Willie Mays was simply the best player I ever saw. Some have better stats, and have won more titles, but the name Mays is still magical.
Willie was 20 when he broke in with the Giants. He was just one of those guys you could not take your eyes off of. His cap would fly off as he rounded the bases, and in centerfield, he was as graceful as a gazelle chasing down fly balls.
He had power, a great throwing arm, speed, and he was just flatly exciting. He lost a season and a half to military service or he would have finished with more than 660 homers. He might well have joined Babe and Henry in the 700 club.
He was the one Giant, along with McCovey, who I had total respect for. I always wished he would have been a Dodger. Mays played in four World Series, 51-54-62-73. He only got one ring. His performance in those series was not very good.
He only had three extra base hits in 21 games and he only hit .230. He never hit a World Series homer. His counterparts at the time, Mantle and Snider, would tally 18 and 11 in their series appearances.
But Willie always had a smile and looked like he was having the time of his life out there. He still managed to make what was probably the best catch in World Series history in 1954.
His voice was unusually high-pitched, but I remember his interviews with Vin Scully on the radio and later on TV when LA was in SF.
He won two MVP awards, but could have won at least two more when he finished a close second to Ernie Banks in 1958, and to Maury Wills in 1962.
As kids we would try and copy his patented “basket catch”. Without much success I might add. The only player I saw other than Mays do that, was Darrell Thomas, who used to drive Lasorda nuts doing it.
As with most stars, it was sad to watch his last couple of seasons with the Mets. He did manage to hit 14 more homers as a Met, and he got into another World Series. But he should have been a career Giant, the same way Aaron should have been a career Brave.
I have a lot of great memories of Mays, even though he was on the hated Giants. I will always cherish the fact that I saw him play several times at the coliseum. RIP Willie, you were one of a kind.
A Willie Mays Pictorial.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/photos/willie-mays-turns-91-today-life-pictures-84299892
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORT
OKC Baseball Club 5 – Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado) 4 – 11 innings
OKC had to come back in the bottom of the 9th to tie the game to get it to extra innings, and then walked it off with one in the 11th.
This was a bullpen game for OKC. Kevin Gowdy started and pitched 2.0 scoreless innings even while allowing 3 hits and a BB.
OKC scored 1st. In the 3rd Drew Avans tripled and scored on an Andre Lipcius double.
Grant Lavigne hit his 10th HR for Albuquerque in the 4th off Gus Varland to tie the score.
Albuquerque took the lead in the 5th off Kyle Hurt. Hurt issued 2 walks and a single for a run. He got two outs before being relieved by Matt Gage to end the inning. Gage pitched a scoreless 6th.
OKC scored a pair in the 5th. Chris Okey doubled, Drew Avans and James Outman singled to load the bases. Trey Sweeney singled to score Okey and Avans.
The Isotopes tied the game in the 8th after a BB and double off OKC’s Jesse Hahn. Albuquerque hit a sac fly off Michael Flynn in the 9th to take a 4-3 lead,
In the bottom of the 9th, with 2 outs, Drew Avans doubled and scored on a single by Andre Lipcius. Outman doubled Lipcius to 3rd. Both were stranded, forcing the two teams to go into extra innings.
Neither team scored in the 10th.
Jack Dreyer retired the side in the 11th on two pop outs and a ground out. I would not be at all surprised if Dreyer makes the climb all the way to LAD.
The Maytag ran efficiently today…What's New!
Jack Dreyer stranded the place runner in the Top of the 11th, then got the W when OKC walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Dreyer moved his ERA down to 1.88, WHIP of 0.69, 38 Ks in 29 IP. He's gone 9 outings in a row scorless.… pic.twitter.com/Fu7ePIeZCz— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 20, 2024
The Maytag ran efficiently today…What's New!
Jack Dreyer stranded the place runner in the Top of the 11th, then got the W when OKC walked it off in the bottom of the inning. Dreyer moved his ERA down to 1.88, WHIP of 0.69, 38 Ks in 29 IP. He's gone 9 outings in a row scorless.… pic.twitter.com/Fu7ePIeZCz— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 20, 2024
With Jonathan Araúz at 2nd, Chris Okey sac bunted him to 3rd. Drew Avans was IBB. Lipcius hit a ground ball to SS who got Araúz out at the plate. A WP pushed the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Outman also drew an IBB. Okey scored on another WP for the walk off win.
- Drew Avans – 3-5, 1 BB, 4 runs, double (15), triple (6)
- Andre Lipcius – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 RBI, double (17)
- James Outman – 2-5, double (5)
- Double – Chris Okey (5)
Andre Lipcius had 2 hits and a couple of Ribeye's & now has hits in 4 games in a row. He's hitting .303 OPS .949 & has posted a WRC+ of 129. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/Cl9u7fWT09
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) June 20, 2024
Tulsa Drillers 8 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 5
The Drillers put up 6 in the 2nd. The first two batters of the inning struck out. The next nine batters reached base.
- Diego Cartaya – BB
- Brendan Davis – BB
- Bubba Alleyne – Double, Cartaya and Davis score
- Yeiner Fernandez – Single, Alleyne scores
- Alex Freeland – BB
- Taylor Young – single, Freeland to 3rd
- Young steals 2nd
- Griffin Lockwood-Powell – Single, Freeland and Young score
Kendall Williams started and completed 5.0 innings. He allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 6 hits and 2 BB. Of the 6 hits, 3 were doubles and a single in the 5th, scoring 2 runs.
