Willie Mays was considered by many to be the greatest all-around baseball player in history.
Willie Mays is widely considered the best baseball player in history. His speed, his hitting and overall understanding of the game. He's shown here at the 2004 Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Cooperstown, N.Y.LAist is facing a budget shortfall, but our mission to provide fact-based journalism is stronger than ever. We cannot do this important work without your member support today.
Mays' command of tools three, four and five is best illustrated in one epic play in 1954.It was Game One of the '54 World Series, Giants versus the Cleveland Indians in the Giants' enormous ballpark, the Polo Grounds. In the eighth inning, the score was tied and Cleveland had men on first and second base. The Indians' Vic Wertz hit a line drive to deep centerfield, where Mays played. Mays turned and sprinted toward the centerfield wall, his back to home plate.
Flair was everything, and it was why the fans who were thrilled by Mays' escapades on the diamond, had a smile on their faces too. Mays and other Negro League players imported that style of play when the Major Leagues were integrated. You can see that style in today's game. The basket catch isn't a novelty anymore; outfielders charge the ball, like infielders, as Mays first did.The Mays effervescence and energy often disappeared away from the ballpark.Although endlessly loyal with close friends, Mays was an intensely private person who tried to keep people at arm's length.
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