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Hall of Fame Celebrates 75th Anniversary of Bobby Thomson’s Shot Heard Round the World

2026-09-24

(COOPERSTOWN, NY) – Seventy-five years later, Bobby Thomson’s pennant-winning home run still echoes through baseball history.

It remains one of the most iconic moments in American sport, and the amazing story will be celebrated at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown on the 75th anniversary of the Shot Heard Round the World.

Thomson’s ninth-inning, three-run homer on Oct. 3, 1951, won the National League pennant for the New York Giants and capped a seven-week run that saw the Giants trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers by 13 games entering play on Aug. 12. From that point, the Giants went 37-7 to forge a tie with the Dodgers atop the NL standings at the end of the regular season.

A best-of-3 playoff ensued, with the teams splitting the first two games. The Giants trailed Game 3 4-1 entering the bottom of the ninth at the Polo Grounds before Thomson launched a home run off Ralph Branca to complete the incredible comeback.

The Museum will host programming Oct. 2-3 that will include:

  • Oct. 2: Baseball’s American Voices, a 1 p.m. ET virtual program with Joshua Prager, author of The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World. Prager will discuss the significance of the game and its impact on baseball history. Click here for more information and to register.
  • Oct. 3: Plaques of the Gallery Tour, a 10 a.m. Special Edition Tour of the Hall of Fame Plaque Gallery, featuring the plaques and stories of future Hall of Famers who played in the Oct. 3, 1951, game. Free with Museum admission.
  • Oct. 3: Exhibit Encounter, an 11 a.m. Exhibit Encounter to showcase Bobby Thomson’s bat – on display on the Museum’s second floor – used to hit the home run. Free with Museum admission.
  • Oct. 3: Artifact Spotlight, a 1 p.m. Museum program in the Bartholomay Baseball Discovery Zone featuring Giants’ broadcaster Russ Hodges’ scorecard from the game and a fan’s telegram associated with the game. Free with Museum admission.
  • Oct. 3: Voices of the Game with Bobby Thomson’s daughters Megan Hann and Nancy Mitchell, a 2 p.m. sit-down interview in the Bartholomay Baseball Discovery Zone. Free with Museum admission.

For more information on Museum programs, please click here.