September 21, 1970: Willie Mays Breaks the Record for Games Played In Center Field

Willie Mays at Wrigley Field in Chicago,

another ballpark known for troublesome winds.

September 21, 1970: The San Francisco Giants beat their arch-rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Juan Marichal pitched a 6-hit shutout. Willie Mays went 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs. It was his 2,692nd game played in center field, setting a new major league record.

He surpassed Tris Speaker, who starred from 1907 to 1928. In his time, Speaker was not just one of the greatest hitters, but was considered the greatest fielder, at any position, in baseball history. Playing for the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park from 1912 to 1915, he had to play in a center field which stretched to 505 feet away from home plate, which may be an all-time major league record.

From 1916 to 1926, with the Cleveland Indians, he had to play in League Park, which, jammed into a much smaller plot of land, had a considerably smaller field, especially in right-center. He often played shallow enough to catch a ball in center field, then quickly throw out runners trying to get back to their bases. On 6 occasions, he made a catch an then ran to 2nd base to complete an unassisted double play -- as an outfielder. He is the all-time leader in that category, as he is in doubles, with 792.

Mays never turned an unassisted double play. But, with center field at the Polo Grounds in New York stretching to 483 feet from the plate, he had to go a long way to prevent extra-base hits, including inside-the-park home runs, most famously his catch against Vic Wertz of the Indians in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

After the Giants' move to San Francisco, he had to master the winds that plagued Candlestick Park -- both as a fielder and as a hitter. Like Speaker, he managed to join the 3,000 Hit Club. Unlike Speaker, he didn't hit 792 doubles, but he did hit 525 of them, plus 141 triples, and 660 home runs, 3rd all-time when he retired.

From 1951 to 1973, Mays played 2,829 games in center field. The closest anyone has come to his record since then is Steve Finley, whose 2,314 trail both Mays and Speaker. Finley was never considered on Mays' level, either as a hitter or a fielder.

Speaker, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Ken Griffey Jr. are Mays' main contenders for the title of the greatest center fielder ever, with defense also considered. (Mantle might have been a better hitter, but wasn't quite as good as a fielder.) Jim Edmonds and Andruw Jones have also been considered contenders for all-time fielding honors at the position.

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September 21, 1970 was a Monday. The premiere of ABC Monday Night Football was broadcast, and it was probably selected because it featured not just one of the New York teams, but the biggest name in the NFL at the time: New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath. But the Jets were beaten by the Cleveland Browns, 31-21 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. I have a separate entry for this event.

These other Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 5-2 at Yankee Stadium. Jim Lyttle hit a home run in support of Fritz Peterson.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 2-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. The Sox runs scored on solo homers by Carl Yastrzemski and Rico Petrocelli.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-3 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Mark Belanger, one of the best-fielding shortstops ever, but also one of the worst hitters in the game, went against type, and singled home the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Boog Powell hit a home run off Joe Niekro. Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson each went 1-for-4.

For the Tigers, Al Kaline went 2-for-6 with an RBI. Kaline was a Baltimore native, and, in 1974, playing in his hometown, collected his 3,000th career hit.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Houston Astros, 2-0 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati. Don Gullett (5 innings), Clay Carroll (2) and Wayne Granger (2) combined on a 4-hit shutout. This willingness to pull pitchers quickly and make full use of his bullpen gave Sparky Anderson, a rookie manager for the Reds at age 36 but already with white hair, the nickname "Captain Hook." But it also helped him become a Pennant-winning manager in his rookie year, as the Reds reached the World Series, losing it to the Orioles.

* A doubleheader was split at Comiskey Park in Chicago. The Chicago White Sox won the opener, 8-4. The Kansas City Royals won the nightcap, 8-2.

* The California Angels beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 7-6 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins, 6-0 at the Oakland Coliseum. Vida Blue pitched a no-hitter, missing a perfect game only through a 4th-inning walk of Harmon Killebrew, and outpitching Jim Perry. Bert Campaneris hit a home run, and Reggie Jackson went 0-for-3 with a walk.

Blue was just getting warmed up: From September 11, 1970 to August 15, 1971, he was as good as any pitcher in the post-1920 Lively Ball Era, going 24-4 with an ERA of 1.66. For the 1971 season, he went 24-8, and was named the American League Most Valuable Player. But he held out at the start of the 1972 season, and for a man playing for a team owned by Charlie Finley, that was a huge mistake. He was often good after that, but was never great again.