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141-514: Taking place in Dodger Stadium , the game involved 23 current and future Hall of Famers participating as players, coaches, and managers. Each of the then-24 Major League Baseball teams sent two players and teams were divided up into "East" and "West". The East won the game by 5–1 with Ron Fairly being named MVP of the game. Coretta Scott King , widow of Martin Luther King, was on hand to throw

282-415: A force play . The Mets lost the series in seven games. Mays's 24 appearances on an All-Star Game roster are tied with Musial for second all-time, behind only Hank Aaron 's 25. He "strove for All-Star glory" according to Hirsch, taking the game seriously in his desire to support his NL teammates. In the first All-Star Game of 1959 , Mays hit a game-winning triple against Whitey Ford ; Bob Stevens of

423-678: A .659 slugging percentage , Mays batted .319 as the Giants finished in third. During the last game of the season, Durocher, who had supported Mays since his career had begun, told him he would not be returning as the Giants manager. When Mays responded, "But Mr. Leo, it's going to be different with you gone. You won't be here to help me," Durocher told his star, "Willie Mays doesn't need help from anyone." In 1956, Mays struggled at first to get along with new manager Bill Rigney , who publicly criticized him. The center fielder grew particularly annoyed after Rigney fined him $ 100 for not running to first base on

564-467: A 1965 game against the Atlanta Braves impaired Mays's ability to throw. He kept the injury a secret from opposing players, making two or three practice throws before games to discourage them from running on him. On August 22, Mays acted as a peacemaker during a 14-minute brawl between the Giants and Dodgers after Marichal had bloodied Dodgers catcher John Roseboro with a bat. Mays grabbed Roseboro by

705-665: A 6–2 victory over the Chicago Cubs . Mays was selected for the NL All-Star team ; he would be part of 24 straight NL All-Star teams over 20 seasons. Mays became the first player in history to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star Game. He had 36 home runs through July 28. Around that time, Durocher asked him to stop trying to hit them, explaining the team wanted him to reach base more often. Mays hit only five home runs after July 28 but upped his batting average from .326 to .345 to win

846-399: A Giant. Mays reveled in the fact that he had finally won the support of San Francisco fans; "It only took them five years," he later said. Before the 1963 season, Mays signed a contract worth a record-setting $ 105,000 per season (equivalent to $ 1,040,000 in 2023). On July 2, when Spahn and Juan Marichal each threw 15 scoreless innings, Mays hit a 16th-inning home run off Spahn, giving

987-518: A balanced park once again. Although the stadium depresses walks and most types of hits, it inflates home runs by 22%. In 2024, BetMGM stated that Dodger Stadium's 395-feet centerfield distance was the third-shortest in baseball, behind only Fenway Park and Oracle Park . The Dodgers won the 1963 World Series over the New York Yankees, sweeping the Yankees by winning game 4 by a score of 2–1. As of

1128-529: A ball to the scoreboard at Philadelphia's Connie Mack Stadium . Mays, who had been playing closer to home plate than normal, ran at top speed after the ball. He caught it in midair and had to kick his legs forward to keep his head from hitting the ballpark's fence, but he held on to the ball. While he batted under .300 (.296) for the first time since 1956, he led the NL with 47 home runs and ranked second with 121 runs scored and 111 RBIs. A torn shoulder muscle sustained in

1269-411: A better player than he actually was, and 2) Mays tended to keep to himself. Mays said in 1959 that he did not mind the booing, but he admitted in a 1961 article that the catcalls were bothering him. Whatever the reason, the boos, which had begun to subside after Mays's four–home-run game in 1961, grew even quieter in 1962, as the Giants enjoyed their best season since moving to San Francisco. Mays led

1410-541: A center fielder (2,829), putouts as an outfielder (7,095), and ended his career behind only Ty Cobb in total games as an outfielder (2,842), ranking seventh in assists (188) and third in double plays (59) in center field. Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 in his first year of eligibility, and was named to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999. Mays was awarded

1551-432: A children's playground amongst others. Between the 2013 and 2014 seasons, more renovations were put in place. Dodger Stadium was the beneficiary of improvements such as wider concourses in the pavilions, new restaurants "Think Blue Bar-B-Que" and " Tommy Lasorda 's Trattoria", dedicated team store buildings replacing the tents that previously served as team stores, bullpen overlooks with overlook bars, and tree relocation at

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1692-594: A collision with Sammy White in spring training that resulted in 35 stitches in his leg, but he was ready by the start of the season. Against the Reds in August, Mays broke a finger but kept it a secret to prevent opposing pitchers from targeting it. In September 1959, the Giants led the NL pennant race by two games with only eight games to play, but a sweep by the Dodgers began a stretch of six losses in those final games, dooming them to

