Celebrating 75 Years of 'The Shot Heard 'Round the World
WHO:
MLB.com - John Tafe, an American ex-pat and president of Baseball Scotland, stated that Bobby Thomson is not considered a part of everyday Scottish sports folklore.
NY Post - Bobby Thomson, a player for the New York Giants.
MLB.com - Jerry Austin, a second grader at P.S. 75 in the South Bronx.
MLB.com - Bruce Podwal, a then-12-year-old in the Bronx.
MLB.com - Herb Silkowitz, an 8-year-old Giants fan in Brooklyn.
MLB.com - Charles Sachs, a Giants fan in Bayonne, N.J.
MLB.com - Barry Cutler, a 13-year-old baseball fanatic in New Haven, Conn.
MLB.com - Lyle Spatz, a young Dodgers fan.
MLB.com - Jerry Izenberg, a writer for the Newark Star-Ledger.
MLB.com - Adam Pafko, a witness to the game.
MLB.com - John Tafe, an American ex-pat and president of Baseball Scotland.
MLB.com - Ken Thomson and Iain Thomson, Bobby Thomson's second cousins.
WHAT:
MLB.com - Bobby Thomson was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.
MLB.com - The Edinburgh Diamond Devils renamed their field in honor of Bobby Thomson.
NY Post - The event known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" occurred when Bobby Thomson hit a three-run home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
MLB.com - The game was a tiebreaker playoff for the National League pennant.
NY Post - The Polo Grounds had a capacity of 54,500, but only 34,320 fans attended the game.
MLB.com - The ticket prices were 60 cents for bleachers, $1.25 for general admission, and $3 for box seats.
MLB.com - Russ Hodges famously shouted, “The Giants win the pennant!” as Thomson rounded the bases.
MLB.com - By the seventh inning, 90% of the area's televisions were tuned to the game.
MLB.com - The game was broadcast to U.S. servicemembers around the globe via Armed Forces Radio.
WHERE:
MLB.com - The original field named after Bobby Thomson was located in Tranent, just outside of Edinburgh.
NY Post - The Polo Grounds, New York City.
MLB.com - P.S. 75, South Bronx, New York.
MLB.com - A five-and-dime store on Westchester Avenue, New York.
MLB.com - Bayonne, New Jersey.
MLB.com - New Haven, Connecticut.
WHEN:
NY Post - The event took place on October 3, 1951.
MLB.com - The game was part of a tiebreaker playoff series.
WHY:
MLB.com - The game was significant as it determined the National League pennant winner.
HOW:
MLB.com - Ken Thomson, Bobby's second cousin, has become the Thomson family’s unofficial historian and record keeper.
MLB.com - The game was broadcasted on television and radio, marking one of the first nationwide broadcasts of a baseball game.
(UPDATED October 3, 2026 17:18 UTC)
John Tafe, president of Baseball Scotland, has stated that Bobby Thomson is not regarded as part of everyday Scottish sports folklore, despite being inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. The Edinburgh Diamond Devils have honored Thomson by renaming their field, which is located in Tranent, just outside of Edinburgh. Ken Thomson, Bobby's second cousin, serves as the unofficial historian and record keeper for the Thomson family.
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(UPDATED October 3, 2026 16:33 UTC)
In a historic moment for baseball, Bobby Thomson hit a three-run home run against the Brooklyn Dodgers, an event famously known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," which determined the National League pennant winner. The game took place at the Polo Grounds in New York City, where only 34,320 fans attended despite the stadium's capacity of 54,500, and it was broadcast to U.S. servicemembers around the globe. As Thomson rounded the bases, Russ Hodges shouted, “The Giants win the pennant!” capturing the excitement of a game that had 90% of the area's televisions tuned in by the seventh inning.