Friday column: Players who compete to the very end

It may be my favorite Jackie Robinson story.

On Oct. 3, 1951, at 3:58 EST in New York’s Polo Grounds, Giants outfielder Bobby Thomson hit the most famous home run in baseball history.

His three-run, ninth-inning shot erased a 4-2 Brooklyn lead and gave the New York Giants the rubber game of their playoff series with the Dodgers and, with it, the National League pennant.

Well, it did — but not until Thomson had touched all the bases.

As the Giants celebrated wildly and their fans began to rush onto the field, the Dodgers hung their heads, then began trudging toward the visitors clubhouse.

All, that is, but one.

Robinson, the Dodgers second baseman, followed Thomson’s progress around the infield, making sure he hit every bag and home plate. Then, and only then, did Robinson leave the field.

The man who broke baseball’s color line was the ultimate competitor, and even if there was only one chance in a thousand, or ten thousand, of Thomson missing a base in all the excitement, Robinson was not going to stop competing until the game was over — officially.

If Robinson were alive today — he would be 92 — he would have smiled at hearing the story of one Cole Bryant, pitcher for the Newington High baseball team that this month reached the finals of the Connecticut state tournament.

In the bottom of the eighth (high schools play a regulation seven innings), the score 2-2, Bryant gave up a double down the left-field line to Southington’s Sal Romano. Matt Spruill, who had started the rally with a single, took off at the crack of the bat, hitting second, rounding third and heading home.

He easily beat the throw, and his Southington teammates rushed out of the dugout and began celebrating, for Spruill had just given the team its first state crown in 12 years.

Seemingly.

But like Robinson before him, instead of hanging his head, Bryant watched carefully as Spruill neared the plate; the key word is neared.

Distracted by onrushing teammates, Spruill missed home plate and never went back to touch it. Bryant called for his catcher, Tyler Barrett, to hold the ball, step on the plate and appeal the play.

He did and Spruill was ruled out. The game remained tied. Two innings later, Newington won it. Appropriately, it was Bryant who scored the winning run, making quite sure he touched home.

On the game, Bryant pitched all 10 innings, threw 176 pitches, allowing just six hits and fanning 16. For all that, the most impressive thing he did was keep his eyes open and not give up.

Praised his coach: “He’s got so much heart, he’s such a competitor.”

Bryant kept competing, even when the game appeared to be over.

Yes, Robinson would have smiled.

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.