowed it to 4 ½. But
with only ten days left in the regular season, it appeared New York would run
out of time. There were only seven games left for the Giants while the Dodgers
had ten. But Brooklyn lost six of those games, while New York won all seven.
Both
teams finished with 96-58 records, necessitating a three-game play off series
to determine the National League Champion and the opponent for the New York
Yankees in the World Series. Brooklyn won the coin toss to determine home field
advantage, but for some reason, the Dodgers chose to play the first game at
their home, Ebbets Field, meaning the final two games would be played at the
Polo Grounds.
The
Giants took the first game by a 3-1 score, but the Dodgers responded with a
10-0 thrashing of New York in Game 2. The third and final game would see Sal
Maglie start on the mound for New York while the Dodgers countered with Don
Newcombe.
The
Dodgers scored a run in the first when Jackie Robinson singled in Pee Wee
Reese. The Giants threatened to tie the score in the second but some bad base
running thwarted the rally. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the
seventh when Monte Irvin doubled, was sacrificed to third and scored on a sac
fly by Bobby Thompson.
In
the top of the eighth, the Dodgers quieted the Giants spectators when they
touched the plate three times. A wild pitch allowed Reese to score and Duke
Snider scored on an error. A Billy Cox singled plated Robinson and the Dodgers
would carry their 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
Newcombe,
still on the mound after only two days’ rest, tired in the ninth. Alvin Dark
led off with a single for New York. Another single followed as Don Mueller
rapped the ball between first and second. Whitey Lockman then doubled down the
left field line, scoring Dark and moving Mueller to third. But Mueller injured
his ankle sliding into third and was replaced with a pinch-runner, Clint
Hartung.
Dodger
manager, Chuck Dressen, finally relieved a very tired Newcombe and replaced him
with Ralph Branca. He would face Thompson with the tying run on second and none
out. Branca’s first pitch was a called strike, while the second was high and
inside.
Branca’s
third pitch was a breaking ball down and away. But Thompson swung and pulled
the ball down the left field line. It disappeared into the stands for a
game-winning three-run home run.
And
rather than try and describe the mob scene that ensued at the Polo Grounds,
I’ll give way to Russ Hodges, who was broadcasting the game for WMCA-AM radio.
“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!”
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