Tulsa got the two back in the 8th. Diego Cartaya singled and moved to 3rd on a Bubba Alleyne double. Yeiner Fernandez singled to score both Cartaya and Alleyne.
NWA picked up a run in the 8th and 9th off a pair of relievers.
- Bubba Alleyne – 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, 2 doubles (9)
- Yeiner Fernandez – 3-4, 1 run, 3 RBI
- Diego Cartaya – 1-2, 2 BB, 2 runs
Quad Cities River Bandits (KC) 4 – Great Lakes Loons 2
Quad Cities scored a run in the 3rd on a pair of singles, a caught stolen base, 2 BB, and a sac fly.
Great Lakes scored a pair in the bottom of the 3rd. Frank Rodriguez, Noah Miller, and Thayron Liranzo each singled with Rodriguez scoring and Miller moving up to 3rd. Miller scored on a ground out.
The score would remain 2-1 Great Lakes until the 8th. In the 8th, Franklin De La Paz was the pitcher. He allowed a 1-out BB, a 2-out single, followed by a 2-out, 3-run HR, making the score Quad Cities 4-2 over Great Lakes. That would be the final score.
- Noah Miller – 2-4, 1 run
- Double – Dylan Campbell (14)
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 6 – Inland Empire 66ers (LAA) 2
In front of a sold out crowd, Clayton Kershaw took the mound in his first rehab appearance. Before that, the crowd told the story:
Clayton Kershaw is signing autographs for fans after his rehab start. pic.twitter.com/ZbexNYgcaM
— Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (@RCQuakes) June 20, 2024
Before the game, the RC Quakes team wanted to watch the future HOF lefty warm up:
All the Quakes players want to watch the GOAT too pic.twitter.com/d2TDRwxxFA
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) June 20, 2024
In the first, with one out, Adrian Placencia hit a triple off Clayton, and scored on a sac fly.
Kersh gave up a single in the 2nd and a BB in the 3rd. His final line – 3.0 IP, 1 run, 2 hits, 1 BB and 5 K. Certainly a better 1st rehab than Bobby Miller.
Clayton Kershaw throws a knee-buckling curveball for his 5th strikeout and to complete his rehab start pic.twitter.com/SwJ7G8IICO
— Bruce Kuntz (@Bnicklaus7) June 20, 2024
RC took the lead in the 4th. Josue De Paula singled and stole 2B. He moved to 3B on a ground out and scored on a Jesus Galiz double. Jose Meza singled to scored Galiz and a 2-1 lead.
In the 5th, Wilman Diaz drew a BB. Kendall George singled with Diaz to 3rd. Logan Wagner singled with Diaz scoring and George to 3rd. Josue De Paula singled to plate George with Wagner moving to 3rd. De Paula stole 2nd with Wagner scoring and De Paula moving to 3rd on a throwing error. De Paula scored on a ground out.
Patrick Copen followed Kershaw and complete 4.2 innings. He was outstanding in the 4th – 6th inning. In the 7th, Copen issued a BB that was followed by a WP and double for a run.
Copen got the first two batters out in the 8th when Joseilyn Gonzalez was summoned to relieve Copen. He faced one batter and got the final out. Carson Hobbs retired the side in order in the 9th to close out the victory.
- Josue De Paula – 3-4, 2 runs, 1 RBI
- Doubles – Jesus Galiz (4), Juan Alonso (11)
ACL Dodgers – Did Not Play
Still 9.0 games up in the NL West.
L
Again: Cut Biggio and play M.Vargas a little bit at 3b. He wont hurt your team more there than Biggio or CT3 being on the roster.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pages in center (as a fielder) is a work in progress. Multiple times I have seen him have trouble with balls over his head. He has a bad habit of running what seems like 2/3 speed to get to these balls, and at the last second, he either muffs it or makes what should be an average play a difficult one. This is certainly something he can work on. In addition, situationally, it should be obvious to every thinking player that when you are in Colorado you run like hell at a ball over you head because it is going to carry that extra 5/10 % beyond what your eyes tell you will happen in normal sea-level conditions.
As the season continues, i will be watching his base slides and his outfield routes to see if he is making adjustments. On the very positive side, though, we have seen him make some nice adjustments as a hitter — so I hope his coaches push him hard to get better on these other important fundamentals.
Any idea how hard Kersh was throwing last night?
I was wondering why Doc replaced Teo late in the game and he later explained he felt it was a good time to get him off of his feet with a day game today. They were up two at the time. He also said that he liked Taylor’s approach at the plate even though he lined out to second. My biggest gripe with this team is that IMHO, they take way too many pitches in the zone without even attempting to foul the ball off with 2 strikes. Biggio did it twice, Lux did it, and Ohtani did it in a big spot. On the subject of how you like me now, Heyward is heating up. He will be on the pine with a lefty going today at 1:10 LA time. I found a station I can watch the games on. Surprised the hell out of me. One other bitch. Back in the day, late in the game, teams always used the no doubles defense. Last night Kike was 20 feet off of the line when that ball was hit about two feet left of the bag. Just really bad positioning.
The game between the Giants and Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Brimingham is tonight, and it is dedicated to Willie Mays. Should be an interesting game.
Even at 50 Willie Mays was great in center field
Yankees have signed LHRP Tim Hill to a major league contract. Yankees now have 3 lefties in their pen. Gonzalez, Ferguson and Hill. Brandon Gomes was quoted as saying that the injuries to Betts and Yoshi will not impact the Dodgers plans at the deadline. This was reported on MLBTR. Stone V Blach today. Blach has always given the Dodgers fits. Need to score early and often.