1833-709: A contract. The Boston Braves and the Brooklyn Dodgers both scouted him, but New York Giants scout Eddie Montague signed him to a $ 4,000 contract. Mays spent the rest of 1950 with the Class B Trenton Giants of the Interstate League , batting .353. Promoted to the Triple-A Minneapolis Millers of the American Association in 1951, he batted .477 in 35 games. Playing excellent defense, Mays

1974-644: A cost of US$ 23 million (US$ 232 million in 2023). It is the oldest ballpark in MLB west of the Mississippi River , and third-oldest overall, after Fenway Park in Boston (1912) and Wrigley Field in Chicago (1914), and is the largest baseball stadium in the world by seat capacity. Often referred to as a " pitcher's ballpark", the stadium has seen 13 no-hitters , 2 of which were perfect games . The stadium hosted

2115-484: A display honoring the Legends of Dodger Baseball, along with a sports bar and a beer garden. Also included as part of the renovation were new elevators and escalators which connect the outfield bleachers with the field, loge and reserve levels, a new stadium center main entrance, and the commission of a statue of Sandy Koufax which was to be unveiled next to the statue of Robinson. While the renovations were completed during

2256-545: A game." In 139 games, Mays batted .291 with 94 runs scored, 28 home runs, and 83 RBIs. He scheduled his off days that season to avoid facing strikeout pitchers such as Bob Gibson or Tom Seaver . Though center field remained his primary position in 1971, Mays played 48 games at first base. He got off to a fast start in 1971, the year he turned 40. Against the Mets on May 31, he hit a game-tying eighth-inning home run, saved multiple runs with his defense at first base, and performed

2397-539: A home run of over 414 feet (126 m) against Carl Erskine . After he batted .250 in his first 20 games, Durocher moved him from third to fifth in the batting order and again encouraged him to stop attempting to pull the ball and try to get hits to right field. Mays changed his batting stance and stood straighter at the plate, keeping his feet closer together. He credited these adjustments with improving his batting average, as he batted .450 with 25 RBIs in his next 20 games. On June 25, he hit an inside-the-park home run in

2538-459: A move that surprised reporters covering the game. The Giants lost 2–1. "I was thinking of the best way to get the run in," Mays explained the bunt, pointing out that McCovey and Bonds were due up next. The Giants lost the series in four games. After the season, Mays was honored as the winner of the inaugural Roberto Clemente Award , known at that time as the Commissioner's Award. Mays got off to

2679-455: A new name, Dodgertown. The signs from the former Dodgertown spring training facility in Vero Beach, Florida will likely be integrated into the $ 500 million project. Following the sale of the Dodgers in 2012, the team brought in the architect, urban planner, and stadium specialist Janet Marie Smith to lead renovations efforts to the 50-year-old stadium. Renovations to Dodger Stadium began in

2820-510: A number of incidents in the early 1970s in which fans showered Cincinnati Reds left fielder Pete Rose with beer, bottles, cups, and trash, the sale of beer was discontinued in both pavilions. Beer sales were reinstated in the right field pavilion in 2008, when that section was converted into the All You Can Eat Pavilion . Fans seated in that section can eat unlimited hot dogs and peanuts and also have access to free soft drinks. There

2961-414: A parking lot and the stadium. A local elementary school (Palo Verde) was simply buried rather than demolished, and sits beneath the parking lot northwest of third base. A total of 8 million cubic yards (6,100,000 m ) of earth were moved in the process of building the stadium. A total of 21,000 precast concrete units, some weighing as much as 32 tons, were fabricated onsite and lowered into place with

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3102-680: A pop fly that was caught by the catcher. He hit 36 homers and stole a career-high 40 bases, becoming only the second player to join the 30–30 club . Though his RBIs (84) and batting average (.296) were his lowest for nearly a decade, Barra observed that "Willie Mays was still the best all-around player in the National League." The relationship between Mays and Rigney improved in 1957. Rigney stopped giving Mays as much direction, trusting his star player's ability and instinct. In his 2010 authorized biography of Mays, James S. Hirsch wrote Mays had "one of his most exhilarating excursions" on April 21. In

3243-451: A press conference that day, "but I see so many people here who are my friends, I can't...Baseball and me, we had what you might call a love affair." Five days later, the Mets honored him on Willie Mays Night, proclaimed by New York City mayor John Lindsay , where he thanked the New York fans and said goodbye to baseball. In 66 games, Mays batted a career-low .211 with six home runs. Against

3384-595: A return to New York after an early season trade to the New York Mets in 1972, retiring after the team's trip to the 1973 World Series . He served as a coach for the Mets for the rest of the decade before rejoining the Giants as a special assistant to the president and general manager. Mays was an All-Star 24 times, tying for the second-most appearances in history. He led the NL in home runs four times and in slugging percentage five times while batting over .300 and posting 100 runs batted in (RBIs) ten times each. Mays

