willie is a douchebag egoist. As a Giants fan I hate seeing him on television every week. He cant go 5 minutes without telling the world how good he was.
Maybe you lazy idiots should try and see how many hit baseballs they can catch. Then try and run with thier backs to the ball, sprint for a good 50 meters, catch the bloody ball, and manage to do a spin and throw the ball back with great accuracy.
This is crazy right here. Think about it, the ball is TINY when comparing it to the open sky of a baseball field, and this guy managed to catch it mid-sprint, while he had his back towards it, And during the f#cking WORLD SERIES.
@shangpush Dwight Clark leaping up in the end zone to catch Joe Montana's pass to beat the hated Cowboys-that's "The Catch"Joe was throwing the football away and Clark caught it!
Seems like the throw was a big part of why this play is famous. Looks like a monster throw back to the infield, and Mays was practically throwing blind.
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 hahaha considering that it was a good 430 feet from home plate he made a running catch with the ball to his back and stopped instantly to throw a seed to the infield, no one can make a catch like that today because center field doesnt go back 480 feet like it used to and no1 cares about cricket
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 Awesome, another cricket troll. Keep up the delusion that cricketers are better athletes than baseball players. Also, go piss of a drug dealer. Thanks.
@sexychrisb I am not a big fan of cricket... used to be, not anymore.
However, we are not discussing the athleticism of cricketer & baseball players.
The point I am making is, that if this catch is considered "great/awesome" by baseball fans, then they obviously have VERY LOW standards & would probably compare cricketers with GODS.
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 Could your cricketers also make the throw to prevent the runner from scoring, which was the truly impressive part of the play, outstanding as the catch was?
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 had he not caught it, or thrown it home so fast ( which he did without looking) his team probably would have lost the game and the world series. Maybe, the World Series; Im not sure that was a while ago!
If I had to pick an any center fielder in history on my all time team it would be Willie Mays, hands down. But I've seen far better catches throughout baseball that were more impressive than this. For that time it was an great catch, but to say it was the greatest...not even top 10 in my opinion.
I'm sorry, but this is not the best catch of all time. In highlights, you often see people making that kind of catch, and it's no big deal. Even Willie Mays himself said the catch wasn't that great! It gets so much unnecessary praise, in my opinion. Now Jim Edmonds catch in Kansas City, and Ben Revere's catch just this season...better than Willie Mays'.
@GotsaSmall I agree to an extent. The catch was great, but not the best. You are right, Mays said himself it wasn't that hard of a catch. However this was in the World Series, and not only did he make a great catch, he made a perfect throw to save a run. That's why it gets so much 'hype'. This shows off why Mays was arguably the greatest outfielder in history. Amazing range, great glove, and a cannon for an arm, and he made it look easy.
@whiplash505 Look at the dimensions of the Polo Grounds and try to say that again. Plus, this was Willie Mays and the world series, not some unknown rookie. Revere's was impressive, but nothing compared to this or Endy Chavez's catch.
This was during the damn World Series. Ben Revere's catch was for a team that sucks so epicly this season and the Twins aren't even playing for anything this year. Mays was playing for a championship
@whiplash505 it was impressive, but because mays had his catch in the world seires it makes it that much more amazing. Twins will only be good if they start to get a big overhaul this offseason like the Yankees did after 2008
To anybody who thinks this catch wasn't a great catch, think about how far he had to run(center field here was about 484 feet I think?) and if you've ever played baseball you would know how hard it is to make a running catch when the balls getting away from you like that, plus he never evn turned around to catch it. And considering the circumstances it might be the greatest catch of all time.
@catfoodtitans It was 483 to dead center in the hollow section that you see to the left in the video. It was about 425 to the wall directly in front of him and the bal was hit about 10 feet from the fence. So it was actually about a 415 foot fly ball. Btw, I didn't come up with those numbers. A study was done to see how far the ball was really hit and that's what they came up with.
I didn't think that this was the best play ever, and was totally overrated, until I realized this was in POLO GROUNDS. wow, he must've ran 200 ft to get that...
@xXx6CJC6xXx They play more games now than they did back then. If you gave Mays the same amount of at bats, he would have had even more inflated stats. Mays did more with less. It was only 8 less games a season, but it would have added up over a career. Griffey's health factors in because he wasn't as durable as Mays, which also gives Willie an edge. Mays had almost a 1,000 more hits and a .302 lifetime batting average. Griffey hit .284. Sorry, but your claim doesn't hold water.
Willie said he made harder catches. This is just ONE EXAMPLE of the best ball player ever. May he live in fans hearts forever! No trash talk, no steroids, no egoism. Just the best ever.
@cw5394 What proof do you have to support Mantle as being a better natural ball player? Statistically you have almost nothing. Willies was in better condition because he was also a smarter athlete. If you want to say Ted is the best hitter ever, I'll support you on that one. Could make a case for Ty Cobb or Rogers Hornsby too though. Mantle was not better than Willie Mays though.
@HeavyD2544 What proof do you have that Willie Mays as being better? Exactly. Everyone that ever saw Mantle play or anyone that played with him or against said he was the greatest talent they had ever seen. He was the fastest dude in the game in his time, hit for power, switch hitter, good arm. mays was great but i just think mantle was better despite the injuries.
@cw5394 Willie was more durable cause he took care of himself. Defensively, Mays was a 12 time Golden glove winner. Mantle once. Mays played 22 seasons hitting a career average of .302, 660 home runs, 3,283 hits, 1,903 runs batted in. He had more career steals as well, leading the league 3 years in a row. If Mantle was faster, he would have stolen more bases than Mays. Mickie's career batting average is .298, 536 home runs, 2,515 hits, and had 1,509 runs batted in. Mickie wasn't better.
@HeavyD2544 Mickey was faster. He was probably the most talented player in baseball history. He was only able to run fast for about three seasons though because of his extensive leg injuries. The last 6 seasons of his carreer he had tape from his ankles to his upper thighs, and when he hit his 500th home run it looked like he could barely get around the bases. That in addition to his alcohol abuse.
