Was it the best play in the sport’s history? Some claim it was, although the how, where, when and who of the moment all might also have contributed to its legendary status.
A Big Catch in a High Stakes Moment
In the top of the eighth inning, with the game tied 2-2, the Indians were threatening. Larry Doby, the second African American to play in the major leagues, was on second base; Cleveland infielder Al Rosen was on first.
Vic Wurtz, the Indians’ powerful first baseman who had driven in Cleveland’s two runs, was at the plate. With the count at two balls and one strike, Wurtz launched reliever Don Liddle’s pitch about 420 deep into center field. It looked for sure as if the ball would either clear the fences for a home run or land deep in the outfield and score at least Doby and perhaps Rosen too.
But as soon as the ball left Wurtz’s bat, Giants center fielder Mays took off in pursuit. He raced toward the center field wall, glancing over his shoulder to check the ball’s trajectory, and caught it just shy of the boundary. Then he wheeled around and threw the ball to second, preventing Doby from running home and scoring.
The game stretched into extra innings before pinch-hitter Dusty Rhodes scored the home run that won the game for the Giants. New York would go on to sweep the series 4-0.
So Good It Was Like an 'Optical Illusion'
The play was immediately celebrated. Commentating for NBC television, Jack Brickhouse declared, “Oh my! Caught by Mays! … Willie Mays just brought this crowd to its feet with a catch which must have been an optical illusion to a lot of people.”
James Hirsch, author of Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, says Mays’s play remains so well-known that sportscasters still reference it some 70 years later. “I was watching a game in which the first baseman was running down a foul ball, his back to home plate,” Hirsch recalls. “He catches the ball over his shoulder and, right on cue, the announcer says, ‘That’s a Willie Mays catch!’”