Frightening Pitchers with Giant Willies: The Slugging Duo of Willie Mays and Willie McCovey

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey played together for 14 seasons, including in McCovey’s 1969 MVP campaign. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

 

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey formed one of the greatest one-two power combinations in baseball history. The pair were teammates on the San Francisco Giants from 1959 to 1972. During that stretch, they won the 1962 National League pennant and 1971 NL West Division title, while finishing second for five consecutive years: in the NL from 1965 to 1968 and the NL West Division during 1969.

Although the pair never won a World Series together, this potent duo – the right-handed batting, right-handed throwing outfielder Mays and the left-handed batting, left-handed throwing first baseman McCovey – were the heart and soul of the Giants lineup throughout the 1960s and into the early 1970s.

While these two historic greats shared the same uniform for over a decade, their relationship was complex. A 1978 Sports Illustrated article noted, “The premier ballplayer of his generation, Mays was never as fully accepted by San Francisco fans as [Orlando] Cepeda and McCovey were. There was too much of New York about him, and while the younger players appeared publicly about town, Mays was virtually invisible away from the park.”1

As prolific home-run hitters, the Mays-McCovey partnership combined to hit 801 home runs while wearing Giants uniforms, the third-most career home runs as teammates in baseball history, trailing only Hank Aaron/Eddie Mathews (863) and Lou Gehrig/Babe Ruth (859).2 During their 13 full seasons together, both Mays and McCovey hit at least 30 home runs seven times, with one or the other leading the NL in home runs six times. Mays topped the NL in 1962, 1964, and 1965. McCovey led the league in 1963 (tied with Aaron), 1968, and 1969. In four other seasons, either Mays or McCovey finished no lower than fourth.3 From 1954 through 1970, except for 1961, either slugger led the Giants in home runs.

Mays was an established veteran when McCovey joined the Giants. Mays had completed five-plus seasons in New York (1951-1952, 1954-1957), two years in the US Army during the Korean War (1952-1954), and two years in San Francisco (1957-1958) by the time McCovey arrived in the majors. Mays helped the Giants transition from New York City to San Francisco, while McCovey was a local fan favorite upon his debut, from winning the Rookie of the Year Award in 1959 to his celebrated return in 1977.

McCovey played first base throughout his minor-league career, and the Giants already had two first basemen when he went to his first major-league spring-training camp in 1959: veteran Bill White and the 1958 Rookie of the Year Cepeda.4 Mays was impressed with McCovey, and while there wasn’t room for another first baseman, Mays recalled, “It was one of those situations, though, that you knew if we got into a pennant race, he’d be called up to give us an extra bat.”5

McCovey was recalled to the Giants in late July, and stayed with them for the rest of the season, playing first base while White and Cepeda shifted roles. While Mays appreciated McCovey’s talents, he considered McCovey more of a satellite than a protégé. Although McCovey played some outfield, he knew that “I wouldn’t be a Willie Mays and anybody who saw me play there [outfield] could tell that right away.”6

McCovey played in a part-time role, splitting time between outfield and first base until 1963, and eventually became the Giants’ full-time first baseman in 1965. During McCovey’s struggles learning to play the outfield, Mays complimented his teammate: “I’ve been taking care of Stretch [McCovey] in the outfield. I tell him where to play and try to keep boostin’ his confidence. He’s done real nice. There are a lot of outfielders in the league that ain’t as good as Stretch.”7

The transition of the Giants from New York to San Francisco mirrored McCovey’s development and arguably ended on June 1, 1962, when the Giants played the first-year expansion New York Mets at the Polo Grounds in New York City. This game marked the first time the Giants played in New York since leaving the Big Apple after the 1957 season. McCovey started the scoring with a first-inning home run. He homered again in the third inning. Mays homered two innings later. The Giants won 9-6.8

The pair came closest to winning a World Series in 1962. The Giants won the NL pennant after defeating their longtime rival Los Angeles Dodgers in a best-of-three playoff series. The two teams finished the regular season deadlocked with identical 101-61 records. During the first playoff game, Mays’ two homers helped San Francisco win 8-0. The Dodgers won Game Two on a game-ending sacrifice fly. Mays and McCovey contributed to the historic Game Three rally. San Francisco was trailing 4-2 in the top of the ninth inning when McCovey drew a one-out walk. Mays singled two batters later. McCovey was replaced with a pinch-runner. Both runners eventually scored as the Giants shocked the Dodgers with a four-run rally at Dodger Stadium.9

The 1962 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees featured Mays and McCovey playing critical roles, especially during the final game. The teams were tied at three games apiece. During Game Seven with the Yankees leading 1-0, Mays lined to left field, but an out-of-position left fielder caught the ball, preventing Mays from reaching base.10 McCovey, the next batter, tripled but was stranded at third base. Heading into the bottom of the ninth, San Francisco still trailed 1-0. Giants leadoff hitter Matty Alou singled. The next two hitters struck out. Mays doubled into right field, but the ball was slowed down by the wet ground. Combined with a perfect relay from right fielder Roger Maris to second baseman Bobby Richardson, the ball was returned to the infield quickly enough to prevent Alou from scoring the tying run.11

With Alou on third and Mays representing the Series-winning run on second, McCovey hit a screaming line drive directly at Richardson to dramatically end the Series. According to one newspaper account, “Richardson couldn’t have made the catch had McCovey’s smash been an inch or two higher or so much as a finger length to either side.”12 Both Mays and McCovey struggled throughout the Series. Mays hit .250 with no homers and one RBI but played well in the field. McCovey played in only four games and hit .200 with one homer and one RBI. Mays returned to the World Series with the 1973 New York Mets, but McCovey never did.

