April 30, 1961: The Say Hey Kid’s four-homer game

This article was written by Nelson ‘Chip’ Greene

The 1961 major-league season was barely three weeks old the day 29-year-old Willie Mays produced perhaps the greatest offensive performance of his legendary career. Led by Mays, the San Francisco Giants came to Milwaukee for a three-game series with the hometown Braves. Just a year away from the World Series, the Giants were a team on the rise. Besides Mays they boasted future Hall of Fame batters Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey, as well as pitcher Juan Marichal, also destined for enshrinement at Cooperstown. For their part, the Braves featured their own future Hall of Famers, Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Warren Spahn. In this, the two teams’ first series of the season, the stars of both squads were about to put on an awesome display.

Additional Stats

San Francisco Giants 14
Milwaukee Braves 4


County Stadium
Milwaukee, WI

 

Box Score + PBP:

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