Great Baseball Moments- Willie Mays ‘The Catch’- Game 1 1954 World Series. This week I have been featuring some great defensive plays- and there is no more famous defensive play in Major League history- than the great catch that Willie Mays made during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds against the Cleveland Indians.
It was the eighth inning and the score was tied 2-2. Runners were on first and second. The hitter for the Cleveland Indians as Vic Wertz. With the count two balls and one strike- Wertz connected on Giants pitcher Don Liddle’s pitch. In most ballparks it would have been a home run -the ball went 420 feet but the Polo Grounds had a deep center field. Mays makes an unbelievable catch- and just as important throw after catching it. The Giants would go on to win the game 5-2 in extra innings. The Giants would win the World Series in a four game sweep.
slicethelife 
He had to run 50 yards or so to get to that ball. The throw back to the infield really impressed me also…
it’s too bad that back then we didn’t have the media coverage we do now- imagine having extensive video on Mays his entire career.
Willie would have been on constantly with highlights… and Ruth would have been followed everywhere.
wouldn’t it be great to have hours and hours of Ruth in action….
Yes it would. His off field would light up social media and I don’t think he would care… but baseball action yes. I so wish we had more film on him.
A funny story is that Wertz was the only batter that Liddle faced, and in a post-game interview he said “Well, I got my man.”
That’s great- and he sure did! Mays always claimed he made a number of catches that topped this one–could be- but none of them were on a bigger stage.
Great catch but I’ve seen so many other body revolved snags like it in the modern ea.
coming in a World Series adds points to it I guess.
i am still more impressed at how far Wertz actually hit this ball.