Willie Mays, baseball legend, all-time Giants great, dies aged 93
- In a career of defining moments, catch in 1954 World Series best summed up Mays’ Hall of Fame talent
Willie Mays was so good that even one of baseball’s greatest plays couldn’t define his Hall of Fame career.
It came to be known simply as “The Catch,” an over-the-shoulder running grab by Mays in deep centre field at the New York Giants’ Polo Grounds park in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
The catch and rifle throw that followed halted two Cleveland Indians base runners and kept the Giants on course for a win that launched them toward the World Series crown.
It was one of a myriad of magnificent Major League moments produced by Mays, who excelled in every facet of the game.
The Giants legend, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, “was probably the best all-around player when you take everything into consideration,” Dodgers pitching great Sandy Koufax once said. “It seemed like that Willie never made a mistake.”
But Mays was no automaton, playing with a boyish exuberance that endeared him to colleagues and fans alike.
