July 30, 1959: Willie McCovey goes 4-for-4 with 2 triples in major-league debut as Giants beat Phillies

In 1959 the San Francisco Giants were in a three-way pennant race with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Milwaukee Braves. After a four-game losing streak dropped San Francisco out of first place,1 Giants management shook things up. On July 29, they called up Willie McCovey, the 6-foot-4 first baseman nicknamed “Stretch.”

The 21-year-old McCovey, now in his fifth pro season,2 was with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Phoenix. In 95 games that season, the Alabama native had 29 homers, 92 RBIs, and a .372 batting average.3

José Pagán, an infielder, came up to “The Show” with McCovey. Initially, infielder André Rodgers and outfielder Felipe Alou were assigned to Phoenix, although Alou was not required to leave for Phoenix and was reinstated to the Giants’ roster within a few days.4

McCovey received his summons late at night after Phoenix’s doubleheader on July 29. The next day, he arrived by plane in San Francisco shortly before game time. He was told he’d be starting at first and batting third (Willie Mays’ usual slot in the order). He didn’t have time for batting practice.5 To make room for McCovey, Orlando Cepeda was moved from first to third and the usual third sacker, Jim Davenport, was benched.6 Cepeda, the previous season’s National League Rookie of the Year, was having an All-Star season, and was considered better than McCovey defensively.

A crowd of 10,114 filed into Seals Stadium7 for a Thursday afternoon game between the Giants and the Philadelphia Phillies.8 Skies were clear with temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s. A stiff wind blew from the southeast.

Giants equipment manager Ed Logan helped McCovey suit up. The only pair of pants that fit had been left behind by Rodgers and they were tight.9

The pitching matchup featured 20-year-old lefty Mike McCormick for the Giants, and Phillies ace Robin Roberts, a 32-year-old righty and future Hall of Famer.10

In the bottom of the first inning, after Roberts had retired leadoff batter Jackie Brandt and Mays, McCovey stepped into the batter’s box for his first big-league at-bat. He lined a low curve hard up the right-field line for a single.11 Cepeda flied out to right to end the frame.

The Giants capitalized on poor Philadelphia defense to go ahead in the third inning. Shortstop Eddie Bressoud reached on a grounder to third when Gene Freese made a low throw to first for an error.12 McCormick put down a sacrifice, advancing Bressoud to second. Brandt’s groundout pushed Bressoud to third, and Mays walked. With two outs, Giants on the corners, and McCovey batting, Mays took off for second. When catcher Joe Lonnett’s throw bounced past second and into center field, Bressoud scored. Mays kept on going but was tagged out in a rundown between third and home.13 Giants 1, Phillies 0.

Back at bat to lead off the bottom of the fourth, McCovey ripped a high fastball off the center-field scoreboard and raced around the bags for a triple.14 Right fielder Willie Kirkland hit a grounder to rookie second baseman Sparky Anderson, who threw home as McCovey came barreling down the third-base line. Lonnett dropped Anderson’s throw, and McCovey slid across the plate. Lonnett’s second error of the game resulted in the Giants’ second unearned run. San Francisco 2, Philadelphia 0.

The Phillies’ offense perked up in the top of the fifth. With two outs, Lonnett walked. Roberts hit a single to right, advancing Lonnett to third. Joe Koppe bunted for a single while Lonnett scored and Roberts moved to second. Center fielder Richie Ashburn singled to right, scoring Roberts. Giants 2, Phillies 2.

San Francisco answered in its half of the fifth. Bressoud hit a grounder through shortstop Koppe’s legs and reached on the error. McCormick sacrificed down the first-base line, advancing Bressoud to second. Mays singled to left,15 scoring Bressoud. Mays advanced to second on the throw home. McCovey drove in Mays with a scorching line drive off the right-field fence. The ball rebounded off the wall so quickly that McCovey was held to a single.16 Cepeda singled to right, moving McCovey to third. With Kirkland batting, Roberts threw a wild pitch and McCovey sprinted home. Giants 5, Phillies 2.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mays doubled off the center-field wall.17 While McCovey was batting, Lonnett had a passed ball and Mays advanced to third. McCovey crushed an outside fastball to left-center off the wall for a triple, scoring Mays.18 When McCovey arrived at third base, Freese told him to “lighten up” on the Phillies.19 Roberts got the next two outs before surrendering a single to left by second baseman Daryl Spencer, while McCovey plated another run. San Francisco 7, Philadelphia 2.

