WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Old Ballgame: The Shot Heard Round the World

Episode Date: February 23, 2025

 A look at one of the most memorable baseball radio broadcasts.

Welcome to the old ball game, where we talk about the past of America's favorite pastime. I'm Tate Christensen. It's October 3, 1951. The Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants are facing off in the National League Playoff Championship. At this point in history, there's a bitter rivalry between the two New York City-based teams, escalated by the team's quest for the National League title. The two teams were tied for first place in the National League. So, the MLB hosted a three-game playoff series to determine the champion. Because they were already trailing by three games in the regular season,

the Giants needed to win every game to force a playoff. In the bottom of the ninth inning of this deciding game, with the Giants trailing 4 to 1, Bobby Thompson hit a three-run home run off of Ralph Branca, securing the Giants' comeback victory and sending the team to the World Series. The moment was famously broadcast on radio by Ross Hudges, whose memorable call lives on in baseball history today. This home run became one of the most iconic moments in baseball history,

capping off a dramatic 13-game winning streak by the Giants to close the season and beat the Dodgers in the three-game playoff series. The Giants went on to play the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series, but they were defeated 4 to 2, despite strong performances by key players like Willie Mays and Sal McGlee. While the phrase, the shot heard wrong in the world, originally referred to the first shots of the American Revolutionary War in baseball, it is forever associated with Thompson's dramatic Homer. This has been the old ball game on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.