Willie Mays Makes The Catch: Baseball's Greatest Play
Willie Mays sprinted roughly 430 feet with his back to home plate, caught Vic Wertz's drive over his shoulder in dead center field at the Polo Grounds, then spun and threw — all in one motion — to hold the runners. The throw was so good it prevented what should've been an easy tag-up. The Giants were trailing 2-0 in extra innings. They won that game, swept the heavily favored Cleveland Indians in four straight, and Mays never named it 'The Catch.' That was everyone else. He said he'd made better ones.
September 29, 1954
72 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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