Robert Brown Thomson (October 25, 1923 – August 16, 2010) was a Scottish-born American professional baseball player, nicknamed the “Staten Island Scot”. He was an outfielder and right-handed batter for the New York Giants (1946–53, 1957), Milwaukee Braves (1954–57), Chicago Cubs (1958–59), Boston Red Sox (1960), and Baltimore Orioles (1960). His pennant-winning three-run home run for the Giants in 1951 is popularly known as the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World”, and is one of the most famous moments in baseball history. It overshadowed his other accomplishments, including eight 20-home-run seasons and three All-Star selections. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me”, he said. “It may have been the best thing that ever happened to anybody.
Bobby Thomson
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I went into the Air Corps from 1943 through 1945.
Bobby Thomson
I’d get 3-4 cheap home runs every year. You know, little ‘wood shots’ down either line. They would be pop flies in any other park. But, goodness me, they didn’t count the number of long outs!
Bobby Thomson
In New York, after that famous home run, they expected me to be up there every year. That homer raised me to a high level, with the top guys in the game.
Bobby Thomson
It was a pretty fierce rivalry. I’m just speaking for myself, but I think it was general through the clubs. We didn’t like them, and they didn’t like us.
Bobby Thomson
There are no war stories. I ended up a bombardier, but I never got overseas. And it wasn’t because I was playing baseball either. It was just a series of things that went on.
Bobby Thomson
When he asked if I would like to try second base, I thought, Hey, get me in the lineup.
Bobby Thomson