@BLong114 There is still nothing to support your claims. He was faster? How? Did he lead the league in steals at any point in his career? Nope. You're pulling those things out of your ass with no evidence. Just lofty claims of poor Mickey this and poor Mickey that. Injuries here and injuries there. Nothing that proves he's faster. No stats to prove he was better. You're living a dream buddy.
@HeavyD2544 I didn't say he was better I said he was one of the most talented players of all time. "One of the most". Talent alone doesn't make a great athlete. I only said that he was faster at the start of his carreer before his extensive injuries. Poor Mickey or not extensive leg injuries will hurt anybody's carreer stats. Watch some interviews of people that played with Mickey every day. Almost all of them agree that he was the fastest baseball player that they ever saw.
@BLong114 Nope. You actually said "He was probably the most talented player in baseball history." You're trying to rewrite you're own words now. You also said Mickey was faster. That's what I'm referring to. I'm guessing they were guys who played on the Yanks or in the AL with him, but something tells me most NL and Giant players would say the same about Willie. Either way, evidence says otherwise. Mickey would have stolen more bases early in his career if he was so fast. I don't buy it.
1) 450 feet away? From what? Let's not get crazy. The ball was NOT caught in the centerfield cutout, but off to the right (where the fence was 425 ft from home), maybe 10 ft from the fence, making this a 300-ft throw to 2nd base.
2) He didn't exactly hold the runners; the runner at 1st wasn't tagging, so it was all HE could do to get back to the bag. Larry Doby DID tag & went to 3rd; OTOH, it did keep him even thinking of scoring, which he might've tried had Mays left his feet.
@IWantDaveKast haha... Of course! Excuse my ignorance, I'm from Australia. I wonder if any of those Dodgers fans supported them when they were still based in Brooklyn? Probably not.
@scottwill19 you need to read up about how far Willie had to run to. Dead center at the Polo Grounds the outfield wall was 480 feet from home plate. Most stadiums today are about 400-410 feet. Mays had to run a good 60 feet past what would be considered a homerun today and then whirled around and threw the ball to home so the runner couldn't tag from second
Wow. Does anybody actually watch the video b4 making comments?
OK. One more time, guys. AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet. Moreover, the ball was NOT thrown home, which would have been a STUPID play, but to 2nd, which kept Al Rosen, who was retreating to 1st, from getting any ideas about tagging, and kept Larry Doby, who did tag & go to third, from trying to score.
@scottwill19 if you have ever played baseball it is extremely hard to make a over the head catch-you have to be very fast to outrun the ball-you try making that catch
It WASN'T great, as Mays himself has said many times. As he points out, it was fairly routine; he didn't have to leave his feet or crash into anything, as in his 6/3/57 catch off Clemente (running "about 4 miles" and leaping into the base of Forbes Field's left-center light tower 440 ft from home) or the catch off Bobby Morgan at tiny Ebbetts Field (line drive over shortstop that Mays caught in a full extension dive, landing on the warning track & skidding headfirst into the wall).
September 29, 2007, 50th Anniversary of last Giants game at the Polo Grounds. Visited Polo Grounds Towers. Found the plaque that's where home plate was. Paced off 460 feet straightaway. That's one hell of a distance. Did Jerry Rice make great catches? Yes, but he was catching something larger and softer, and 460 feet is over 150 yards.
Also, Mantle's catch to save Larsen's perfect game, onehanded & backhanded, was about 420 feet. He wasn't Mays with the glove but he wasn't far behind.
OK. Once again, AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet, making this maybe a 415-foot fly ball, followed by a 300-foot throw, certainly nothing to sneeze at, but let's just get our facts straight, shall we?
All those making negative comments have never played baseball before... Run as fast as you can for roughly 100-150ft while looking backwards and try to catch a ball falling from the sky with one hand
I don't get it. What's so great about it? Goddamn, baseball keeps getting gayer and gayer. If it wasn't for the NY teams baseball would be completely dead. LMAO, why are the Cubs even allowed in the MLB anymore?
@hbk6211 that catch was caught in an insanely huge field, the Polo Grounds center field was about 470 ft from home plate, covering that much ground is amazing, btw this was when the giants were in NY. and yeah i don't know why they let the Cubs stay
@hbk6211 hahahaha, i would loooovee to see you make that catch from where willie mays started, run all that ground while lookin backwards, and catch the ball.
theres a reason when someone catches a ball like that everyone cheers, bc it was a "Willie Mays catch"
most overrated catch ever ....100's of others much better ...jim edmonds had at least 10-20 better...i have seen my college players make better catches
@climberdad99 Consider that this was at the Polo Grounds. The center field wall was 483 feet away from home plate. Jim Edmonds wouldn't have made this catch because a) he wouldn't have been fast enough to get all the way back there, and b) it would have cleared the center field wall of any current ballpark by at least 30 feet. Consider also that he stopped on a dime and threw the ball back to prevent the runner scoring from 2nd.
Since everybody seems 2B making the same inexplicable mistake, I guess I'll just cut & paste relevant portions of my earlier reply:
OK. One more time, guys. AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet, making this maybe a 415-foot fly ball, followed by a 300-foot throw.
@climberdad99 Jim Edmonds is one of my favorite player. However, the only reason he makes great catches is because he's not the fast. I bet every great catch he had Willie Mays would be under the ball. Edmonds would have never caught up to the ball. It does suck that he is retired now. I was hoping to see one or two more years out of him.
@billmkyzl It was actually 400-410 the 485 mark is just to the left. The the left-center and right-center walls ended, went straight back about 50 feet or so then met. Thats where the 485 mark was. BTW, this isn't coming from me, I watched a Willie Mays documentary where they specified all the details surrounding the catch.
