May 1, 1951: Willie Mays has 3 hits, makes spectacular catch in Millers’ home opener

Willie Mays had three hits, Ray Dandridge had four, and Hoyt Wilhelm threw seven shutout innings as the Minneapolis Millers defeated the Columbus Red Birds, 11-0, in the Millers’ home opener of the 1951 American Association season. Dubbed the “Black Mush Bowl,” the game was played in rain-soaked conditions in front of 6,477 fans.1 Included in the crowd was Max Levy, who had attended every Millers Opening Day since 1902.2

Newspapers across the country ran articles about Mays’ arrival with the Millers after he played in 1950 for the Trenton Giants of the Interstate League. This from the Capital Journal of Salem, Oregon: “American Association fans are already tabbing Willie Mays, 19-year-old center fielder at Minneapolis, as the league’s brightest prospect this season. He has a great arm and can run like the Dickens.”3

From the Birmingham News: “Willie Mays, Former Black Baron, hit 10 for 21 for Minneapolis – six of the blows going for extra bases, three doubles, one triple and two home runs. Mays was a natural ball player from the first day he showed up at Rickwood while a student at Parker High School.”4 And from the Black Dispatch of Oklahoma City: “… and Willie can do everything an outfielder is supposed to do. Only his lack of experience is holding him back. That would be terrific – seeing this young colored star, trained by the Giants coming up to the Polo Grounds. He’s be sensational and a whale of a drawing card.”5

Recognition for Mays continued at Nicollet Park as the Millers players walked from the dressing room under the right-field stands to the dugout. Ray Dandridge, the veteran third baseman nicknamed Old Bow Legs, preceded Mays from the dressing room, and the early-arriving fans in the stands applauded him. Dandridge, in turn, tipped his cap. Shortly after, Mays left the dressing room and also received applause from the fans. A Minneapolis Morning Tribune writer noted, “The customers wanted to let Mays know they had heard about him.”6

Before his team even came to bat, Mays gave Millers fans a thrilling demonstration of his baseball skills when he ran to deep center field, 435 feet from home plate, and caught Vern Benson’s long drive7 against the flagpole.8 According to one fan’s reminiscence of this play decades later, there were less than two outs and the Red Birds had a runner on third. When Mays made the catch, the runner tagged and ran for home. Mays’ throw from center field bounced once before it was caught by the catcher. The baserunner, who was halfway to home, stopped and ran back to third, where he slid to avoid being tagged out.9

The Millers put across a trio of runs in the bottom of the first. The leadoff hitter, Pete Milne, walked and two batters later Mays singled to center. With two outs in the inning, Milne and Mays both scored when Dandridge singled to left. The Red Birds pitcher, Herb Moford, walked the next three hitters, Davey Williams (his first of four walks in the game), John Kropf, and Jake Early, to force in Dandridge with the final run of the inning.10

Dandridge opened the bottom of the fourth with a single and Williams walked. One out later, Early walked to load the bases. The next hitter, the ninth hitter in the batting order, was pitcher Wilhelm. In the Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Halsey Hall wrote, “Mr. Wilhelm, who has sometimes been known to ‘pull’ a ball as far as second, didn’t bother about it this time and sliced a runaway double to right.” Wilhelm’s hit scored two runs. A third run scored when Milne singled to center, and a force out by Rudy Rufer scored the fourth run of the inning.11

The second Red Birds pitcher of the game, Maurice Garlock, gave up the final Miller runs in the sixth inning. Dandridge led off with a home run, for which he was given a watch by the National Jewelry Company after the game for hitting the first Millers homer of the season in Nicollet Park. After Williams walked and Kropf doubled, Early homered over Nicollet Avenue to score the final three runs of the game for the Millers.12

Before the start of the seventh inning, the lights at Nicollet Park were turned on – a first in the history of Nicollet Park for an afternoon game, according to Millers business manager George Brophy.13 Wilhelm struck out light-hitting Howie Phillips in the top of the seventh with the bases loaded to end the half-inning. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh and Dandridge on first base, umpire Pat Padden finally called the game due to field conditions described as abominable and a “bowl of soup.”14

