PHOENIX — Whitey Lockman, who doubled ahead of Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Round The World" that clinched the 1951 NL pennant, died Tuesday at the Mayo Clinic Hospital. He was 82.

Lockman told the New York Daily News last week that he was fighting pulmonary fibrosis. Lockman's wife, Linda, told the News on Thursday night that her husband's death was "very, very sudden."

Lockman was an outfielder and first baseman and played with the Giants from 1945-1958. His career, which ended in 1960, also included stints with the Cardinals, Orioles and Reds. He was a career .279 hitter with 114 home runs and was an All-Star in 1952.

"He died with a lot of dignity, and we're gonna get through this," Linda Lockman told the Daily News. "We just miss him so much."

He is perhaps remembered most for his role in the New York Giants' comeback against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 3 of their NL pennant tiebreaker playoff in 1951. New York, which trailed Brooklyn by 13 games before play on Aug. 12, forced the best-of-3 playoff and were tied at a game apiece going into the finale at the Polo Grounds.

Brooklyn led 4-1 in the ninth when singles by Alvin Dark and Don Mueller put runners at the corners, After Monte Irvin fouled out, Lockman hit an RBI double just inside the left-field line that left two on for Thomson. Ralph Branca relieved, and Thomson followed with a three-run homer to left, which became known as "The Shot Heard Round the World."

After his playing career, Lockman went on to manage the Cubs from 1972-74 and also served as an executive with the Montreal Expos and Florida Marlins.