3525-462: A rookie. On June 18, 2022, the Dodgers unveiled a bronze statue of Sandy Koufax in the centerfield plaza, next to the statue of Robinson, which had been moved there in 2020 as part of renovations. The sculpture, which was also made by Cadet, depicts Koufax's signature leg kick as he goes into his windup. Built on top of the historic Los Angeles neighborhood of Chavez Ravine in Solano Canyon ,

3666-426: A season. Consequently, Rigney did not play Mays much in spring training hoping to use his best hitter every day of the regular season. As he had in 1954, Mays vied for the NL batting title until the final game of the season. Moved to the leadoff slot the last day to increase his at bats, Mays collected three hits in the game to finish with a career-high .347, but Philadelphia's Richie Ashburn batted .350. Mays shared

3807-493: A special intervention by NL President Chub Feeney . However, the Mets won the NL East . On August 17, 1973, Mays hit his final (660th) home run against the Reds' Don Gullett . Having considered retirement all year, Mays finally told the Mets officially on September 9 that 1973 would be his last season. He made the announcement to the public on September 20. "I thought I'd be crying by now," he told reporters and Mets' executives at

3948-463: A specially built crane to form the stadium's structural framework. The stadium was originally designed to be expandable to 85,000 seats by expanding the upper decks over the outfield pavilions; the Dodgers have never pursued such a project. At the conclusion of the 2005 season , the Los Angeles Dodgers made major renovations during the subsequent off-season. The largest of these improvements

4089-472: A sportswriter joked half the fine was for leaving, half was for returning. Things did not improve as the season began; Mays spent time on the disabled list early in the year and left the park before a game when he found out Berra had not put his name in the starting lineup. His speed and powerful arm in the outfield, assets throughout his career, were diminished in 1973, and he only made the All-Star team because of

4230-546: A stadium at the Dodger Stadium site . Guggenheim Partners also considered allowing an NFL team to build a stadium next to Dodger Stadium. The NFL eventually chose to build SoFi Stadium in the City of Inglewood . The extensive renovations to Dodger Stadium were ready for the 2013 season and included new HD hexagonal video and scoreboards, a new sound system, wider concourses, more standing room viewing areas, improved restrooms and

4371-425: A strategic base-running maneuver with one out in the 11th inning, running slowly from second to third base to draw a throw from Tim Foli and allow Al Gallagher to reach first safely. Evading Foli's tag on the return throw to third, Mays scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly. He had 15 home runs and a .290 average at the All-Star break but faded down the stretch, only hitting three home runs and batting .241 for

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4512-582: A streak of 737 consecutive games without a postponement. On April 12, 1976, the second home rainout ended a streak of 724 straight games. April 19–21, 1988 saw three consecutive rainouts, the only time consecutive games have been rained out at Dodger Stadium. No rainouts occurred between April 21, 1988, and April 11, 1999 – a major league record of 856 straight home games without a rainout. That record has since been broken, with no rainouts since April 17, 2000, 1,471 consecutive games through October 3, 2019 Dodger Stadium has never increased its seating capacity, and

4653-515: A third-place finish. Mays had hits in three out of 10 at bats in the Dodger series but some San Francisco fans still booed him. In 1959, Mays batted .313 with 34 home runs and 113 RBIs, leading the league in stolen bases for the fourth year in a row. After spending their first two years in San Francisco at Seals Stadium , the Giants moved into the new Candlestick Park in 1960. Initially, the stadium

4794-434: A tortuous start to the 1972 season, batting .184 through his first 19 games. Before the season began, he had asked Stoneham for a 10-year contract with the Giants organization, intending to serve in an off-the-field capacity with them once his playing career was over. The Giants organization was having financial troubles, and Mays had to settle for a two-year, $ 330,000 contract. Mays quibbled with manager Charlie Fox , leaving

4935-466: A wild pitch, and scored the only run of the game when McCovey hit into a double play; for his contributions, Mays won the All-Star Game MVP Award for the second time. Mays individually holds the records for most at bats (75), hits (23), runs scored (20), and stolen bases (six) by an All-Star; additionally, he is tied with Musial for the most extra-base hits (eight) and total bases (40), and he

5076-531: A wire fence in center field as he grasped a long fly ball hit by Joe Pepitone that might have given the AL the lead. The NL won 5–3, and Mays was named the All-Star Game MVP . With a leadoff home run against Milt Pappas in the 1965 All-Star Game , Mays set a record for most hits in his All-Star Games (21). Mays led off the 1968 All-Star Game with a single, moved to second on an error, advanced to third base on

5217-463: Is a charge for beer. With the retirement of the original Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium in 2008, the park reigned as the largest capacity ballpark in the Majors. As of 2010, there are a total of 2,098 club seats and 68 luxury suites. Both of these amounts will increase once the renovations are complete, with the necessary offset to comply with its conditional-use permit. Due to renovations made in

