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Top Five Times San Francisco Giants Ruined the Dodgers Season

Michael Saltzman|
18 Sep 1997: The San Francisco Giants celebrate after Brian Johnson''s home run during the Giants 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at 3Com Park in San Francisco, California. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport
18 Sep 1997: The San Francisco Giants celebrate after Brian Johnson''s home run during the Giants 6-5 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at 3Com Park in San Francisco, California. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport
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Portrait of members of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team pose in the dugout, 1954. From left, Americans Carl Furillo (1922 – 1989) (#6) and Gil Hodges (1924 – 1972) (#14), Cuban Sandy Amoros (1930 – 1992) (#15), and Americans Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) (#42), Duke Snider (#4), Pee Wee Reese (1918 – 1990) (#1), Jim Gilliam (1928 – 1978) (#19), Pete Wojey (1919 – 1991) (#35), and manager Walter Alston (1911 – 1984) (#24). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Portrait of members of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team pose in the dugout, 1954. From left, Americans Carl Furillo (1922 – 1989) (#6) and Gil Hodges (1924 – 1972) (#14), Cuban Sandy Amoros (1930 – 1992) (#15), and Americans Jackie Robinson (1919 – 1972) (#42), Duke Snider (#4), Pee Wee Reese (1918 – 1990) (#1), Jim Gilliam (1928 – 1978) (#19), Pete Wojey (1919 – 1991) (#35), and manager Walter Alston (1911 – 1984) (#24). (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Greatest Home Run Of All-Time

In 1951, the Giants had no business being the the race. On August 11, they were 59-51.

Then, the Giants won 16 straight games and only lost 7 games the rest of the season to finish 96-58 and be tied with the Dodgers.

At the time, that meant a three game playoff, and the Dodgers chose to play the first game at Ebbets Field and allow the Giants to play the final two games at the Polo Grounds.

The Dodgers lost the first game anyway, but won the second 10-0 on the road to set up a third and final game for the National League pennant.

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Jackie Robinson started off the scoring with a single in the top of the first that scored Pee Wee Reese and moved Duke Snider to second for a very Hall of Fame sentence.

The score would remain 1-0 until Bobby Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to score Monte Irvin in the seventh.

Then, in the top of the eighth, the Dodgers took a commanding 4-1 lead after a wild pitch, and a couple of singles put the Giants on the brink of elimination.

Don Newcombe pitched a quiet bottom of the eighth and the Giants were down to their final three outs.

Newcombe started the ninth allowing singles to Al Dark and Don Mueller. He got Irvin to pop out, but with one out, Whitey Lockman doubled to score Dark and knock Newcombe out of the game.

Ralph Branca came in to face Thompson.

What came next is still considered the most famous home run in baseball history. Thompson’s walkoff homer not only sent the Giants to the World Series, but sent the Dodgers home and shocked the baseball world.

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