For the eighth, Roberts was relieved by righty Humberto Robinson, who allowed a single but otherwise retired the side. His last out was a fly to center by Mays, with McCovey in the on-deck circle, denied the opportunity to go 5-for-5.

McCormick pitched the top of the ninth and gave up leadoff singles to Ed Bouchee and Wally Post, but got out of the inning for the Giants’ 7-2 victory. San Francisco recaptured first place in the NL.

McCormick posted seven strikeouts and picked up his 10th win of the season, yielding seven hits and two walks. Roberts had no strikeouts in his 10th loss, while giving up nine hits and two walks. Because of the four errors, the passed ball, and the wild pitch, only two of the Giants’ seven runs were earned.

McCovey went 4-for-4 (all line drives), with two triples, three runs scored, and two RBIs. His major-league debut was one of the most impressive in history. McCovey tied the mark for most hits in a debut since 1901. On September 17, 1912, Casey Stengel of the Brooklyn Dodgers hit four singles in his debut.20

After the game, a smiling McCovey mentioned that he was busy packing and hadn’t had time to sleep the night before. Regarding his debut he said, “It was the greatest thrill of my life.”21

“Never has a rookie busted into the big show like this,” exclaimed Giants manager Bill Rigney.22

On the Giants’ clubhouse blackboard, pitcher Johnny Antonelli chalked: “Nice going Stretch! The drinks are on you.”23

McCovey demonstrated that he was not only ready to be a major-leaguer, but he’d likely be a force to contend with for years to come. In his first seven big-league contests, he hit safely in each game and helped contribute toward six Giant wins; he was referred to as “Mr. Lift.”24 He continued as an offensive juggernaut for the rest of the 1959 season. In 52 games he had 38 RBIs, belted 13 homers, and batted .354, with an OPS of 1.085. He also had a 22-game hitting streak.25 He was unanimously voted the NL’s Rookie of the Year.26

San Francisco took a run at the NL pennant, the team had a two-game lead as late as September 17, but the Dodgers won the crown, with the Braves two games behind, and the Giants (83-71) finishing third, four games out.27 The end of the season was crushing for the Giants: they lost seven of their last eight games.

During the offseason, McCovey worked full-time as a salesman for Ellis Brooks Auto Sales in San Francisco until January 1960, when he signed a new Giants contract. During his first few weeks as a salesman, he went without a sale until a dentist purchased a car saying a “rookie of the year shouldn’t have to go hitless in any league.”28

Despite battling injuries throughout his career,29 McCovey had 22 stellar years in the major leagues (19 with the Giants).30 In 1969 he was the NL MVP.31 The six-time All-Star finished his career with 521 home runs and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 as a first-ballot selection. McCovey retired in 1980.32

McCovey was adored in San Francisco not only for his on-field achievements, but for his community-mindedness33 and relatable, pleasant nature. He loved the Bay Area and the feeling was mutual. Like Ernie Banks in Chicago, Cal Ripken in Baltimore, and Tony Gywnn in San Diego, McCovey was not just a star athlete, he was, and is, a local icon.34

In 2000 a portion of San Francisco Bay just past the right-field wall at Oracle Park was named  “McCovey Cove.”35 He continues to be a fan favorite, even for younger people who never saw him play.

Baseball author and historian Marty Appel wrote, “One can safely say that no Hall of Famer ever signaled his destiny so decisively in his first game as did this beloved Giant of a man.”36

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Ray Danner and copy edited by Len Levin. The author thanks John Fredland, Gary Belleville, and Kurt Blumenau for their assistance.

Sources and Photo Credits

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, and SABR.org for general player, team, and season data.

The 1959 Topps baseball card image was downloaded from the Trading Card Database.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN195907300.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1959/B07300SFN1959.htm

Notes

1 The Giants (55-45) were in second place, a half-game behind Los Angeles. Milwaukee was a full game behind the league-leading Dodgers.

3 He also had a .759 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.219. Due to playing a partial Pacific Coast League season, McCovey was not eligible to win the PCL batting title, (won by Spokane’s Tommy Davis with .345). At season’s end, McCovey still had the most homers in the league and he tied for the RBI title with Steve Bilko of Spokane.