5358-417: Is not exactly radial from home plate, thus the distance from home plate directly to center field is most likely 5 feet (1.5 m) farther than the posted 395 feet (120 m). As of 2012, distance to center field is indicated 395 feet (120 m), and is located virtually exactly at the center field point. With the opening of Citi Field and the demolition of Shea Stadium in 2009, Dodger Stadium became

5499-601: Is now the third-oldest park still in use, and the oldest on the West Coast . Dodger Stadium offered several innovative design features. One of these was a covered and screened section of dugout-level seats behind home plate. Dodger owner Walter O'Malley was inspired to incorporate this feature into the Dodger Stadium design after having seen it at Tokyo's Korakuen Stadium during the Brooklyn Dodgers' postseason goodwill tour of Japan in 1956. The original dugout seating area

5640-470: The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that " Harvey Kuenn gave it honest pursuit, but the only center fielder in baseball who could have caught it hit it." Mays scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the first All-Star Game of 1961 on a Clemente single in a 5–4 win for the NL. At Cleveland Stadium in the 1963 All-Star Game , he made the finest catch, snagging his foot under

5781-546: The 2004 season , the Dodgers' then-owner Frank McCourt installed 1,600 high-priced field level seats, shrinking Dodger Stadium's foul territory from 30,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. The team noted that the dimensions of the fair territory had not been changed and predicted that the stadium would remain a pitchers' park. From 2005 to 2007, MLB ranked Dodger Stadium as a balanced park, with an exactly average park factor. The stadium continued to depress doubles and triples, but inflated walks by 7%. However, from 2008 to 2010,

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5922-698: The COVID-19 pandemic , Dodger Stadium hosted all games between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics in the 2020 American League Division Series . The 2020 World Series , which pitted the Dodgers against the Tampa Bay Rays , was played in the neutral site of Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas . To accommodate local fans, Dodger Stadium staff set up two 60 ft (18 m) high HD video screens in

6063-627: The Cincinnati Reds . On September 15, he tied an NL record with three triples in an 11-inning, 8–6 win over the Phillies. "I don't like to talk about 1960," Mays said after the final game of a season in which the Giants, pre-season favorites for the pennant, finished fifth out of eight NL teams. For the second time in three years, he only hit 29 home runs, but he led the NL with 190 hits and drove in 103 runs, batting .319 and stealing 25 bases. Alvin Dark

6204-494: The Commissioner of Baseball : Shortly after the assassination of Dr. King, many professional players came to SCLC with the question 'What can we do as a memorial to this great man?' After a brief deliberation, SCLC decided that the players could best express their sentiments by playing a game in memory of Dr. King, and the funds raised would be used by SCLC to continue the work of our fallen leader. Initially meant to held in 1969,

6345-521: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum , which could seat in excess of 90,000 people. Los Angeles–based Mike Davis , in his seminal work on the city, City of Quartz , describes the process of gradually convincing Chavez Ravine homeowners to sell. With nearly all of the original Spanish-speaking homeowners initially unwilling to sell, developers resorted to offering immediate cash payments, distributed through their Spanish-speaking agents. Once

6486-574: The Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 1980 and 2022 , as well as the World Series eleven times ( 1963 , 1965 , 1966 , 1974 , 1977 , 1978 , 1981 , 1988 , 2017 , 2018 , and 2024 ). It also hosted the semifinals and finals of the 2009 and 2017 World Baseball Classics , as well as exhibition baseball during the 1984 Summer Olympics . The stadium hosted a soccer tournament on August 3, 2013, featuring four clubs:

6627-626: The National League (NL) Rookie of the Year Award . On August 11, the Giants found themselves 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 games back of the Dodgers in the NL pennant race ; Brooklyn manager Charlie Dressen triumphantly predicted, "The Giants is dead." However, the Giants went 40–18 in the season's final 58 games, winning their last seven of the year to finish the regular season tied with the Dodgers. During

6768-562: The Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015. Willie Howard Mays Jr. was born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama , a primarily black company town near Fairfield . His father, Cat Mays, was a talented baseball player with the black team at the local iron plant. Annie Satterwhite, his mother, was a gifted high school basketball and track star. To his family and close friends, and later to his teammates, Mays

6909-567: The United States Army had drafted him to serve in the Korean War . Before he left to join the Army, Mays played the first few weeks of the 1952 season with the Giants. He batted .236 with four home runs in 34 games. He surprised sportswriters like Red Smith when he drew cheers from fans of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Giants' archrivals, in his last game before reporting. After his induction into

7050-546: The leadoff position in the batting lineup because Mays was hitting fewer home runs. Mays privately chafed at the move, later comparing it to " O. J. Simpson blocking for the fullback". He injured his knee in a collision with catcher Randy Hundley on July 29, forcing him to miss several games. On September 22, he hit his 600th home run, saying later, "Winning the game was more important to me than any individual achievements." In 117 games, he batted .283 with 13 home runs and 58 runs batted in. The Sporting News named Mays