Mays finished the game going 3-for-5 with a double and one run scored. Dandridge went 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored, and three runs batted in.15 Catcher Jake Early said “[T]he secret of Hoyt’s success was not better stuff but better control than in previous starts.16 Wilhelm gave up five hits and walked two in seven innings.17

The next day in the Minneapolis Star, columnist Charles Johnson wrote that the Red Birds weren’t upset about the soggy field conditions until they fell behind after the first inning. “Then they acted like a lot of mistreated corner lot ball players who apparently didn’t realize yet (sic) gate receipts make possible their salaries. Crowds in the minor leagues of 6,500 paid aren’t every day happenings.”18

After the game, Mays described it as “just another game.” He added, “I didn’t go for power today. I just wanted hits. How can you miss with such grand fans? There is no strain in playing in front of people like you.” Asked how difficult it was to play center field in Nicollet Park, Mays said, “The right field fence is so close you don’t get a chance to run to your left. Outside of that, it’s no different.”19

To another writer, Mays complained that he didn’t lift one over the short right-field fence. “That fence, that fence, said gentleman Willie in a high-pitcher voice in the club house.” First baseman Mike Natisin told Willie to “forget the fence” and added, “It’s been there sixty years and it’ll probably be there sixty more years.”20

Millers manager Heath was effusive in his praise of Mays: “That’s the way Mays has played all year. You think the boy isn’t that good, but he comes up with impossible plays every day. He does something to help us win every game. He can hit, throw and run. What more can you ask? The boy is the greatest prospect I have ever seen.”21

Slightly over three weeks later, on May 25, Mays’ time with the Millers came to an end when he was called up to the New York Giants. He was batting a robust .477 (71-for-149) with a .524 on-base percentage. During his time in Minneapolis, the Millers went 21-14, which was good for third place in the eight-team American Association.22 After May 25 and without Mays in the lineup, the Millers went 56-61 to finish in fifth place at 77-75. Two days later, Horace Stoneham, owner of the Giants, arranged to have a letter to Miller fans printed in a Sunday newspaper explaining why Mays was called up to the Giants after playing only 25 games with the Millers. Mays’ “record of performance” is why he was entitled to the promotion, explained Stoneham in the letter.23

Willie Mays with the Minneapolis Millers in 1951. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

NOTES

1  Halsey Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits,” Minneapolis Morning Tribune, May 2, 1951: 19.

2  Jim Byrne, “Dandridge’s 4 Hits Cheer Heath,” Minneapolis Star, May 2, 1951: 41. The newspaper capitalized the word Dickens in this instance.

3  “Oak Player Gets Nod as Coast’s Top Rookie of ’51,” Salem (Oregon) Capital Journal, April 30, 1951: 12.

4  Zipp Newman, “Dusting ’Em Off,” Birmingham News, May 1, 1951: 28.

5  Al White, “New York Giants May Call Up Negro Star, Willie Mays, to Fill Right Field Post,” Black Dispatch (Oklahoma City), April 28, 1951: 6.

6  Joe Hendrickson, “Sports Views,” Minneapolis Morning Tribune, May 2, 1951: 20.

7  Byrne, “Dandridge’s 4 Hits Cheer Heath.”

8  Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

9  Ben Welter, “May 2, 1951: Willie Mays ‘Torrid’ in Minneapolis Debut,” Star Tribune Blog, May 31, 2017.

10 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

11 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

12 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

13 Byrne, “Dandridge’s 4 Hits Cheer Heath.”

14 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

15 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

16 Byrne, “Dandridge’s 4 Hits Cheer Heath.”

17 Hall, “Mays in Torrid Debut, Dandy Raps Four Hits.”

18 Charles Johnson, “Lowdown on Sports,” Minneapolis Star, May 2, 1951: 41.

19 Sid Hartman, “Just Another Game, Says Millers’ Mays,” Minneapolis Morning Tribune, May 2, 1951: 19.

20 Byrne, “Dandridge’s 4 Hits Cheer Heath.”

21 Hartman, “Just Another Game, Says Millers’ Mays.”

22 Minneapolis Morning Tribune, May 25, 1951: 20.

23 Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, May 27, 1951: 34.