Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians

Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians

1957 – At Los Angeles’s Wrigley Field, Willie Mays belts two home runs to lead the Giants to a 9 – 3 Cactus League win over the Cleveland Indians. Giants general manager Bill Rigney fines Hank Thompson $150 for missing last night’s exhibition win over the Indians in San Diego.

Ken Boyer is greeted at the plate by his teammates after his grand slam in Game 4 of the World Series, Oct 11, 1964
|

1956 All-Star Game

In the 1956 All-Star Game, Ken Boyer of the Cardinals makes three sparkling plays at 3B and gets 3 hits as the National League defeats the American League, 7 – 3. Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams and Stan Musial all homer. Mays’s pinch-hit two-run home run off Whitey Ford is his 7th straight hit against the Yankee lefty.

Don Hoak

At Wrigley Field, the New York Giants (25) and Chicago Cubs (23) set a major league record with 48 players on the field in a 17-inning marathon

At Wrigley Field, the New York Giants (25) and Chicago Cubs (23) set a major league record with 48 players on the field in a 17-inning marathon finally won by the visiting Giants, 6 – 5. The two teams combine to intentionally walk 11 batters, also a record, with the Cubs contributing seven of the free passes. Losing pitcher Jim Brosnan chips in with four walks, all intentional. Cubs third baseman Don Hoak is not one of the strollers, as he sets a National League record with six strikeouts, all against different pitchers, while Ernie Banks, Willie Mays and Wes Westrum are twice walked intentionally. Whitey Lockman starts in left field, switches to first base, returns to LF, and finishes at 1B. Ex-Giant Monte Irvinis 0 for 5 against five pitchers. The game is six minutes shy of the 5:19 record set by the Dodgers-Bees in 20 innings in 1940.

Willie Mays Autographed Picture - 8x10

“The Catch”, Part 2. A year and a half after one of baseball’s most celebrated moments, Willie Mays again robs Vic Wertz again

1956 – “The Catch”, Part 2. A year and a half after one of baseball’s most celebrated moments, Willie Mays again robs Vic Wertz. New York Times beat writer Louis Effrat reports: “Those who saw Willie Mays of the Giants rob Vic Wertz of the Indians in the first game of the 1954 World Series should have seen what the Say Hey Kid did to the same man today. The occasion was a Cactus League expedition, which the Tribe won, 10 – 5. With the Giants five runs behind in the 5th inning, Willie ran from center to right center and reached a spot 400 feet away from home plate a fraction of a second before the ball would have hit the wall. Mays caught the ball in his gloved hand and cushioned his crash against the fence with his other hand. He lost his cap but held tightly to the ball for the third out. There were two Indians aboard, so Mays’ catch blocked a couple of runs.”

“Clemente Wows Bucs; Outfielder Amazes New Boss, Crowd With Fly-Chasing.” 

“Clemente Wows Bucs; Outfielder Amazes New Boss, Crowd With Fly-Chasing.” 

1956 – “Clemente Wows Bucs; Outfielder Amazes New Boss, Crowd With Fly-Chasing.” Pittsburgh’s sophomore star-in-waiting blows away both his rookie manager and the Fort Myers, FL faithful in this spring’s first intra-squad game. “Bobby Bragan didn’t hesitate when he picked out Roberto Clemente’s spectacular fielding as the most impressive thing he saw in yesterday’s game,” reports Pittsburgh Press writer Les Biederman. “Until yesterday, Bragan never had seen Clemente play and was amazed at the way he runs down fly balls and turns them into tumbling catches. ‘I know he doesn’t do that all the time because even Willie Mays doesn’t, but I thought for sure he’d drop a couple of those he lunged for,’ Bragan added. ‘He seems to have sure hands.’ Clemente also contributed a single that scored a run, but his best work was saved for the field. He was all over the premises in right field, came in, went back, and to either side to spear fly balls that might have been base hits. He threw out one runner at third and almost nipped another. The fans in the stands ate it up too and when Clemente came to bat for the last time, they applauded him. He was the only Pirate who drew applause from the free-loaders.”

|

Willie Mays becomes the seventh player to hit fifty home runs in a season when he connects off Pittsburgh’s Vern Law for the second time in the Giants’ 14-8 victory at the Polo Grounds. The round-tripper is the 24 year-old center fielder’s seventh in six consecutive games.

Willie Mays becomes the seventh player to hit fifty home runs in a season when he connects off Pittsburgh’s Vern Law for the second time in the Giants’ 14-8 victory at the Polo Grounds. The round-tripper is the 24 year-old center fielder’s seventh in six consecutive games.

Stan Musial hits a walk off homerun 1955 All Star Game
|

Stan Musial hits a walk off all star game homerun in the 12th

At Milwaukee’s County Stadium, Stan Musial comes to bat in the bottom of 12th inning of a 5 – 5 All-Star deadlock. American League catcher Yogi Berra complains about his feet hurting and Musial tells him “Don’t worry, I’ll have you home in a minute”… then “the Man” hits a game-winning home run on the next pitch. The American League had taken a five-run lead on a three-run homer by Mickey Mantle off Robin Roberts, only to see the NL tie it. Braves P Gene Conley strikes out the side in the 12th to get credit for the win.

June 30, 1955 - Willie Mays collides with catcher Rube Walker in the 8th inning of the Giants vs Dodgers game at Ebbets Field.
|

Willie Mays collides with catcher Rube Walker in the 8th inning of the Giants vs Dodgers game at Ebbets Field

June 30, 1955 – Willie Mays collides with catcher Rube Walker in the 8th inning of the Giants vs Dodgers game at Ebbets Field. The play started when Gail Harris hit a grounder which 2nd baseman Junior Gilliam fielded and threw to 1st baseman Gil Hodges to rob Harris of a hit. Hodges then saw…

For the second time in a season‚ Willie Mays blasts an extra-inning homer off the Cubs’ Warren Hacker
|

For the second time in a season‚ Willie Mays blasts an extra-inning homer off the Cubs’ Warren Hacker

1955 – For the second time‚ Willie Mays blasts an extra-inning homer off the Cubs’ Warren Hacker‚ this time in the 12th inning. But it’s not enough as the Cubs win‚ 9 – 8. On April 30th, 1954 Willie hacked one in the 14th.