 

Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, along with Ron Santo and Cleon Jones, pitched Adirondack bats. (SABR-Rucker Archive)

The superstars occasionally roomed together. McCovey commented, “He’d even take me along on dates with him. He’d drag me everywhere. I looked up to him. All of us did. He was such a great player.”13 McCovey joined Mays for Mays’ first date with his second wife, Mae Louis Allen.14 The pair were depicted together on several baseball cards throughout the 1960s as league leaders (e.g., 1965 Topps Home Run Leaders) and featured on 1967 Topps Baseball Card #423 titled “Fence Busters,” where they struck a conversational pose.

The 1971 season was a challenging one for the aging Giants, who went 1-11 from September 5 to 16 and saw their West Division lead over the Dodgers plunge from eight games on September 5 to a single game. The 33-year-old McCovey played in only 105 games at first base that season due to lingering knee issues while Mays, who also battled injuries all season long, played in 136 games, including 48 games at first to replace McCovey. Upon winning the division title, McCovey complimented his longtime friend: “You know who I’m happiest for? Willie. He played too much. He played when I couldn’t because one of us had to be in there.”15

Change appeared on the horizon as the 1972 season started. The players strike caused the season to start later than normal. Mays wanted a long-term contract and McCovey was injured in the season’s fourth game. San Francisco was struggling in the standings and at the gate. On May 11 Mays was traded to the Mets for a minor-league pitcher and cash.16

Both players were voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on their first appearance on the ballot. Mays was inducted in 1979, receiving 94.7 percent of the writers’ vote. McCovey was inducted in 1986, receiving 81.4 percent.

Both Mays and McCovey worked in the Giants’ front office after their playing days, making public appearances on behalf of the club and offering expertise to players. Mays joined the front office in 1993 when former Giants president Peter Magowan signed him to a lifetime contract. McCovey formally joined the front office in 200017 and remained with them until his death in 2018. The two often appeared together at Giants games; they also shared a farewell to Candlestick Park during the NFL San Francisco 49ers’ final regular home game in 2013.

Mays and McCovey shared characteristics and noteworthy records. Both Hall of Famers were born in Alabama: Mays in Westfield and McCovey in Mobile. Each slugger delivered 30 or more home runs for six consecutive years: Mays from 1961 to 1966 and McCovey from 1965 to 1970. Both hit at least three homers in a game three different times, with Mays clouting four on April 30, 1961.18 The evening before Mays clobbered four home runs, the pair ate ribs from a nearby take-out restaurant. That night, Mays fell ill, waking up at 3 A.M., vomiting, collapsing, and passing out. McCovey immediately called team physician Doc Bowman, recalling, “I was really scared. I was pleading not to let him die.”19 Mays prepared for an offday. However, during batting practice, he blasted a dozen home-run balls into the bleachers and insisted he remain in the lineup. When he returned to the dugout after hitting his fourth homer, McCovey asked him, “How ’bout some more ribs?”20

The similarities aren’t limited to their numerous home runs. Mays and McCovey, along with catcher Buster Posey, are the only Giants in franchise history to win both the Rookie of the Year Award and a Most Valuable Player Award. Mays and McCovey, along with Pablo Sandoval, are the only three San Francisco Giants to have two separate 20-plus-game hit streaks.21

The pair rank first and second in multiple categories among San Francisco Giants all-time hitting records, including games played (McCovey, 2,256; Mays, 2,095); at-bats (Mays, 7,578; McCovey, 7,214); hits (Mays, 2,284; McCovey, 1,974); and triples (Mays, 76; McCovey, 45). McCovey and Mays also rank second and third, respectively, on the all-time San Francisco Giants home-run list (McCovey, 469; Mays, 459).22 They are also tied for the most sacrifice flies playing for the San Francisco Giants (67).23 From a fielding perspective, Mays played the most games as an outfielder in the history of the New York Gothams/New York Giants/San Francisco Giants from 1883 to 2021 (2,749 games), and McCovey holds the similar record for first basemen (1,775).24 Both have 15 starts on Opening Day wearing a San Francisco Giants uniform.25 As a further testament to their longevity, both hit at least one round-tripper in 22 National League seasons.