I glad you 14 year olds can make an over the shoulder catch... congrats. When you grow up to work for 8 bucks an hour, buy a dictionary and look up the word context. Willie Mays catch happened in the WORLD SERIES! Most players would have needed a taxi to get to that ball. But before you call it over rated, look at the context.
the catch itself is way overrated. I'm a 6'6'' left handed pitcher and I can make and over the shoulder running catch like this easily okay. the part that makes it impressive is the long run to catch it. there was nothing impressive about the throw. he just stopped his feet, spun and chucked it up there.
THere was aguy on KNBR last week who said he was at the 54 series sitting behind Joe Dimaggio. After Mays made the catch somebody asked him if he could have caught it? He replied No F!@#$%^ way.
Richter: That wall is about 440ft from home. The ball was absolutely crushed. What you don't see is the jump on the ball, the speed to cover all of that ground (at least 100ft and the ball is in the air for 5sec) WHILE tracking the ball, the throw back to the infield (which some may argue was the greatest athletic feat of "The Catch"). Sorry, no multiple camera angles in '54.
I can tell most of you never watched him play in Candlestick. Mays himself stated had he played in Hank Aaron's Launching Pad park in Atlanta, he might have hit 800 home runs.
Candlestick was brutal especially on right handers. I don't Hank would have got past 700 homeruns w/o playing in Atlanta. Mays was the best. I watched that wind knock plenty of balls that would have clearly been home runs at the Launching Pad.
an optical illusion? yea i bet 99.9% of people in the world wouldnt have the speed to catch that ball 500 feet out. But, thats Willie Mays for ya one of the best ballplayers to ever live if not the best!
@richter85 Well, center field at the Polo Grounds in New York was almost 500 feet from home plate. Had this been at any other park, that likely would have been a home run.
Willie Mays was the best baseball player ever; not only because of his numbers, but because of the excitement he brought to the game and because of The Catch.
@Hoopermazing When asked who was the best baseball player in his opinion, Willie Mays said he couldn't find anyone who was as good or better than him. He said it was himself.
@husul I doubt if he was drinking at that point. However, drunk or not, he was still Mickey Mantle. And, the significance of his opinions regarding baseball tower above just about anyone else's.
@MrSouthphillyitalian , the Phillies? They have lost more games than any National League team in MLB history.
But with that pitching staff, they'll be tough to beat in 2011. Phillie fans are a loyal bunch but a bit vicious too.
They boo and attack hotdog vendors, the Phanatic and Santa Claus. But their loyalty hardly ever wavers and I say they rank third best behind the Cub and Bosox fans. The best of luck to your favorites this year and get your World Series tickets early.
@scrawfrd02 ,"but for his time." Jack, you're nuts. I've been a baseball fan since 1948 and have seen the greats of the great come and go. I'm talking about the likes of Joe D., Aaron, Musial, Williams, Banks, Jackie Robinson, Yogi, Campy, Killebrew, Mantle. Such players were, of course, great. However I witnessed Willie's entire career because I was an East Coaster who later moved to the West and I'm telling you UNEQUIVOCALLY, Mays was the greatest ALL AROUND player to ever play the game.
@39rc6cf So true. Just imagine how many homeruns willie would have if he didn't miss two seasons of his prime in the military, and if he didn't play most of his career in Candlestick Park, with that strong wind blowing in. At least 900
@jethrodassam, you're 100% on target. Experts say that 150 potential homers at Candlestick were blown back by those fierce winds. He would have hit at least 30+ homers the year he missed in the military. So we take 660 homers, add 150 + 30 and we get 840 homers minimum. No one EVER could come close to that mark. The man was in a league of his own and I'm proud to say that I saw his entire career while living in NYC before moving west many many years ago.
@39rc6cf Well, you cut him off by a lot. 15 homeruns x 2 seasons? No, at least 45 homeruns x 2 seasons. That was in his prime he missed those seasons when he hit over 50 homeruns in one season. I figure at least 900 homeruns for sure.
@jethrodassam , Willie missed just 1.5 seasons, 1953. His first season was '51 in which he hit 20 homers in 121 games. In '52, he hit 4 dingers in just 34 games and then left for military duty. Had he played the entire '52 season, I estimate he would have equalled '51 with 20. So I guess I'm a bit shy of homers but then who really knows? It's all speculative. All except for one basic fact--he was the greatest all 'round player to ever play the game.
The greatest catch in world series history running back to catch a ball that most players wouldnt of caught up to Willie Mays was the best centerfielder of all time with the bat and glove he could run throw he had one of the strongest throwing arms of alltime and hit for average and hit 660 career homeruns.Another great catch was the one when Bobby Bonds was playing in rightdield one day in San fransisco the wind was blowing out the ball was hit to deep right mays jumped hit the fence held on.
I think the only catch that may approach compare to this legendary play is the bo jackson catch and throw from left field to get carlton fisk at first.
That aint no optical illusion The Say Hey Kid was just faster than a freaking horse. SAY HEY!
TheFlair8 1 week ago
The throw, more than the catch is impressive.
deemixdee 3 weeks ago
Willie Mays here with another fantastic product!
thesIeepywiIIow 1 month ago
willie is a douchebag egoist. As a Giants fan I hate seeing him on television every week. He cant go 5 minutes without telling the world how good he was.
ThumbsUpBrah 2 months ago
wow, we juss watched this in class.
dramaaaaaful 2 months ago
Maybe you lazy idiots should try and see how many hit baseballs they can catch. Then try and run with thier backs to the ball, sprint for a good 50 meters, catch the bloody ball, and manage to do a spin and throw the ball back with great accuracy.
This is crazy right here. Think about it, the ball is TINY when comparing it to the open sky of a baseball field, and this guy managed to catch it mid-sprint, while he had his back towards it, And during the f#cking WORLD SERIES.
Yeah, its impressive.
ExpressEric 2 months ago 11
@ExpressEric Seriously! Plus the whole world was black and white back then!
tigerbballer44 2 months ago 5
@tigerbballer44 I can't tell if you're joking around, or if you're stupid.
joeywhite00 2 months ago
Im not going to discredit the man, but this is not that difficult.