7191-557: The 1960s "Player of the Decade" in January 1970. In an April game, Mays collided with Bobby Bonds while reaching his glove over the wall but made a catch to rob Bobby Tolan of a home run. Mays picked up his 3,000th hit against the Montreal Expos on July 18. "I don't feel excitement about this now," he told reporters afterwards. "The main thing I wanted to do was help Gaylord Perry win

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7332-498: The 2012–2013 offseason, the current maximum capacity of Dodger Stadium is less than 56,000, although the team's president, Stan Kasten , refuses to provide an exact number. A 53,393 attendance is considered a sellout. The high water mark since the renovations is 56,800 in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2008 NLCS . The team's 2013 media guide and website still report the capacity as 56,000. Dodger Stadium achieved record paid attendance during

7473-560: The 2024 season with 3,941,251 spectators. For various reasons, Dodger Stadium has long enjoyed a reputation as a pitchers' park. The park has been home to 13 no-hitters , including two perfect games (by the Dodgers' Sandy Koufax in 1965 , and by Dennis Martínez of the former Montreal Expos in 1991 ). Pitchers such as Sandy Koufax , Don Drysdale , Don Sutton , Fernando Valenzuela , and Orel Hershiser became superstars after arriving in Los Angeles. In addition, players have hit for

7614-413: The 2024 season, this remains the only time the Dodgers ever clinched a World Series at Dodger Stadium. Until 1988, Dodger Stadium had never hosted a seventh game of a postseason series. The Dodgers won Game 7 of the 1988 National League Championship Series over the New York Mets, 6–0. In keeping with the decision of Major League Baseball to schedule postseason games for neutral, "bubble" sites in light of

7755-476: The AL, Mays and Orlando Cepeda battled for the home run lead in the NL. Mays trailed Cepeda by two home runs at the end of August (34 as opposed to 36), but Cepeda outhit him 10–6 in September to finish with 46, while Mays finished with 40. Mays led the league with 129 runs scored and batted .308 with 123 RBIs. Though he had continued to play at a high level since coming to San Francisco, Mays endured booing from

7896-630: The Army on May 29, Mays reported to Fort Eustis in Virginia, where he spent much of his time playing for the Fort Eustis Wheels military baseball team with (and against) other major and minor leaguers, as well as serving as an athletic instructor in the Physical Training Department. It was at Fort Eustis that Mays learned the basket catch from fellow Fort Eustis outfielder Al Fortunato. Mays, by his own estimation, played 180 games for

8037-637: The Black Barons. In return, he could still play high school football. Mays helped Birmingham advance to the 1948 Negro World Series , which they lost 4–1 to the Homestead Grays . He hit .262 for the season and stood out because of his excellent fielding and base running. On May 28, 2024, Major League Baseball announced that it had integrated Negro league statistics into its records. Several major league teams were interested in signing Mays, but they had to wait until he graduated from high school to offer him

8178-410: The Dodgers announced a $ 412 million project to build a Dodger museum, shops, and restaurants around Dodger Stadium. In a press release, the team described the various features of the renovation as follows: In the 2008–2009 off-season, the upper levels of the stadium were supposed to be renovated to match the repairs and improvements made to the field level. The improvements were to include the removal of

8319-588: The East, and Bob Gibson , coming in on relief, shut out the West for six innings. Ron Fairly and Ron Santo both hit solo home runs for the East, giving them an early lead. Grant Jackson threw a scoreless seventh before giving up a run to the West. On the top of the eight, Mudcat Grant allowed three runs in the eighth, giving the East the lead: Al Kaline singled to open the inning, Lou Brock doubled to score Kaline, and Roberto Clemente doubled to score Brock. The East won

8460-588: The Giants a 1–0 victory. He considered the home run one of his most important, along with his first and the four-home-run game. In August, he won his third NL Player of the Month Award after batting .387 with eight home runs and 27 RBIs. He hit his 400th home run on August 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals , the tenth player to reach that mark. Mays finished the 1963 season batting .314 with 38 home runs and 103 RBIs, stealing only eight bases, his fewest since 1954. Normally

8601-418: The Giants on May 14, Mays put New York ahead to stay with a fifth-inning home run, receiving ecstatic applause from the fans at Shea Stadium . Mays appeared in 88 games for the Mets in 1972, batting .250 in 244 at bats with eight home runs. In 1973, Mays showed up a day late to spring training, then left in the middle of it without notifying manager Yogi Berra beforehand. He was fined $ 1,000 upon returning;

