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22 hours ago

The furor over the Astros and Red Sox sign stealing scandal gives Major League Baseball the opportunity to correct a horrible and historic injustice - Bobby Thompson’s 1951 pennant winning home run off Ralph Branca.

This was baseball’s famous - now infamous - “Shot Heard Around the World.” It was the 9th inning of the deciding game of the playoff for the National League Pennant between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Dodgers were winning 4-2 with one out and two men on base. Branca was called in from the bullpen to replace Dodgers ace Don Newcombe. Thompson hit Branca’s second pitch into the left field stands barely 300 feet away for a miracle 5-4 victory.

At a time when baseball was by far America’s most popular sport and New York was the center of the world, Thompson’s home run received unprecedented acclaim and lasting recognition. And Ralph Branca would be known as the guy who gave up the home run.

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that it was disclosed that in the summer of 1951 the Giants had installed a telescope in the center field clubhouse and were signaling each pitch to each Giants batter. In other words the Dodgers were robbed and Ralph Branca was unfairly stigmatized for all those years.

Let me admit to my clear biases: I was a fanatical Brooklyn Dodgers fan and Ralph Branca was a good friend. (I was privileged to be an honorary pallbearer at Ralph’s funeral three years ago.) But fair is fair. Ralph carried this burden all those years - even after the 1990’s disclosure which never caught up to the original story which had been unchallenged for more than 40 years. He should at long last be given retroactive justice.

The Bobby Thompson-Ralph Branca moment was immortalized not just in sports lore but in American pop culture as well. Lost in all this was the reality that Ralph Branca was an extraordinary pitcher. Winning 21 games at the age of 21 and a World Series game in the 1947 World Series against the Yankees and being selected for 3 All-Star games all before he was 25. Most important Ralph Branca was a total class act and always carried himself with dignity.

Several times a year during the last years of his life a group of us - Tom Dewey, Andy McAleer and my brother Kevin - would get together for lunch with Ralph, his wife Ann and son-in-law Bobby Valentine. Ralph and Ann would host these lunches at the Westchester Country Club where they lived. We would all just sit there for 2-3 hours while Ralph would regale us with stories of Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Per Wee Reese and all those Boys of Summer, as well as his duels with Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Ralph never made himself the hero of the stories. He just conveyed his love for the game of baseball.

This was the love that Ralph demonstrated for years by heading up an organization which raised money for players down on their luck.

As for the Thompson home run, it bothered Ralph how for all the years that he had a friendship with Thompson, Bobby had never told him the truth. What was really classy about Ralph that as early as 1954 another ballplayer tipped Ralph off about the spying but Ralph never went public because it would sound like an excuse. Rumors did start to circulate about the spying in 1961 and National League President Warren Giles said that if proven to be true, he would take away the Giants Pennant win.

Now it is time for MLB to do the right thing. Take away the Giants 1951 Pennant and remove the loss from Ralph’s record.

Ralph Branca gave so much to baseball. Baseball must now do right by him!

Play Ball!! ... See MoreSee Less

The furor over the Astros and Red Sox sign stealing scandal gives Major League Baseball the opportunity to correct a horrible and historic injustice - Bobby Thompson’s 1951 pennant winning home run off Ralph Branca.

This was baseball’s famous - now infamous - “Shot Heard Around the World.” It was the 9th inning of the deciding game of the playoff for the National League Pennant between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The Dodgers were winning 4-2 with one out and two men on base. Branca was called in from the bullpen to replace Dodgers ace Don Newcombe. Thompson hit Branca’s second pitch into the left field stands barely 300 feet away for a miracle 5-4 victory.

At a time when baseball was by far America’s most popular sport and New York was the center of the world, Thompson’s home run received unprecedented acclaim and lasting recognition. And Ralph Branca would be known as the guy who gave up the home run.

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that it was disclosed that in the summer of 1951 the Giants had installed a telescope in the center field clubhouse and were signaling each pitch to each Giants batter. In other words the Dodgers were robbed and Ralph Branca was unfairly stigmatized for all those years.

Let me admit to my clear biases: I was a fanatical Brooklyn Dodgers fan and Ralph Branca was a good friend. (I was privileged to be an honorary pallbearer at Ralph’s funeral three years ago.) But fair is fair. Ralph carried this burden all those years - even after the 1990’s disclosure which never caught up to the original story which had been unchallenged for more than 40 years. He should at long last be given retroactive justice.

The Bobby Thompson-Ralph Branca moment was immortalized not just in sports lore but in American pop culture as well. Lost in all this was the reality that Ralph Branca was an extraordinary pitcher. Winning 21 games at the age of 21 and a World Series game in the 1947 World Series against the Yankees and being selected for 3 All-Star games all before he was 25. Most important Ralph Branca was a total class act and always carried himself with dignity.

Several times a year during the last years of his life a group of us - Tom Dewey, Andy McAleer and my brother Kevin - would get together for lunch with Ralph, his wife Ann and son-in-law Bobby Valentine. Ralph and Ann would host these lunches at the Westchester Country Club where they lived. We would all just sit there for 2-3 hours while Ralph would regale us with stories of Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, Per Wee Reese and all those Boys of Summer, as well as his duels with Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Ralph never made himself the hero of the stories. He just conveyed his love for the game of baseball.