FlashRacer7 2 months ago
"The Catch"? Watch Sandy Amoros in this clip on YouTube:
"1955 World Series Highlights Brooklyn Dodgers vs NYY.." Mays: great catch. Amoros: a miracle catch. Hands down: Amoros. Let's have a vote!
shangpush 2 months ago
@shangpush Dwight Clark leaping up in the end zone to catch Joe Montana's pass to beat the hated Cowboys-that's "The Catch"Joe was throwing the football away and Clark caught it!
Marydawgs 1 month ago
Seems like the throw was a big part of why this play is famous. Looks like a monster throw back to the infield, and Mays was practically throwing blind.
MichaelJHuman 2 months ago
I've seen better
goonchkiller 3 months ago
this is the most overrated fucking hightlight of all time.
joemoe23 3 months ago 2
5th? WTF?
sleepymofo 3 months ago
fuck cricket
ryannosaurus6 3 months ago
I've done that many times we just call it "the mays"
mtalamantes100994 3 months ago
It was very good, but even Wilie himself once said it wasn't the best catch of all time. He doesn't even think it was his own best catch.
WoWkemon90 3 months ago
@MrJekyllDrHyde1, oh, only that where he caught the ball was 490 feet from Home Plate.
cinderblok 3 months ago
@cinderblok Meh !
Like I said .. this is an ordinary catch, which many cricketers can do with ease ....
MrJekyllDrHyde1 3 months ago
Why is this a big deal ? it is just a ordinary catch, which many cricketers can do with ease ..
MrJekyllDrHyde1 3 months ago
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 hahaha considering that it was a good 430 feet from home plate he made a running catch with the ball to his back and stopped instantly to throw a seed to the infield, no one can make a catch like that today because center field doesnt go back 480 feet like it used to and no1 cares about cricket
drews122396 3 months ago
@drews122396 that is piece of cake for most of them.
MrJekyllDrHyde1 3 months ago
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 Awesome, another cricket troll. Keep up the delusion that cricketers are better athletes than baseball players. Also, go piss of a drug dealer. Thanks.
sexychrisb 2 months ago
@sexychrisb I am not a big fan of cricket... used to be, not anymore.
However, we are not discussing the athleticism of cricketer & baseball players.
The point I am making is, that if this catch is considered "great/awesome" by baseball fans, then they obviously have VERY LOW standards & would probably compare cricketers with GODS.
MrJekyllDrHyde1 2 months ago
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 Could your cricketers also make the throw to prevent the runner from scoring, which was the truly impressive part of the play, outstanding as the catch was?
Didn't think so.
mongoose636 3 months ago
@mongoose636 Are people seriously coming on here to say cricket is better than baseball? Are you kidding me? Do they have nothing better to do?
ShortCardinalsFan262 3 months ago
@mongoose636 Well in cricket, once you catch, you don't have to throw the ball (the other player is "out").
I understand you don't know what cricket is, so for you, this is "OMG Amazing catch", but not quite for many who have seen cricket.
Look for Jonty Rhodes - now that guy was a legend.
MrJekyllDrHyde1 3 months ago
@MrJekyllDrHyde1 had he not caught it, or thrown it home so fast ( which he did without looking) his team probably would have lost the game and the world series. Maybe, the World Series; Im not sure that was a while ago!
ShortCardinalsFan262 3 months ago
I dont understand, WIlly was the greatest. But even he didn't think this catch was a big deal.
bigmartin3000 4 months ago
@bigmartin3000 To him it wasn't his best catch, but it was in the biggest situations, that's why we as fans call it the greatest. :)
ShortCardinalsFan262 3 months ago
If I had to pick an any center fielder in history on my all time team it would be Willie Mays, hands down. But I've seen far better catches throughout baseball that were more impressive than this. For that time it was an great catch, but to say it was the greatest...not even top 10 in my opinion.
TheRenegadeAssassin 4 months ago
The cutoff was 449 feet away, and he wasn't that far from the wall. He still covered an insane amount of ground and didn't allow the runner to score.
hjbvh1 4 months ago
Too bad we never see where the throw went.
davd1986 4 months ago
As many times as I've seen this clip, I'm still in amazement at the catch!
mongoose636 4 months ago
Welcome to the 22 still-bitter Indians fans who have stopped by. :-P
MScottEiland 4 months ago
I think he made the catch about 430'-440' from home plate. 483' was way back in that alcove. Still very impressive with that throw.
MrButtbanger 4 months ago
I'm sorry, but this is not the best catch of all time. In highlights, you often see people making that kind of catch, and it's no big deal. Even Willie Mays himself said the catch wasn't that great! It gets so much unnecessary praise, in my opinion. Now Jim Edmonds catch in Kansas City, and Ben Revere's catch just this season...better than Willie Mays'.
GotsaSmall 5 months ago
@GotsaSmall I agree to an extent. The catch was great, but not the best. You are right, Mays said himself it wasn't that hard of a catch. However this was in the World Series, and not only did he make a great catch, he made a perfect throw to save a run. That's why it gets so much 'hype'. This shows off why Mays was arguably the greatest outfielder in history. Amazing range, great glove, and a cannon for an arm, and he made it look easy.
elgrizzlydeadams 4 months ago
im sorry, but this is nothing compared to ben revere's catch.
whiplash505 5 months ago
@whiplash505 Look at the dimensions of the Polo Grounds and try to say that again. Plus, this was Willie Mays and the world series, not some unknown rookie. Revere's was impressive, but nothing compared to this or Endy Chavez's catch.
vantageIIx 5 months ago
Comment removed
BBQFanNo1 5 months ago
This was during the damn World Series. Ben Revere's catch was for a team that sucks so epicly this season and the Twins aren't even playing for anything this year. Mays was playing for a championship
bvestationfan 4 months ago
@bvestationfan looking at the catch alone and nothing else, ben's was more impressive. there is no denying it.