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8742-403: The Giants one out from elimination. Batting against Ralph Terry , he hit a ball into the right-field corner that might have been deep enough to score Alou, but Giants third base coach Whitey Lockman opted to hold Alou at third. The next batter, McCovey, hit a line drive that was caught by Bobby Richardson , and the Yankees won the deciding game 1–0. It was Mays's last World Series appearance as

8883-567: The Giants to their last World Series title before their move to the West Coast. His over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is one of the most famous baseball plays of all time. After the Giants moved to San Francisco, Mays went on to win another MVP Award in 1965 and also led the Giants to the 1962 World Series , this time losing to the New York Yankees . He ended his career with

9024-572: The Los Angeles chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America . Joe DiMaggio , recently retired from his role as executive and coach for the Oakland Athletics , was chosen as the manager of the East. He subsequently chose Billy Martin , Hank Bauer , John McNamara , and Satchel Paige as his coaches. Roy Campanella was chose to manager the West and chose Sandy Koufax , Stan Musial , Don Drysdale , Don Newcombe , and Elston Howard as his coaches. Campanella put on his Dodgers jersey for

9165-531: The NL MVP voting, the ninth and final time he finished in the top five in the voting for the award. He batted .288 with 99 runs scored, 37 home runs, and 103 runs batted in; by season's end, only Babe Ruth had hit more home runs (714 to 542). Mays had 13 home runs and 44 RBIs through his first 75 games of 1967 but then went into a slump. On June 7, Gary Nolan of the Cincinnati Reds struck him out four times; this

9306-472: The NL's top-five in a variety of offensive categories: runs scored (112, third) batting average (.333, second), and home runs (35, fourth). In 1957, Mays became the fourth player in major league history to join the 20–20–20 club (doubles, triples, homers). He stole 38 bases that year, making him the second 20–20–20 club member (after Frank Schulte in 1911) to steal at least 20 bases. This gave him his second straight 30–30 club season. Dwindling attendance and

9447-462: The Polo Grounds during the eighth inning of Game 1. The catch prevented two Indians' runners from scoring, preserving a tie game. "The Catch transcended baseball" Barra wrote, and Larry Schwartz of ESPN said of all the catches that Mays made, "it is regarded as his greatest". Mays did not even look at the ball for the last twenty feet as he ran, saying later he realized he had to keep running if he

9588-512: The Reds in the NLCS , Mays helped restore order in Game 3 after Mets fans began throwing trash at Pete Rose following a brawl Rose had started with Bud Harrelson . Game 5 was the only one Mays played; he had a pinch-hit RBI single as the Mets won 7–2, clinching a trip to the 1973 World Series against the Oakland Athletics , October 13–21. A shoulder injury to Rusty Staub prompted the Mets to shift Don Hahn to right field and start Mays in center at

9729-531: The San Francisco fans during his first four seasons in California. Barra speculates this may have been because San Francisco fans were comparing Mays unfavorably with Joe DiMaggio, the most famous center fielder ever to come from San Francisco. Hal Wood mentioned the DiMaggio theory, as well as two other explanations: 1) the fans had heard so many wonderful things about Mays's play in New York that they expected him to be

9870-760: The Say Hey Kid ", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Mays was a five-tool player who began his career in the Negro leagues , playing for the Birmingham Black Barons , and spent the rest of his career in the National League (NL), playing for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets . Born in Westfield, Alabama , Mays

10011-454: The Wheels, and missed about 275 games for the Giants because of his military service. Mays' time playing for the Wheels ended on July 28, 1953, after he chipped a bone in his left foot while sliding into third base, necessitating a 6-week stint in a cast. Discharged on March 1, 1954, he reported to Giants' spring training camp the following day. Mays began the 1954 season on Opening Day with

10152-436: The batting order on June 2, suggesting that Mays stop trying to pull the ball and just make contact. Mays responded with four hits over his next two games on June 2 and 3. By the end of the month, he had pushed his batting average to over .300. He would bat close to .290 for the rest of the season. Although his .274 average, 68 RBIs, and 20 home runs (in 121 games) would rank among the lowest totals of his career, he still won

10293-763: The bench with his Birmingham Industrial League team at ten. His favorite baseball player growing up was Joe DiMaggio ; other favorites were Ted Williams and Stan Musial . Mays played several sports at Fairfield Industrial High School . On the basketball team, he led players at all-black high schools in Jefferson County in scoring. Mays played quarterback , fullback and punter for the football team. Though he turned 18 in 1949, Mays did not graduate from Fairfield until 1950, which journalist Allen Barra calls "a minor mystery in Willie's life". Mays's professional baseball career began in 1948 when he played briefly during

10434-501: The box seat fences beyond the first- and third-base dugouts during the inaugural 1962 season. The left-field message board was replaced by a Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision video board in 1980. The field-level auxiliary scoreboards were replaced by larger units installed on the facade of the Loge (second) seating level in 1998; these, in turn, were replaced by a video ribbon board in 2006. Field-level out-of-town scoreboards were installed on

