brainwagon

On this day in baseball history, Willie Mays made this spectacular over the shoulder catch at the wall to rob Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The New York Giants would go on to upset the Cleveland Indians in four games: the last time the Giants franchise won the World Series. Damn, even in this grainy black and white, it’s a sweet catch.

You can read the scorecard and the play-by-play on retrosheet.org. Wertz was four for five, with a double and a triple. Mays’ catch preserved the 2-2 tie in the eighth, and the Giants would go on to win in the tenth.

SFGate ran a more complete article 50TH ANNIVERSARY / Mays’ ‘catch’ might not rank among his greatest.

According to SFGate, Willie has been in the hospital for hip-replacement surgery, but is expected to return home today. Best wishes, Willie, and damn, that is one sweet catch.