This was the love that Ralph demonstrated for years by heading up an organization which raised money for players down on their luck.

As for the Thompson home run, it bothered Ralph how for all the years that he had a friendship with Thompson, Bobby had never told him the truth. What was really classy about Ralph that as early as 1954 another ballplayer tipped Ralph off about the spying but Ralph never went public because it would sound like an excuse. Rumors did start to circulate about the spying in 1961 and National League President Warren Giles said that if proven to be true, he would take away the Giants Pennant win.

Now it is time for MLB to do the right thing. Take away the Giants 1951 Pennant and remove the loss from Ralph’s record.

Ralph Branca gave so much to baseball. Baseball must now do right by him!

Play Ball!!

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Well said Mr. King. Do not retire please. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

I often disagree with you, but not today.

...HOLY MACKERAL PETE...WOW...I got chills reading your post...Actually I read it twice Pete...unbelieveable ..terrific account of THE MAGIC OF BASEBALL...Once upon a time....IN BROOKLYN.......TONY G...

Congressman King, How can we get Gil Hodges into the Hall of Fame? He is most deserving of the honor.

Great share. I have never heard this before. Has it been acknowledged by MLB?

So funny you are commenting on this. 11 years ago I was buying a new car and I had my friend’s son with me. He had just pitched a perfect game for Fordham Prep against Cardinal Hayes and the father of a friend worked at the dealership. He introduced Liam to a man who preceded to tell us about “the” game and the sign stealing. He said something to the effect that it was the truth and he would deny it till the day he died. I went home and told my father, who was probably at that game because the Polo Grounds was his home away from home, and he insisted on picking up the new car with me. Much to his disappointment, the gentleman wasn’t in that day. I won’t say his name here. Their plan, however, was pretty good, at least how he told the story.

Great story and what an opportunity for you to sit with him and hear his stories ! What I wouldn’t give.

Great read.... thanks

Stealing signs has been a part of the game since the beginning. So what? It's gamesmanship. As is umpire (human) error. Leave it alone. Steal away. Get better at fooling the stealers. Play ball!!!!! #LGM

Great story and some great history there, but that's never going to happen with the MLB. Very doubtful it will happen with the current cheating scandal, nevermind one that is over half a century ago.

Whitey Ford threw a spit ball cancel all his wins. Joe Torre rode PEDs to the HoF bounce him. Let’s get really ridiculous. Bye the way Santa Claus isn’t real.

No bigger disgrace to MLB than its continued treatment of Pete Rose. He deserves to be in the HoF.

Met Branco at a signing he said greatest thing ever said to me was “ God didn’t give you this cross if you couldn’t hold it “. So true. What a nice human being. One of the most approachable players in any sport. A real gentleman.

I was watching that game when BT hit that HR. Never heard about the microscope until today.

In the unforgettable words of Russ Hodges “The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant....” seemed to go on forever. My late mother, God bless her, had that call on a 78 rpm record and LOVED to play it over and over. Had no effect here. I’m a die hard Yankee fan.

Weren’t the Giants down 13 games in Sept of that year, and came back to tie the Dodgers the last game of the season? I too saw the home run on our first tv that year.

While Houston didn't get off scot-free I don't think the organization suffered anywhere near the consequences that would have been appropriate. In other words, the cheating was still worth it from Astros owner Jim Crane's perspective. Rather than mete out further punishments to players here's what Rob Manfred should have done in the first place: Subject every player of Houston's organization, both major leaguers and minor league prospects, to a two or three-round draft. In accordance with MLB's agreement with the MLBPA, 10-and-five players, if any, would be exempt. Other organizations could have taken Houston's prospects and players with team-friendly contracts, the Astros would have had to completely rebuild its farm system and been stuck with high-paid veterans no one wanted. The punishment would have fit the crime. Justice would have been served.

My husband Jay and I became friendly with Bobby Thompson and his wife Vera through a mutual friend. He was a lovely man. Jay was always so excited to be with him since he was a Giants fan and was at the game. Bobby presented us with a poster of the ed vent signed by home and Ralph Branca and also a baseball signed by both of them for our son. They were touring around together. Two great men.

If only you would get this worked up about the crimes committed by President Trump.

I read that book! What a great read!

Come on Pete, why don’t you leave this one alone. Let the Giants have their pennant. Every team cheats we all know this. You can’t take away the fact that Thompson still had to hit the ball. If it was you or me and we knew what pitch was coming we probably would have swung threw it.

Wow

Well said Pete. I was diehard Brooklyn Dodger fan and I always felt bad for the burden Ralph Branca carried all those years.

On occasion we attend the Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford right across the street from Bobby V’s Restaurant. Couldn’t help but notice in the Church bulletins the Masses announced in Ralph’s memory. He will never be forgotten. ( By the way, I am a Giants fan from way back.)

Played golf with him 10 years ago... I asked him who was the best athlete he ever saw. Hands down he said Gil Hodges... Cool dude

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