whiplash505 4 months ago
@whiplash505 it was impressive, but because mays had his catch in the world seires it makes it that much more amazing. Twins will only be good if they start to get a big overhaul this offseason like the Yankees did after 2008
bvestationfan 4 months ago
thumbs up if you watched this after seeing ben revere's catch.
aet4life 5 months ago
Comment removed
bvestationfan 4 months ago
ignore the comment i just sent. that was for someone else.
bvestationfan 4 months ago
willie mays must have taught ben revere how to catch
TheAhamm94 5 months ago
To anybody who thinks this catch wasn't a great catch, think about how far he had to run(center field here was about 484 feet I think?) and if you've ever played baseball you would know how hard it is to make a running catch when the balls getting away from you like that, plus he never evn turned around to catch it. And considering the circumstances it might be the greatest catch of all time.
catfoodtitans 5 months ago
@catfoodtitans It was 483 to dead center in the hollow section that you see to the left in the video. It was about 425 to the wall directly in front of him and the bal was hit about 10 feet from the fence. So it was actually about a 415 foot fly ball. Btw, I didn't come up with those numbers. A study was done to see how far the ball was really hit and that's what they came up with.
BLong114 5 months ago
I didn't think that this was the best play ever, and was totally overrated, until I realized this was in POLO GROUNDS. wow, he must've ran 200 ft to get that...
samwuzhere9 5 months ago
Another sad moment in Cleveland sports history...
rabinowitz17 5 months ago
Mickey and Willie.The 2 best all around players EVER.
SLAYERMETALLICA357 6 months ago
he's like: just another day in the field
pcunnie123 6 months ago
21 people do not know what baseball is
TheLmac2424 6 months ago
Willy Maze= Best All Around Player
Ken Griffey Jr. with a 100% healthy career= BETTER
xXx6CJC6xXx 6 months ago
@xXx6CJC6xXx They play more games now than they did back then. If you gave Mays the same amount of at bats, he would have had even more inflated stats. Mays did more with less. It was only 8 less games a season, but it would have added up over a career. Griffey's health factors in because he wasn't as durable as Mays, which also gives Willie an edge. Mays had almost a 1,000 more hits and a .302 lifetime batting average. Griffey hit .284. Sorry, but your claim doesn't hold water.
HeavyD2544 6 months ago
Andres Torres should watch this video. Maybe he can learn something
roccomaniac1 6 months ago
What's with the extensive critique! Everyone acknowledges it's ONE of the GREATEST catches EVER!! Period!
plentyvinny 6 months ago
only coulda happened at the polo grounds if he was at any other stadium it wouldve been a homerun.
lman300 6 months ago
Nice catch. :)
GradiusMojo 6 months ago
He has some skills!
TheElvin32 6 months ago
Willie said he made harder catches. This is just ONE EXAMPLE of the best ball player ever. May he live in fans hearts forever! No trash talk, no steroids, no egoism. Just the best ever.
909chuck 7 months ago
Haven't seen anything beyond this, how was the throw?
theballer04 7 months ago
@theballer04 How was Mays' throw after the catch? Right on the mark.
N1k1mon 7 months ago
@N1k1mon Thanks, they never seem to show that part.
theballer04 7 months ago
The throw back in is the better part of the play.
And Mickey Mantle was a better natural ball player imo. If he could have stayed healthy, he would be recognized as THE man.
Ted Williams best hitter ever.
cw5394 7 months ago
@cw5394 What proof do you have to support Mantle as being a better natural ball player? Statistically you have almost nothing. Willies was in better condition because he was also a smarter athlete. If you want to say Ted is the best hitter ever, I'll support you on that one. Could make a case for Ty Cobb or Rogers Hornsby too though. Mantle was not better than Willie Mays though.
HeavyD2544 6 months ago
@HeavyD2544 What proof do you have that Willie Mays as being better? Exactly. Everyone that ever saw Mantle play or anyone that played with him or against said he was the greatest talent they had ever seen. He was the fastest dude in the game in his time, hit for power, switch hitter, good arm. mays was great but i just think mantle was better despite the injuries.
cw5394 5 months ago
@cw5394 Willie was more durable cause he took care of himself. Defensively, Mays was a 12 time Golden glove winner. Mantle once. Mays played 22 seasons hitting a career average of .302, 660 home runs, 3,283 hits, 1,903 runs batted in. He had more career steals as well, leading the league 3 years in a row. If Mantle was faster, he would have stolen more bases than Mays. Mickie's career batting average is .298, 536 home runs, 2,515 hits, and had 1,509 runs batted in. Mickie wasn't better.
HeavyD2544 5 months ago
@HeavyD2544 Mickey was faster. He was probably the most talented player in baseball history. He was only able to run fast for about three seasons though because of his extensive leg injuries. The last 6 seasons of his carreer he had tape from his ankles to his upper thighs, and when he hit his 500th home run it looked like he could barely get around the bases. That in addition to his alcohol abuse.
BLong114 5 months ago
@BLong114 There is still nothing to support your claims. He was faster? How? Did he lead the league in steals at any point in his career? Nope. You're pulling those things out of your ass with no evidence. Just lofty claims of poor Mickey this and poor Mickey that. Injuries here and injuries there. Nothing that proves he's faster. No stats to prove he was better. You're living a dream buddy.
HeavyD2544 5 months ago
@HeavyD2544 I didn't say he was better I said he was one of the most talented players of all time. "One of the most". Talent alone doesn't make a great athlete. I only said that he was faster at the start of his carreer before his extensive injuries. Poor Mickey or not extensive leg injuries will hurt anybody's carreer stats. Watch some interviews of people that played with Mickey every day. Almost all of them agree that he was the fastest baseball player that they ever saw.
BLong114 5 months ago
@BLong114 Nope. You actually said "He was probably the most talented player in baseball history." You're trying to rewrite you're own words now. You also said Mickey was faster. That's what I'm referring to. I'm guessing they were guys who played on the Yanks or in the AL with him, but something tells me most NL and Giant players would say the same about Willie. Either way, evidence says otherwise. Mickey would have stolen more bases early in his career if he was so fast. I don't buy it.