Toward the end of his career, McCovey reflected on his relationship with Mays, “I guess I was as close to him as anyone can be, but I don’t think anyone can get real close to him. We’re neighbors now. I live in Woodside and he lives in Atherton, but we hardly ever see each other.”26

Their legacies in San Francisco well established, both have their uniform numbers retired by the Giants (Mays, 24; McCovey, 44) and nine-foot-tall bronze statues erected outside Oracle Park.

GORDON J. GATTIE is a lifelong baseball fan and a SABR member since 1998. A civilian US Navy engineer, he includes among his baseball research interests ballparks, historical trends, and statistical analysis. Gordon earned his Ph.D. from SUNY Buffalo, where he used baseball to investigate judgment performance in complex dynamic environments. Ever the optimist, he dreams of a Cleveland Guardians World Series championship. Lisa, his wonderful wife, who roots for the Yankees, and Morrigan, their beloved Labrador retriever, enjoy visiting ballparks and other baseball-related sites. Gordon has contributed to several SABR publications, including various books, multiple issues of The National Pastime, and the Games Project.

 

Acknowledgments

The author thanks Carl Riechers for his fact-checking, Bill Nowlin and Glen Sparks for their editing, and Lisa Gattie for her meaningful input.

 

SOURCES

Besides the sources cited in the Notes, the author consulted AABaseball.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Retrosheet.org, TheBaseballCube.com, and the following:

Khalid, Sunni. “The “other Willie” and the early San Francisco Giants.” Andscape.com. https://andscape.com/features/willie-mccovey-and-the-early-san-francisco-giants/. Accessed December 2, 2022.

Mays, Willie, as told to Charles Einstein. Willie Mays: My Life In and Out of Baseball (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1966).

Shea, John. Blowing Out the Candle, SFGate, April 4, 1999. https://www.sfgate.com/sports/shea/article/Blowing-ou-the-candle-3089625.php. Accessed December 15, 2022.

Vecsey, George. “McCovey’s Toughest Opponent,” New York Times, January 10, 1986: A19.

 

NOTES

1  Ron Fimrite, “The Cable Cars, the Fog – and Willie,” Sports Illustrated, April 17, 1978: 41.

2  Dan Schlossberg, “McCovey and Mays Gave Foes of Giants ‘The Willies,’” Fortune, November 1, 2018.

3  In 1961 Mays finished second in home runs among NL players. In 1966 Mays finished third and McCovey fourth. In 1967, McCovey finished third. In 1970 McCovey finished fourth.

4  Mark Armour, “Willie McCovey,” SABR BioProject. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/willie-mccovey/. Accessed December 1, 2022.

5  Willie Mays and Lou Sahadi, Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1988), 153.

6  Fimrite.

7  James S. Hirsch, Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011), 359.

8  Alan Cohen, “June 1, 1962: Willie Mays, Giants return to New York for first time, beat the Mets,” SABR Games Project. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-1-1962-willie-mays-giants-return-to-new-york-for-first-time-beat-the-mets/. Accessed December 1, 2022.

9  Tim Otto, “October 3, 1962: The Giants Win the Pennant, Part Two!,” SABR Games Project. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/october-3-1962-the-giants-win-the-pennant-part-two/. Accessed December 1, 2022.

10 Willie Mays, “’Yankees’ Mistake Cost Me a Double,” San Francisco Examiner, October 17, 1962: 54.

11 John Carmichael, “Series Left a Big Question Mark: Could Matty Alou Have Scored?” Buffalo Evening News, October 17, 1962: 71.

12 Prescott Sullivan, “They Couldn’t Have Sliced It Thinner,” San Francisco Examiner, October 17, 1962: 53.

13 Fimrite, “The Cable Cars, the Fog – and Willie.”

14 Hirsch, Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend, 453.

15 Hirsch, 500.

16 “Mays to Mets for Cash, Pitcher,” San Francisco Examiner, May 11, 1972: 57.

17 Matt Chisholm, Liam Connolly, Megan Brown, Maria Jacinto, Erwin Higueros, Allison Mast, and Nancy Donati, San Francisco Giants 2018 Media Guide (San Francisco: San Francisco Giants Creative Services Department, 2022), 19.

18 Mike Passanisi, Megan Brow, Maria Jacinto, Erwin Higueros, Mariana De Paula, and Matt Chisholm, San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide (San Francisco: San Francisco Giants Creative Services Department, 2022), 447.

19 Hirsch, 340.

20 Mays and Sahadi, Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays, 168. There’s a second Mays-McCovey connection with Mays’ four-home-run game. After the game, Ed Sullivan invited him to appear on his television show in New York City. After Mays’ television appearance, he went to a Harlem nightclub where Wilt Chamberlain gave Mays Mae’s phone number and suggested she call him. McCovey.

21 San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide, 450.

22 San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide, 404.

23 San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide, 399.

24 San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide, 415.

25 San Francisco Giants 2022 Media Guide, 435.

26 Fimrite, “The Cable Cars, the Fog – and Willie.”