The man who hit “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” has died. Bobby Thomson was 86. No one can be fully defined by their best or worst moments on this Earth. But if you have to choose one of ‘em, being remembered for hitting the most famous home run in baseball history ain’t bad.
And while yes, Thomson was obviously best known for the home run that famously won the 1951 pennant, he was a pretty good ballplayer apart from that day too. Thomson hit .270/.332/.462 hitter who smacked 264 homers over the course of 15 major league seasons. He was an All-Star a couple of times. He got some MVP votes. In terms of quality I suppose a decent analog for him these days would be Raul Ibanez or someone like him.
But most important is that by all accounts -- all of which I read in various books -- Bobby Thomson was a wonderful human being who will no doubt be missed by those who knew and loved him.