The Shot Heard 'Round the World

Lore & Background

In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" refers to the game-winning walk-off home run by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant on October 3, 1951. The Giants won the game 5–4 as a result of the home run, defeating their traditional rivals in the pennant playoff series, although they eventually lost the World Series to the Yankees.

In Their Own Story

The air at the Polo Grounds was crisp with autumn chill. Thousands of fans pressed against the railings, their breath visible in the stadium lights. The crowd roared as the bases filled in the bottom of the ninth. Every eye fixed on the mound where Branca stood, and then to the batter's box where Thomson gripped his bat, ready for history.

Reader's Guide

The phrase has been applied to several dramatic moments in sports history. In association football, it refers to Paul Caligiuri's winning goal for the United States men's national soccer team in the final qualifying round for the 1990 FIFA World Cup on 19 November 1989. In golf, it refers to an albatross (or double eagle) made by Gene Sarazen on the 15th hole in the final round of the 1935 Masters.

Did You Know?

• The phrase originates from the opening stanza of Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1837 poem "Concord Hymn."
• The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914 is considered one of the immediate causes of World War I.
• Bobby Thomson's home run was hit off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca.
• The Giants lost the 1951 World Series to the Yankees.