HeavyD2544 5 months ago
Most incredible thing is that he held the runners throwing from an awward position about 450 feet away
theontherise 7 months ago
@theontherise
1) 450 feet away? From what? Let's not get crazy. The ball was NOT caught in the centerfield cutout, but off to the right (where the fence was 425 ft from home), maybe 10 ft from the fence, making this a 300-ft throw to 2nd base.
2) He didn't exactly hold the runners; the runner at 1st wasn't tagging, so it was all HE could do to get back to the bag. Larry Doby DID tag & went to 3rd; OTOH, it did keep him even thinking of scoring, which he might've tried had Mays left his feet.
dvdspd21 6 months ago
21 people dislike this. How on earth could anyone possibly dislike this?!?!
Perhaps they were drunk and hit the "dislike" button by accident?
xalstarx 7 months ago
@xalstarx nah. just dodger fans
IWantDaveKast 7 months ago
@IWantDaveKast haha... Of course! Excuse my ignorance, I'm from Australia. I wonder if any of those Dodgers fans supported them when they were still based in Brooklyn? Probably not.
xalstarx 7 months ago
I have always understood that this catch was memorable also, because of the throw, as if he he nailed a base runner
SeattleLA 7 months ago
I dont see how this catch was so great
scottwill19 7 months ago
@scottwill19 you need to read up about how far Willie had to run to. Dead center at the Polo Grounds the outfield wall was 480 feet from home plate. Most stadiums today are about 400-410 feet. Mays had to run a good 60 feet past what would be considered a homerun today and then whirled around and threw the ball to home so the runner couldn't tag from second
duwal 7 months ago
@duwal
Wow. Does anybody actually watch the video b4 making comments?
OK. One more time, guys. AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet. Moreover, the ball was NOT thrown home, which would have been a STUPID play, but to 2nd, which kept Al Rosen, who was retreating to 1st, from getting any ideas about tagging, and kept Larry Doby, who did tag & go to third, from trying to score.
dvdspd21 6 months ago
@scottwill19 if you have ever played baseball it is extremely hard to make a over the head catch-you have to be very fast to outrun the ball-you try making that catch
curtisjones400 7 months ago
@scottwill19
It WASN'T great, as Mays himself has said many times. As he points out, it was fairly routine; he didn't have to leave his feet or crash into anything, as in his 6/3/57 catch off Clemente (running "about 4 miles" and leaping into the base of Forbes Field's left-center light tower 440 ft from home) or the catch off Bobby Morgan at tiny Ebbetts Field (line drive over shortstop that Mays caught in a full extension dive, landing on the warning track & skidding headfirst into the wall).
dvdspd21 6 months ago
ah i miss the best damn sports show period
BaseballKid4169 7 months ago
adam jones kicks the shit out of this. if you think otherwise you should pull your head out of your asshole
richyblazedat 7 months ago
September 29, 2007, 50th Anniversary of last Giants game at the Polo Grounds. Visited Polo Grounds Towers. Found the plaque that's where home plate was. Paced off 460 feet straightaway. That's one hell of a distance. Did Jerry Rice make great catches? Yes, but he was catching something larger and softer, and 460 feet is over 150 yards.
Also, Mantle's catch to save Larsen's perfect game, onehanded & backhanded, was about 420 feet. He wasn't Mays with the glove but he wasn't far behind.
UncleMikeNJ 7 months ago
@UncleMikeNJ
OK. Once again, AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet, making this maybe a 415-foot fly ball, followed by a 300-foot throw, certainly nothing to sneeze at, but let's just get our facts straight, shall we?
dvdspd21 6 months ago
willie mays would have been the best baseball player ever if he had not joined the military
emcnabola 8 months ago
Greatest Catch ever
Fallen4life94 8 months ago
All those making negative comments have never played baseball before... Run as fast as you can for roughly 100-150ft while looking backwards and try to catch a ball falling from the sky with one hand
just2raw4yall 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
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jstmyboringlife 8 months ago
Jim Edmonds Catch, June 10, 1997
swgeorge 8 months ago
boooooring!
92122094 8 months ago
I don't get it. What's so great about it? Goddamn, baseball keeps getting gayer and gayer. If it wasn't for the NY teams baseball would be completely dead. LMAO, why are the Cubs even allowed in the MLB anymore?
hbk6211 8 months ago
@hbk6211 that catch was caught in an insanely huge field, the Polo Grounds center field was about 470 ft from home plate, covering that much ground is amazing, btw this was when the giants were in NY. and yeah i don't know why they let the Cubs stay
AchillesHeel098 8 months ago
@hbk6211 hahahaha, i would loooovee to see you make that catch from where willie mays started, run all that ground while lookin backwards, and catch the ball.
theres a reason when someone catches a ball like that everyone cheers, bc it was a "Willie Mays catch"
TheFunnyManHQ 7 months ago
@hbk6211 Baseball is cool -what is insane though is football which =Taking her head -with her brains still in it and ramming it-now thats crazy-
curtisjones400 7 months ago
baseball is boring as fuck.
BeyondTheTreeline 8 months ago
@BeyondTheTreeline you're right. now go away.
TheBatugan77 6 months ago
This is one of the best baseball plays ever? Wow baseball must be fuckin boring.
iDjGio 8 months ago
Adam Jones's Catch was better.
AgainstTheGrind 8 months ago
the thing i dont get is the giants were friendly to willie mays but the dodgers were rude to jackie robinson anyone agree
RAZOPOWERRP 8 months ago
WINNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thosepeopleat3 8 months ago
How come we never see the end of the play? From what I see, Willie Mays needed a cut-off man in deep center field to catch his throw.
