Ralph Branca Moment...No, Not That One.

When you mention the name Ralph Branca to a baseball fan they immediately think of him serving up Bobby Thomson's home run in 1951 that won the pennant for the Giants. That was 59-years ago and there probably isn't a day that goes by that someone doesn't remind Branca of that.
Branca is still alive at the age of 84. Unfortunately, Bobby Thomson passed away earlier this year.
So where is this going? Oh yeah, Wally.
My father in-law Wally Gantter was in Denver recently, along with my mother-in-law Carol, for my recent book launch.
I was showing Wally some great pictures of Ebbets Field that I found on the internet. He then shared with me a vivid memory he had at Ebbets Field when his Brooklyn Dodgers swept a doubleheader from the Cubs. He told me it was July 10th, 1947 and Ralph Branca won both games of the twinbill.
Not that I doubted my father-in-law but I looked it up on baseball-reference.com.
Sure enough, on Thursday July 10th, 1947, Branca won both games of a doubleheader against the Cubs.
He started the first game, pitching 8.1 innings, in the Dodgers 5-3, victory. It was Branca's 13th win of the season.
In the second game, Branca pitched 2.2 innings in relief of Harry Taylor and earned his 14th win, a 4-3 10-inning verdict for Brooklyn.
In the doubleheader, Branca pitched 11-innings, allowing 11-hits, 5 runs (only 3 earned), with 5 strikeouts and 1 walk.
The 21-year old Branca ended the 1947 season with 21 wins, his only 20-win season.
Can you imagine a team today allowing a 21-year old pitcher to start a game and then come on in relief in the second game? The manager and pitching coach would be fired immediately.
So while many people remember Branca for being the guy to give up Thomson's legendary "The Giants Win The Pennant" home run, one gentleman now in his 70's remembers Branca for winning both games of a doubleheader in Brooklyn in 1947 when as a young man he was just one of 34,475 in attendance at long-gone but never forgotten Ebbets Field.