RIP Ralph Branca

[Steak Snabler]

So says Bobby Valentine, who was Branca's son-in-law:



Gave up the "Shot Heard Round the World" and one of the last remaining Brooklyn Dodgers from the Jackie Robinson era.

He was 90.

 

[Songbird]

 

[Baron Scicluna]

He was much more than a guy who threw one bad pitch. On the field, he had a couple very good years for the Dodgers before the pitch. Afterward, he became friends with Thomson, they did a bunch of autograph shows together, and, if I remember correctly, he did a lot of work to help ex-players from his era who were having financial difficulties.

RIP

 

[Songbird]

 

[Songbird]

Only 829 strikeouts in 1484 innings?

 

[The Big Ragu]

He was much more than a guy who threw one bad pitch. On the field, he had a couple very good years for the Dodgers before the pitch. Afterward, he became friends with Thomson, they did a bunch of autograph shows together, and, if I remember correctly, he did a lot of work to help ex-players from his era who were having financial difficulties.

RIP

He seemed like a great guy. He not only dealt with the home run to Bobby Thomson incredibly well given that it made him infamous, he was also one of the Dodgers who was welcoming toward Jackie Robinson. He just seemed like a really nice man, in addition to being a really good pitcher. RIP.

 

[Steak Snabler]

Only 829 strikeouts in 1484 innings?

Not a big strikeout era for whatever reason. In the 1940s and 50s, you routinely had guys leading the league with around 200 Ks. Bob Feller would strike out 250, but that was often in 300-plus innings.

 

[Steak Snabler]

So I went back and looked it up. Turns out NO ONE in the National League struck out 200 from 1942-57 (and no one in the AL did it from 1947-54).

Here are the NL leaders by year:

It wasn't until Koufax, Drysdale and Gibson came along in the late 50s/early 60s that the era of the big strikeout pitcher began.

 

[YankeeFan]

He seemed like a great guy. He not only dealt with the home run to Bobby Thomson incredibly well given that it made him infamous, he was also one of the Dodgers who was welcoming toward Jackie Robinson. He just seemed like a really nice man, in addition to being a really good pitcher. RIP.

He was a very nice guy, who did a ton of work for older players through the Baseball Assistance Team.

One year at the BAT dinner, I got both Branca and Thompson to sign a baseball. When I told my buddy, he immediately asked who I got to sign it first.

Branca obviously. I would not have had the balls to ask him to sign a ball that Thompson had already signed.

 

[jr/shotglass]

If the second guy signed it "Bobby THOMPSON," your ball loses a little of its luster.

And RIP to Mr. Branca, who seemed like a fine man.

 

[micropolitan guy]

At the 40-some second mark of the clip, Leo picks up a glove left on the field by the Giants after the top of the 9th. Maybe even Thomson's, since he played third. A baseball tradition long gone.

Read "The Echoing Green" about the 1951 pennant race, and the fascinating relationship between Branca and Thomson over the decades following the SHRTW. A great book.

 

[HanSenSE]

Their friendship after the events of 10/3/51 got me even more pissed about that story about the Giants allegedly stealing signs. It's nice if you know them, but the players still have to execute, right?

RIP Mr. Branca. But the Giants fan and baseball historian in me thinks Bobby Thomson's been up there swinging for a while, and Russ Hodges is mikeside ...

 

[da man]

At the 40-some second mark of the clip, Leo picks up a glove left on the field by the Giants after the top of the 9th. Maybe even Thomson's, since he played third. A baseball tradition long gone.

Read "The Echoing Green" about the 1951 pennant race, and the fascinating relationship between Branca and Thomson over the decades following the SHRTW. A great book.

Funny you mentioned that -- I noticed it, too, and was thinking about how they used to leave their gloves on the field.

 

[BTExpress]

Only 829 strikeouts in 1484 innings?

Making contact used to be pretty highly valued.

Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (the Mazeroski Game) featured 19 runs, 24 hits, 5 walks . . . and zero strikeouts. And was played in 2:36, dammit!

 

[da man]

Making contact used to be pretty highly valued.

Game 7 of the 1960 World Series (the Mazeroski Game) featured 19 runs, 24 hits, 5 walks . . . and zero strikeouts. And was played in 2:36, dammit!

Now, that's baseball, by God!

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Their friendship after the events of 10/3/51 got me even more pissed about that story about the Giants allegedly stealing signs. It's nice if you know them, but the players still have to execute, right?

RIP Mr. Branca. But the Giants fan and baseball historian in me thinks Bobby Thomson's been up there swinging for a while, and Russ Hodges is mikeside ...

Yeah, but no one is stealing signs in center field this time.

 

[Steak Snabler]

This might be the greatest "agony of defeat" photo ever (that's Branca on the right):

 

[Riptide]

This might be the greatest "agony of defeat" photo ever (that's Branca on the right):

View attachment 1649

Hard to beat this one ...

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Funny you mentioned that -- I noticed it, too, and was thinking about how they used to leave their gloves on the field.

I've always wondered if players ever stumbled over the gloves while trying to make a play, or the ball ended up hitting them. The same with photogs on the foul lines. Did they ever accidentally interfere with play?

 

[Baron Scicluna]

At the 40-some second mark of the clip, Leo picks up a glove left on the field by the Giants after the top of the 9th. Maybe even Thomson's, since he played third. A baseball tradition long gone.

Read "The Echoing Green" about the 1951 pennant race, and the fascinating relationship between Branca and Thomson over the decades following the SHRTW. A great book.

I read that book too, thought it was quite good.

Supposedly, their friendship cooled a bit after the book came out, as Thomson said he knew about the sign stealing, but didn't use them when he hit the homer, and Branca saying he didn't believe him.

Also often overlooked, the Giants had to play the Yankees the next day in Game 1. Thomson made a TV appearance after the homer, then got home late and had to go to the ballpark the next day. Not much time for celebrating.