10575-569: The ceremonial first pitch. Also in attendance was Jackie Robinson , who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball . Soon after the assassination of Martin Luther King , a number of major league players wrote to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), asking what they could do to honor the memory of King. In November 1968, Joseph Peters, the sports project director for the SCLC, wrote to William Eckert , then

10716-518: The city of Los Angeles, using eminent domain with funds from the federal Housing Act of 1949 . The city had planned to develop the Elysian Park Heights public housing project, which included two dozen 13-story buildings and more than 160 two-story townhouses, in addition to newly rebuilt playgrounds and schools, and a college. Before construction could begin on the housing project, the local political climate changed greatly when Norris Poulson

10857-560: The club level facade near the left field foul pole. Also honored on the left field line in addition to the retired numbers are broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin , and longtime owner Walter O'Malley . On April 15, 2017, to mark the 70th anniversary of Robinson's major league debut , the Dodgers unveiled a bronze statue of the historic player in the stadium's left-field plaza. The 800-pound (360 kg) sculpture, made by sculptor Branly Cadet , depicts Robinson sliding into home plate as

10998-439: The cycle just twice in Dodger Stadium ( Jim Fregosi in 1964 and Orlando Hudson in 2009). At first, the relatively deep outfield dimensions were a factor, with the power alleys being about 380 feet (120 m). Home plate was moved 10 feet (3.0 m) toward center field in 1969 , but that move also expanded foul ground by 10 feet (3.0 m), a tradeoff which helped to offset the increased likelihood of home runs caused by

11139-481: The decreased field dimensions. Night games at Dodger Stadium are said to be particularly pitcher-friendly due to the so-called " marine layer effect." According to the marine layer theory, as the sun sets, the surrounding air at Dodger and Angel Stadiums cools quickly due to the ocean climate, becoming more dense. As a result, deep fly balls that might otherwise be home runs during the day instead often remain in play becoming outs. Although Torii Hunter estimated that

11280-500: The deepest center field in baseball (483 feet; 147 m). Mays appeared in his first major league game on May 25 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shibe Park , batting third. He had no hits in his first 12 at bats in the major leagues, but in his 13th on May 28, he hit a home run off Warren Spahn over the left-field roof of the Polo Grounds. Mays went hitless in his next 12 at bats, and Durocher dropped him to eighth in

11421-435: The delayed 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , the unveiling of Koufax's statue was delayed two years. Dodger Stadium was one of the last baseball-only facilities built before the dawn of the multi-purpose stadium . It was built near the convergence of several freeways near downtown Los Angeles, with an expansive parking lot surrounding the stadium. With the construction of many new MLB ballparks in recent years, it

11562-400: The desire for a new ballpark prompted the Giants to move to San Francisco following the 1957 season. In the final Giants' home game at the Polo Grounds on September 29, 1957, fans gave Mays a standing ovation in the middle of his final at bat, after Pirates' pitcher Bob Friend had already thrown a pitch to him. In 1958, Rigney wanted Mays to challenge Babe Ruth 's record of 60 home runs in

11703-403: The fifth player to reach the mark. Warren Spahn, off whom Mays hit his first career home run, was now his teammate. After the home run, Spahn asked him, "Was it anything like the same feeling?" Mays replied, "It was exactly the same feeling. Same pitch, too." The next night, Mays hit one that he considered his most dramatic. With the Giants trailing the Houston Astros by two runs with two outs in

11844-474: The final out as the Giants advanced to the World Series against the Yankees. In Game 1 of the World Series, a 6–2 loss to New York, Mays recorded three hits. He would bat merely .250 in the series overall. The Series went all the way to a Game 7, which the Yankees led 1–0 in the bottom of the ninth. Matty Alou led off the inning with a bunt single but was still at first two outs later when Mays came up with

11985-525: The first sales had been completed, remaining homeowners were offered increasingly lesser amounts of money, to create a community panic of not receiving fair compensation, or of being left as one of the few holdouts. Many residents continued to hold out despite the pressure being placed upon them by developers, resulting in the Battle of Chavez Ravine , a ten-year struggle by the residents to maintain control of their property, which they ultimately lost. Dodger Stadium

12126-505: The first time since his last game, before the automobile accident which left him wheelchair bound. The game was held on March 28, 1970. During the pre-game ceremonies, a recording of King's " I Have a Dream " speech was played over the Dodger Stadium loudspeakers and remarks were made by Reverend H. H. Brookins , president of the SCLC West, SCLC president Reverend Ralph Abernathy , and by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn . Pitcher Mudcat Grant sang

12267-563: The game 5–1, with Fairly being named the game's MVP. He was presented the MVP trophy by Coretta Scott King . Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California . It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at

