And the on-deck hitter was Willie Mays, then in his rookie season. RIP Bobby.
Right! I forgot that.
And the on-deck hitter was Willie Mays, then in his rookie season. RIP Bobby.One of the men on base when Thomson hit it out, pinch-runner Clint Hartung (he was on third as a pinch runner for Don Mueller, who injured his ankle sliding into the base), also died last month.
I lost a ball game, but I gained a friend.---Ralph Branca, when told of Thomson's death.
One of these days, someone will write a book about the sweet friendship Thomson and Branca developed over the years. They so often signed copies of photographs of the famous bomb and donated the proceeds to charity, or played in charity events together, such as Thomson's annual golf tournament.
Monte Irvin (yep, he's still alive and well) has said that, when he joined the Giants after his distinguished Negro Leagues career, Thomson was one of the first Giants to make him feel at home on the club.
Bobby Thomson had class.