Ralph Branca
Encyclopedia
Ralph Theodore Joseph Branca (born January 6, 1926) is a former starting pitcher
in Major League Baseball
.
From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
(1944–53, 1956), Detroit Tigers
(1953–54), and New York Yankees
(1954). He batted and threw right-handed.
, Slovakia). His uncle Jozsef Berger was killed at the Majdanek concentration camp, and his maternal aunt Irma died at the Auschwitz concentration camp
in 1942. His father was John Branca, a trolley car conductor from Italy.
Branca was signed as a free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. He debuted on June 12, 1944, with the Dodgers, and put up a 3.04 ERA in 109.2 innings pitched in 1945, his rookie year.
A three-time All-Star, he won 80 games for the Dodgers with a career-high 21 wins in 1947. In 1947, he was second in the league in wins, innings pitched (280), and strikeouts (148), third in ERA (2.67), and sixth in won-lost percentage (.636). In 1948, he was ninth in the league in wins (14) and won-lost percentage (.609). In 1949, he led the NL in won-lost percentage (.722). In 1951, he was tenth in the NL in ERA (3.26).
He is perhaps best remembered for one infamous relief
appearance in a 1951 playoff game against the crosstown rival New York Giants
. Branca entered the game in the ninth inning and surrendered a walk-off home run
known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"
to Bobby Thomson
, giving the Giants the National League
pennant.
Branca later learned from Detroit Tiger Ted Gray
that the Giants had stolen the signs to the two pitches he threw Thomson. That rumor was confirmed in The Wall Street Journal
in 2001, when Giant Sal Yvars
admitted that he relayed to Thomson the stolen signs for Branca's fastballs. Joshua Prager
detailed the revelations in a book entitled The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. Thomson acknowledged to Prager that the Giants had stolen signs in 1951 but denied that he had foreknowledge of the pitch he hit off Branca for the pennant-winning home run. According to Branca, Thomson admitted to accepting the stolen signs during his first three at-bats of that game, but claimed that he did not do so in the final at-bat; Branca indicated that he did not believe Thomson's denials and remained convinced that Thomson was in fact tipped off on the fateful pitch.
Prior to facing Thomson, Branca had been warming up in the bullpen with Carl Erskine
. Dodger coach Clyde Sukeforth
noticed that Erskine was bouncing several curveballs in the dirt and instructed manager Charlie Dressen to call on Branca—this despite Thomson having homered off Branca in Game 1. (The Dodgers fired Sukeforth shortly thereafter.)
Branca did not express bitterness over the gopher ball, but began a friendship with Thomson that lasted into each man's old age, including many joint television appearances. Branca's experience is in stark contrast to that of Donnie Moore
of the California Angels
, who gave up a dramatic home run to Boston
's Dave Henderson
in the 1986 American League Championship Series
, and committed suicide three years later in the midst of severe career and marital problems.
Triskaidekaphobics
have noted that Branca wore uniform number 13 in 1951. Branca was photographed on Friday, April 13
, 1951, flaunting the number and holding a black cat
. Branca forsook the number 13 for the number 12 in 1952, but resumed wearing 13 in 1953.
In a 12-year career, Branca posted an 88–68 record with 829 strikeout
s and a 3.79 ERA
in 1484.0 innings pitched
. A back injury suffered during spring training in 1952, and not the reaction to the previous year's home run, cut down on his effectiveness and cut short his career.
"The Shot Heard Round The World" is reputed to be the most exciting moment in the history of baseball and has forever immortalized the Polo Grounds
. After the Giants left New York City for San Francisco in 1958, the stadium remained empty for five years until the Mets
occupied it during the 1962 and 1963 seasons. Nostalgia ran wild when the Giants and Dodgers returned to the Polo Grounds to play the Mets. In 1964, the Mets moved to Shea Stadium
in Queens
, and the Polo Grounds was demolished. Branca was interviewed at the demolition site when the wrecking ball was thrown against the wall.
Branca lives at the Westchester Country Club
in Rye, New York
, where he has been a member for about forty years. He is also a member of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Starting pitcher
In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....
in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
.