CAR84again 8 months ago
@CAR84again
Yes, Willy Mays then made a great throw to prevent the man on second base from scoring in game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The Say Hey Kid!
parkourpalace 8 months ago
Thumbs up if you watched this video because of the reference in city slickers!!!
texas2trill806 8 months ago
most overrated catch ever ....100's of others much better ...jim edmonds had at least 10-20 better...i have seen my college players make better catches
climberdad99 8 months ago
@climberdad99 it was the world series...
weirdfarte13 8 months ago
@climberdad99 Are you kidding? Finally someone who is right on with the most overrated play ever.
It was a great catch, but this person (climberdad99) is so right on
yeahyou222 8 months ago
@climberdad99 Consider that this was at the Polo Grounds. The center field wall was 483 feet away from home plate. Jim Edmonds wouldn't have made this catch because a) he wouldn't have been fast enough to get all the way back there, and b) it would have cleared the center field wall of any current ballpark by at least 30 feet. Consider also that he stopped on a dime and threw the ball back to prevent the runner scoring from 2nd.
thesilverfox06 8 months ago 10
@thesilverfox06
Since everybody seems 2B making the same inexplicable mistake, I guess I'll just cut & paste relevant portions of my earlier reply:
OK. One more time, guys. AS IS PLAINLY VISIBLE IN THIS VIDEO, the ball is NOT caught in the centerfield cutout but off to the right, where the distance is 425 feet, making this maybe a 415-foot fly ball, followed by a 300-foot throw.
dvdspd21 6 months ago
@climberdad99 Jim Edmonds is one of my favorite player. However, the only reason he makes great catches is because he's not the fast. I bet every great catch he had Willie Mays would be under the ball. Edmonds would have never caught up to the ball. It does suck that he is retired now. I was hoping to see one or two more years out of him.
7nen7pinky7 8 months ago
It was 460 feet. Polo Grounds Centerfield was 485ft.
billmkyzl 8 months ago
@billmkyzl It was actually 400-410 the 485 mark is just to the left. The the left-center and right-center walls ended, went straight back about 50 feet or so then met. Thats where the 485 mark was. BTW, this isn't coming from me, I watched a Willie Mays documentary where they specified all the details surrounding the catch.
BLong114 8 months ago
How is this skilled?
Imdobest 8 months ago
Ok so what. About all of the other million of people who have made the same catch
german1369 8 months ago
I glad you 14 year olds can make an over the shoulder catch... congrats. When you grow up to work for 8 bucks an hour, buy a dictionary and look up the word context. Willie Mays catch happened in the WORLD SERIES! Most players would have needed a taxi to get to that ball. But before you call it over rated, look at the context.
willlane1977 8 months ago
the catch itself is way overrated. I'm a 6'6'' left handed pitcher and I can make and over the shoulder running catch like this easily okay. the part that makes it impressive is the long run to catch it. there was nothing impressive about the throw. he just stopped his feet, spun and chucked it up there.
jakerepp15 8 months ago
over rated catch...i do that all the time
Paul0E0Ester 8 months ago
@Paul0E0Ester Upload a video of you doing that all the time, then.
OxcartUser 7 months ago
THere was aguy on KNBR last week who said he was at the 54 series sitting behind Joe Dimaggio. After Mays made the catch somebody asked him if he could have caught it? He replied No F!@#$%^ way.
jstoes 8 months ago
"They invented the All-Star Games for Willie Mays."
-Ted Williams
DonTheCritic 8 months ago 2
Comment removed
DonTheCritic 8 months ago
Happy birthday Willie!!!
TheAssasin2525 8 months ago
Richter: That wall is about 440ft from home. The ball was absolutely crushed. What you don't see is the jump on the ball, the speed to cover all of that ground (at least 100ft and the ball is in the air for 5sec) WHILE tracking the ball, the throw back to the infield (which some may argue was the greatest athletic feat of "The Catch"). Sorry, no multiple camera angles in '54.
JFKtoCTG 8 months ago 2
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIE MAYS!
reneeisbomb911 8 months ago
I can tell most of you never watched him play in Candlestick. Mays himself stated had he played in Hank Aaron's Launching Pad park in Atlanta, he might have hit 800 home runs.
Candlestick was brutal especially on right handers. I don't Hank would have got past 700 homeruns w/o playing in Atlanta. Mays was the best. I watched that wind knock plenty of balls that would have clearly been home runs at the Launching Pad.
keniee 8 months ago 3
That was the best!
klaatoons 8 months ago
an optical illusion? yea i bet 99.9% of people in the world wouldnt have the speed to catch that ball 500 feet out. But, thats Willie Mays for ya one of the best ballplayers to ever live if not the best!
TheFlair8 9 months ago
If that was hit at any other ballpark that would have been a no-doubter homerun.
whateverhobby 9 months ago
why was this catch so amazing?
richter85 9 months ago
@richter85 Well, center field at the Polo Grounds in New York was almost 500 feet from home plate. Had this been at any other park, that likely would have been a home run.
bluebear1985 9 months ago
@richter85 because that's a home run in any other ball park at that time and he caught even though it looked like a every day catch
28tigerman 9 months ago
@richter85 Because you couldn't do it
Stinger1920 8 months ago
My father was there , hoy me entere que mi padre estuvo en esa serie mundial para ver a beto avila
oaxacaman 9 months ago
i hated that catch
Samthecat125 9 months ago
WILLIE MAYS THE GREATEST ALL ROUND PLAYER EVER.
skywalker71903 9 months ago 31
@skywalker71903 No, Bartolo Colon is the greatest all round player.
yanksrck 5 months ago
@yanksrck No, I believe its a three way tie between Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, and Andruw Jones.
catfoodtitans 5 months ago
@skywalker71903 GIANTS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!
sUop99 5 months ago
24× All-Star selection (1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1959², 1960, 1960², 1961, 1961², 1962, 1962², 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973)
World Series champion (1954)
12× Gold Glove Award winner (1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968)
2× NL MVP (1954, 1965)
1951 NL Rookie of the Year
2× MLB All-Star Game MVP (1963, 1968)
1971 Roberto Clemente Award
San Francisco Giants #24 retired
Major League Baseball All-Century Team
LTDANMAN44 9 months ago 4
I really want to know what the hell those people were thinking putting 4 plays ahead of this.
lieutenantnerf 10 months ago 3
Willie Mays was the best baseball player ever; not only because of his numbers, but because of the excitement he brought to the game and because of The Catch.