4 “Pacific Coast League,” The Sporting News, August 12, 1959: 32. Alou was back on the field for the Giants on August 2. He was in his second season as a major leaguer. After batting above .300 for most of April and May, his productivity declined. From June 12 through July 29, he had 7 hits in 37 at-bats (.189). Rodgers, a Bahamian cricket star turned baseball player, played in 22 games for the Giants the previous season and most of the first half of the 1959 season. By late July, he was in a slump: 2 hits in his last 17 at-bats (.118). Pagan, like McCovey, was punching his first ticket to the majors; his debut occurred a few days later on August 4. He appeared in 31 games as a Giant during the 1959 season as a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner and infielder. While with Phoenix in ’59, he appeared in 105 games with 19 home runs, 55 RBIs, a .312 average, and OPS of .869.  

5 Chris Haft, A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2024), 12.

6 This arrangement lasted only a few days: Cepeda was moved to left field and Davenport was reinstated at third.

With Cepeda and McCovey, the Giants had both an embarrassment of riches at first base and a conundrum. Ultimately the Giants traded Cepeda to the St. Louis Cardinals in May 1966 for pitcher Ray Sadecki.

7 The Giants had moved from New York to San Francisco for the 1958 season. Seals Stadium was a minor-league ballpark and home field for the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League from 1931 through 1957. The ballpark was demolished in late 1959 while the Giants’ next home, Candlestick Park was being competed.

8 The Phillies (42-56) were in last place in the eight-team National League, 12½ games out of first.

9 Jim McGee, “McCovey’s Marvelous Debut the Real McCoy to McGee,” The Sporting News, December 30, 1959: 32; Jack McDonald, “Muscle Man McCovey Clutches First Base Job with His Hitting,” The Sporting News, August 12, 1959: 3. Additionally, McCovey’s bats had not arrived by game time, so he borrowed teammate Ed Bressoud’s bat (a Hillerich & Bradsby Model U1 – 35 inches, 33 ounces).Chris Haft, “Forever a Giants Treasure, McCovey Turns 80,” mlb.com, January 9, 2018, https://www.mlb.com/news/giants-willie-mccovey-is-mr-san-francisco-c264461694.

10 McCormick entered this game with a 9-8 record and an ERA of 3.55. The 1959 season was his fourth as a Giant, including limited appearances (three games) with the New York Giants in 1956 as the youngest player in the league (17 years old). He had a 16-year major-league career, mostly with the Giants. Roberts came into this game with a 9-9 record and a 4.56 ERA. 1959 was the 12th season of his 19-year big-league career. The seven-time All-Star finished his career with a 286-245 record (.539) and a 3.41 ERA. Roberts was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.

11 “Top-Dog Giants Give Willies to Pittsburgh Next,” Berkeley (California) Gazette, July 31, 1959: 14.

12 Allen Lewis, “Rookie Clouts 2 Triples in Debut, Roberts Beaten,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 31, 1959: 26.

13 Lewis. Mays entered the game with a league-leading 18 steals. He went on to lead the NL in steals for the fourth consecutive season.

14 “Top-Dog Giants Give Willies to Pittsburgh Next.”

15 With this hit, Mays broke a slump (0-for-11). It was an eventful day for Mays: He and his wife received formal court approval to adopt a six-month-old boy (Michael) on July 30 as well. “Mays Adoption Gets Final OK From Court,” San Francisco Examiner, July 31, 1959: 23.

16 Associated Press, “S.F. Rejoices Over McCovey,” Los Angeles Mirror, July 31, 1959: 27.

17 Lewis, “Rookie Clouts 2 Triples in Debut, Roberts Beaten.”

18 “Top-Dog Giants Give Willies to Pittsburgh Next.”

19 “S.F. Rejoices Over McCovey.”

20 Jack McDonald, “Epidemic in ’Frisco – It’s Flag Fever,” The Sporting News, August 12, 1959: 1. The 22-year-old Stengel had a fifth plate appearance where he batted right-handed instead of his usual left; he walked. It was the only time he switch-hit in his career, and the young rookie’s cheeky move infuriated his manager, Bill Dahlen. Others who had four-hit debut games include Art Shires with the Chicago White Sox in 1928, the Washington Nationals’ Cecil Travis  in 1933 (Travis went 5-for-7 in an extra-inning game, with four hits through nine innings), Ed Freed (Phillies) in 1942, and Spook Jacobs with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1954. Marty Appel, “National Pastime Museum: Willie McCovey’s Debut,” appelpr.com, accessed October 1, 2025, http://www.appelpr.com/?page_id=3376.