From 1944 through 1956, Branca played for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
(1944–53, 1956), Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1953–54), and New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
(1954). He batted and threw right-handed.
Biography
His mother, Kati née Berger, was Jewish and immigrated to the United States in 1901 from Sandorf, Hungary (now PrievalyPrievaly
Prievaly is a village and municipality in Senica District in the Trnava Region of western Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 250 metres and covers an area of 15.007km². It has a population of about 906 people.-External links:*...
, Slovakia). His uncle Jozsef Berger was killed at the Majdanek concentration camp, and his maternal aunt Irma died at the Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
in 1942. His father was John Branca, a trolley car conductor from Italy.
Branca was signed as a free agent by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943. He debuted on June 12, 1944, with the Dodgers, and put up a 3.04 ERA in 109.2 innings pitched in 1945, his rookie year.
A three-time All-Star, he won 80 games for the Dodgers with a career-high 21 wins in 1947. In 1947, he was second in the league in wins, innings pitched (280), and strikeouts (148), third in ERA (2.67), and sixth in won-lost percentage (.636). In 1948, he was ninth in the league in wins (14) and won-lost percentage (.609). In 1949, he led the NL in won-lost percentage (.722). In 1951, he was tenth in the NL in ERA (3.26).
He is perhaps best remembered for one infamous relief
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
appearance in a 1951 playoff game against the crosstown rival New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
. Branca entered the game in the ninth inning and surrendered a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
known as "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"
Shot Heard 'Round the World (baseball)
In baseball, the "Shot Heard 'round the World" is the term given to the walk-off home run hit by New York Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson off Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca at the Polo Grounds to win the National League pennant at 3:58 p.m...
to Bobby Thomson
Bobby Thomson
Robert Brown "Bobby" Thomson 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 , Milwaukee Braves , Chicago Cubs , Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles .His season-ending three-run...
, giving the Giants the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
pennant.
Branca later learned from Detroit Tiger Ted Gray
Ted Gray
Ted Glenn Gray was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played eight seasons with the Detroit Tigers , and then had short stints during the season with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles.A native Detroiter, Gray was a star pitcher at Highland Park...
that the Giants had stolen the signs to the two pitches he threw Thomson. That rumor was confirmed in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
in 2001, when Giant Sal Yvars
Sal Yvars
Salvador Anthony Yvars was a Major League Baseball catcher who played with the New York Giants from to and the St. Louis Cardinals from to . Born in Manhattan's Little Italy to a Spanish gravedigger and an Italian laundress, he was a three-sport star at White Plains High School, playing...
admitted that he relayed to Thomson the stolen signs for Branca's fastballs. Joshua Prager
Joshua Prager (writer)
Joshua Harris Prager is an American journalist and author. His book The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and the Shot Heard Round the World, is about the Shot Heard 'Round the World, a famous 1951 baseball playoff game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York...
detailed the revelations in a book entitled The Echoing Green: The Untold Story of Bobby Thomson, Ralph Branca and The Shot Heard Round the World. Thomson acknowledged to Prager that the Giants had stolen signs in 1951 but denied that he had foreknowledge of the pitch he hit off Branca for the pennant-winning home run. According to Branca, Thomson admitted to accepting the stolen signs during his first three at-bats of that game, but claimed that he did not do so in the final at-bat; Branca indicated that he did not believe Thomson's denials and remained convinced that Thomson was in fact tipped off on the fateful pitch.
Prior to facing Thomson, Branca had been warming up in the bullpen with Carl Erskine
Carl Erskine
Carl Daniel Erskine is a former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career for the Brooklyn & Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 through 1959...
. Dodger coach Clyde Sukeforth
Clyde Sukeforth
Clyde Leroy Sukeforth , nicknamed "Sukey," was a former Major League Baseball catcher, coach, scout and manager who was best known for scouting and signing the Major Leagues' first black player in the modern era, Jackie Robinson.Sukeforth was born in Washington, Maine...
noticed that Erskine was bouncing several curveballs in the dirt and instructed manager Charlie Dressen to call on Branca—this despite Thomson having homered off Branca in Game 1. (The Dodgers fired Sukeforth shortly thereafter.)