MsLeesan 10 months ago
@MsLeesan i agree with you, him and ruth were 2 of a kind.
1020Shane 10 months ago
Mickey Mantle once said on David Letterman that Willie Mays was the best baseball player who ever lived. I repeat, Mickey Mantle.
Hoopermazing 10 months ago 44
@Hoopermazing When asked who was the best baseball player in his opinion, Willie Mays said he couldn't find anyone who was as good or better than him. He said it was himself.
ConArtistaqw 8 months ago
@Hoopermazing He was drunk
husul 5 months ago
@husul I doubt if he was drinking at that point. However, drunk or not, he was still Mickey Mantle. And, the significance of his opinions regarding baseball tower above just about anyone else's.
Hoopermazing 5 months ago
Jimmy Ball Game #1 on this countdown.
FooCards88 11 months ago
"The Catch" need I say more? Willie Mays....you were the bom! Best all around outfielder of all time!
MissGusaroo 11 months ago
GO PHILLIES !!!
MrSouthphillyitalian 1 year ago
@MrSouthphillyitalian , the Phillies? They have lost more games than any National League team in MLB history.
But with that pitching staff, they'll be tough to beat in 2011. Phillie fans are a loyal bunch but a bit vicious too.
They boo and attack hotdog vendors, the Phanatic and Santa Claus. But their loyalty hardly ever wavers and I say they rank third best behind the Cub and Bosox fans. The best of luck to your favorites this year and get your World Series tickets early.
39rc6cf 11 months ago
atheletes are better now, see catches better than this weekly.. im sorry, theres plenty of guys quicker. but for his time, the best
scrawfrd02 1 year ago
@scrawfrd02 ,"but for his time." Jack, you're nuts. I've been a baseball fan since 1948 and have seen the greats of the great come and go. I'm talking about the likes of Joe D., Aaron, Musial, Williams, Banks, Jackie Robinson, Yogi, Campy, Killebrew, Mantle. Such players were, of course, great. However I witnessed Willie's entire career because I was an East Coaster who later moved to the West and I'm telling you UNEQUIVOCALLY, Mays was the greatest ALL AROUND player to ever play the game.
39rc6cf 11 months ago
@39rc6cf , I got nothing to say now...cause you said it all!
DuaneMThomas 11 months ago
@39rc6cf So true. Just imagine how many homeruns willie would have if he didn't miss two seasons of his prime in the military, and if he didn't play most of his career in Candlestick Park, with that strong wind blowing in. At least 900
jethrodassam 11 months ago
@jethrodassam, you're 100% on target. Experts say that 150 potential homers at Candlestick were blown back by those fierce winds. He would have hit at least 30+ homers the year he missed in the military. So we take 660 homers, add 150 + 30 and we get 840 homers minimum. No one EVER could come close to that mark. The man was in a league of his own and I'm proud to say that I saw his entire career while living in NYC before moving west many many years ago.
39rc6cf 11 months ago
@39rc6cf Well, you cut him off by a lot. 15 homeruns x 2 seasons? No, at least 45 homeruns x 2 seasons. That was in his prime he missed those seasons when he hit over 50 homeruns in one season. I figure at least 900 homeruns for sure.
jethrodassam 11 months ago
@jethrodassam , Willie missed just 1.5 seasons, 1953. His first season was '51 in which he hit 20 homers in 121 games. In '52, he hit 4 dingers in just 34 games and then left for military duty. Had he played the entire '52 season, I estimate he would have equalled '51 with 20. So I guess I'm a bit shy of homers but then who really knows? It's all speculative. All except for one basic fact--he was the greatest all 'round player to ever play the game.
39rc6cf 11 months ago
The greatest catch in world series history running back to catch a ball that most players wouldnt of caught up to Willie Mays was the best centerfielder of all time with the bat and glove he could run throw he had one of the strongest throwing arms of alltime and hit for average and hit 660 career homeruns.Another great catch was the one when Bobby Bonds was playing in rightdield one day in San fransisco the wind was blowing out the ball was hit to deep right mays jumped hit the fence held on.
bondsly 1 year ago
480 FT!! Not like the girls softball parks they play in today huh?
basenjib123 1 year ago
That's Religion
612franklin 1 year ago
I think the only catch that may approach compare to this legendary play is the bo jackson catch and throw from left field to get carlton fisk at first.
skydome29 1 year ago
@skydome29 what about jim edmonds catch that was similar to this but he dove
nscrogg 1 year ago
@nscrogg Yeah that's up there too. Another I forgot is Devon White's botched triple play call in the world series,
skydome29 1 year ago
@nscrogg it was 480 feet to center and he was running straight back
azdoeordie 1 year ago
@skydome29 some of ken griffey jr's catches were pretty awesome too.
tranurse 1 year ago
Trivia - don't know if anyone posted this little tidbit or not..
Vic Wertz had 4 hits that day in 5 at bats.
Had Wertz's blast fell in for a hit, he would have become the first player to get 5 hits in a W.S. game.
As it happened, Paul Molitor (1982) became the first (and I believe the only) player to ever get 5 hits in a World Series game.
bd001217 1 year ago
I've seen this while the giants game was playing :D
MusicMadniss 1 year ago
You bitches shut the fuck up that was a very good catch y'all are just mad because y'all could never do something like that
214SuckmyDick 1 year ago
I saw Willie Mays hit a home run in the Astrodome in 1965. I spoke to him in 1991 at Giants spring training. He is a good man.
7294smk 1 year ago 3
Who did the announcing for this was it Lon Simmons?
EGS530 1 year ago
@EGS530 it was your ass
flyazn91 1 year ago
Comment removed
EGS530 1 year ago