Page "Bobby Thomson" Paragraph 5

Thomson became a celebrity for his dramatic walk-off home run off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca to win the National League pennant.

The home run, nicknamed the " Shot Heard ' Round the World ", was even more dramatic than it may seem to the modern sports observer as, until 1969, league pennants were only decided by playoff when the teams involved finished the regular season in a tie.

Prior to 1951 playoffs had only been necessary in 1946 ( NL ) and 1948 ( AL ).