Branca did not express bitterness over the gopher ball, but began a friendship with Thomson that lasted into each man's old age, including many joint television appearances. Branca's experience is in stark contrast to that of Donnie Moore
Donnie Moore
Donnie Ray Moore was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Chicago Cubs , St...
of the California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, who gave up a dramatic home run to Boston
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
's Dave Henderson
Dave Henderson
David Lee Henderson , nicknamed Hendu, is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Seattle Mariners , Boston Red Sox , San Francisco Giants , Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals . He batted and threw right-handed...
in the 1986 American League Championship Series
1986 American League Championship Series
The 1986 American League Championship Series was a back-and-forth battle between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels for the right to advance to the 1986 World Series to face the winner of the 1986 National League Championship Series...
, and committed suicide three years later in the midst of severe career and marital problems.
Triskaidekaphobics
Triskaidekaphobia
Triskaidekaphobia is fear of the number ; it is a superstition and related to a specific fear of Friday the 13th, called paraskevidekatriaphobia or friggatriskaidekaphobia.The term was first used by Isador Coriat in Abnormal...
have noted that Branca wore uniform number 13 in 1951. Branca was photographed on Friday, April 13
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, 1951, flaunting the number and holding a black cat
Black cat
A black cat is a feline with black fur. It is not a particular breed of cat and may be mixed or of a specific breed. The Bombay, known for its sleek black fur, is an example of a black cat. The all-black pigmentation is equally prevalent in both male and female cats...
. Branca forsook the number 13 for the number 12 in 1952, but resumed wearing 13 in 1953.
In a 12-year career, Branca posted an 88–68 record with 829 strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
s and a 3.79 ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 1484.0 innings pitched
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
. A back injury suffered during spring training in 1952, and not the reaction to the previous year's home run, cut down on his effectiveness and cut short his career.
"The Shot Heard Round The World" is reputed to be the most exciting moment in the history of baseball and has forever immortalized the Polo Grounds
Polo Grounds
The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...
. After the Giants left New York City for San Francisco in 1958, the stadium remained empty for five years until the Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
occupied it during the 1962 and 1963 seasons. Nostalgia ran wild when the Giants and Dodgers returned to the Polo Grounds to play the Mets. In 1964, the Mets moved to Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, and the Polo Grounds was demolished. Branca was interviewed at the demolition site when the wrecking ball was thrown against the wall.
Branca lives at the Westchester Country Club
Westchester Country Club
The Westchester Country Club was founded by John McEntee Bowman, who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in the Town of Harrison, New York as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963...
in Rye, New York
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
, where he has been a member for about forty years. He is also a member of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.
Lore
- Branca originally wore the uniform number 12, but switched to number 13, one of the few players of that time to wear it, due to a long-standing superstitionSuperstitionSuperstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
that the number brings bad luck. After the Shot Heard 'Round the World, he briefly returned to number 12, but then changed back to 13. - On Opening Day 1947, which was also Jackie Robinson’s Major League debut, Branca lined up on the field beside Robinson, while other players refused.
- Ralph and Ann's daughter Mary married a future Dodger player, current manager of the Boston Red SoxBoston Red SoxThe Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, Bobby ValentineBobby ValentineRobert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
. - Although Branca was raised Catholic, in 2011 reporter Joshua Prager revealed in the New York Times that his mother Kati was Jewish.
- Ralph was a contestant on ConcentrationConcentration (game show)Concentration was an American TV game show based on the children's memory game of the same name. Matching cards represented prizes that contestants could win...
starting in 1963, where he won 17 consecutive games. He appeared in Concentrations 1963 Challenge of Champions. (A Challenge of Champions episode with Branca from September 13 of that year is on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.) - In his final spring training appearance, Branca was relieved by Sandy KoufaxSandy KoufaxSanford "Sandy" Koufax is a former left-handed baseball pitcher who played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers...
, whose first major league strikeout was Thomson.
See also
- List of select Jewish Major League Baseball players