Willie Mays - "The Catch"

Here is one of the greatest defensive plays in baseball history and certainly the most famous. The setting is Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. The New York Giants are playing the Cleveland Indians. Center field at the famous Polo Grounds was ridiculous 483 feet.

With the score tied 2-2 in the eighth, Cleveland slugger Vic Wertz hit a ball that would have been an easy home run in virtually any other park of the day or today.

Then, this happened. 23-year-old Willie Mays shows his amazing speed and races from shallow center with his back to home plate. He catches the ball over his shoulder, wheels and fires the ball back toward the infield. In baseball circles, this play is simply known as “The Catch.” The Giants went on to win the game 5-2 in extra innings. So, the catch was also a game-saver.