21 “Top-Dog Giants Give Willies to Pittsburgh Next.”

22 Curley Grieve, “A Great Day for Rookie,” San Francisco Examiner, July 31, 1959: 20.

23 Grieve, “A Great Day for Rookie.”

24 McDonald, “Epidemic in ’Frisco – It’s Flag Fever”; Jack McDonald, “Niftier Glove Work ’60 Goal of McCovey,” The Sporting News, November 25, 1959: 5. During his first seven games, McCovey had 14 hits, 3 homers, 2 triples, 2 doubles and 29 total bases, with a .467 batting average and an OPS of 1.433.

25 Along with McCovey, Harvey Kuenn (Detroit Tigers) and Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves) had 22-game hitting streaks in 1959. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Ken Boyer led the majors that year with a 29-game streak. Chris Roewe, “Boyer 29-Game Hit Streak Longest in Big Time Since ’50,” The Sporting News, October 28, 1959: 20.

26 In September 1959 the Baseball Writers Association amended its rules making McCovey eligible for Rookie of the Year even though he had appeared in only 52 games. Marty Appel, “National Pastime Museum: Willie McCovey’s Debut.”

27 The Dodgers won the 1959 World Series four games to two over the AL pennant-winning Chicago White Sox.

28 “McCovey Singles as Salesman,” The Sporting News, November 25, 1959: 5. Some sources say his 1960 contract was for “$10,000,” others say “in excess of $10,000.” McCovey was earning the major-league minimum after he was called up. In 1959, the minimum was $5,000 per season and McCovey’s salary was undoubtedly prorated for the partial season. Maryann Hudson, “That Championship Season: It Was 1959. The Dodgers Played in the Cavernous Coliseum,” latimes.com, April 9, 1989, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-09-tm-1546-story.html. McCovey had a “sophomore slump” in 1960 and was sent to the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate in Tacoma for 17 games in midseason. He played in 101 big-league games that year with a .238 average, 13 homers, and 51 RBIs.

29 McCovey played through pain frequently. He had foot, knee, and hip injuries, and numerous surgeries. Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2021), 153.

30 McCovey played for the Giants from 1959 through 1973. In October 1973, he was traded to the San Diego Padres. Stretch provided an elder-statesman role for the young Padres ballclub and was a positive influence on players like Dave Winfield. He played over 2½ seasons with the Padres until he was purchased by the Oakland A’s in late August 1976. His time with the A’s was brief: an 11-game stint as an American League designated hitter. In January 1977 he signed with the Giants as a free agent. He spent his last four seasons (1977-80) in San Francisco. In 1977 he was the NL Comeback Player of the Year.

31 Additionally, McCovey was the Major League Player of the Year and the MVP of the All-Star Game in 1969. (Big Mac hit two homers as the NL defeated the AL 9-3.)

32 Since 1980 the Giants have granted the Willie Mac Award annually to the Giants player who best represents McCovey’s inspirational spirit, based on a vote by teammates. McCovey personally presented the award at pregame ceremonies up until his death in 2018.

33 McCovey was a fixture in the community and appeared around the Bay Area frequently (charity events, parades, festivals, ballgames). The San Jose Sharks enlisted him to help build their fanbase when they were a new NHL franchise. McCovey raised millions of dollars for charities. His favorite charity was the Junior Giants that serves underprivileged youth in the Bay Area by building ballfields and providing other programs. Chris Haft, A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2024), 153-154, 157-158.

34 Part of McCovey’s appeal came from being the San Francisco Giants’ first homegrown star. The fact that he played through injuries without complaining was recognized and appreciated by fans. McCovey was approachable and a gentleman. Even though some of his on-field accomplishments were overshadowed by those of Mays, he is widely considered the San Francisco Giants’ all-time most popular player.Haft, A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey, 118, 138, 146, 180.

35 The notion of naming the waterbody McCovey Cove originated with sportswriters Mark Purdy and Leonard Koppett. The idea got traction and the name was officially adopted by the Giants. Haft, A Giant Among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey, 148-150.

36 Appel, The National Pastime Museum.