12408-532: The game against the Phillies, Mays reached second base on an error, stole third, and scored the winning run on a Hank Sauer single, all on plays close enough that he had to slide to make each one. He stole home in a 4–3 loss to the Cubs on May 21. The 1957 season was the first in which the Gold Glove Awards were presented. Mays won the first of 12 consecutive Gold Gloves for his play in center field. He finished in

12549-515: The game was postponed to 1970 at the request of the SCLC to allow for more time to prepare and organize. It was announced that the game would be held in Dodger Stadium , with each of the 24 Major League Baseball teams sending out two players. Further, teams were to be divided by Eastern and Western divisions. The proceeds from the game would go to programs of the SCLC and The King Center being established in Atlanta . Players and managers were selected by

12690-548: The hometown team Los Angeles Galaxy , and Europe's Real Madrid , Everton , and Juventus . The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks played a regular season game in 2014 as part of the NHL Stadium Series . The stadium was also the home of the Los Angeles Angels from 1962 through 1965 . The stadium is commonly referred to as Chavez Ravine Stadium (or just "Chavez Ravine"), after the geographic feature in which

12831-509: The inaugural NL Player of the Month award with Stan Musial in May, batting .405 with 12 home runs and 29 runs batted in; he won a second award in September (.434, 4 home runs, 18 RBIs). He played in all but two games, hitting only 29 home runs. Horace Stoneham , the Giants' owner, made Mays the highest-paid player in baseball with a $ 75,000 contract for 1959. Mays had his first serious injury in 1959,

12972-542: The left- and right-field walls in 2003. Strobe lights were added in 2001; they flash when the Dodgers take the field, after a Dodger home run, and after a Dodger win. In 2018, blue strobe lights were added. In addition to those of Don Drysdale (53), Sandy Koufax (32), and Don Sutton (20), the retired numbers of Pee Wee Reese (1), Jackie Robinson (42), Duke Snider (4), Tommy Lasorda (2), Walter Alston (24), Roy Campanella (39), Jim Gilliam (19), Gil Hodges (14), and Fernando Valenzuela (34) are mounted on

13113-461: The marine layer can decrease fly ball distance by 15 feet, two researchers concluded in 2017 that while "the marine layer has a statistically significant effect on flyball distance [in Petco Park and Oakland Coliseum ] ... [t]he effect size is around six feet," and Dodger Stadium's marine layer effect was close to zero. From 2022 to 2024, Dodger Stadium's night-game home run park factor was 126 (i.e.,

13254-462: The national anthem and Coretta Scott King threw the first pitch. In attendance were numerous African-American firsts in Major League Baseball in various capacities: Jackie Robinson , who broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball , attended the game as a spectator; Larry Doby , the first African-American to play in the American League , attended the game in uniform (at the time, he

13395-481: The ninth, Mays swung and missed at Claude Raymond 's first two pitches, took three balls to load the count, and fouled off three pitches before homering on the ninth pitch. The Giants won 6–5 in 10 innings. Mays won his second MVP award in 1965 behind a career-high 52 home runs, in what Barra said "may very well have [been] his best year". He batted .317, leading the NL in on-base percentage (.400) and slugging percentage (.645). The span of 11 years between his MVP awards

13536-579: The only stadium with symmetrical outfield dimensions remaining in the National League and only one of three total in Major League Baseball. The other two symmetrical fields are Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium , and Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum , both in the American League. Following the 1968 " Year of the Pitcher ," MLB issued league-wide changes to favor batting, including lowering the height of

13677-416: The park actually inflated home runs by 3%, and achieved the low park factor primarily by deflating doubles (by 21%) and triples (by 45%). This effect has been attributed to the stadium's uniform outfield walls and relatively small "corners" near the foul poles. The extremely short outfield walls near the foul poles also make some balls that would bounce off the wall in other parks go for home runs. Following

13818-516: The parking lot and allowed up to 950 cars to enter for each World Series game. An entrance fee of $ 75 per car was charged, with no more than 6 occupants per car. Audio play-by-play was broadcast over an FM station. No food or drink was sold, and participants were prohibited from bringing alcohol or "partying away from their car". An estimated 2,000 fans attended each game. (*-Perfect game) Willie Mays Major League Baseball Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "

13959-446: The pennant race, Mays's fielding and strong throwing arm were instrumental in several important Giants' victories. Mays was in the on-deck circle on October 3 when Bobby Thomson hit a three-run homer to win the three-game NL tie-breaker series 2–1. The Giants met the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series . In Game 1, Mays, Hank Thompson , and Monte Irvin composed the first all-black outfield in major league history. For

14100-405: The pitcher's mound. In addition, the Dodgers moved the diamond about 10 feet (3 m) towards center field, which was partially credited for generating 46 more home runs than the prior season. According to MLB's park factor database, Dodger Stadium decreased offense by 6% from 1997 to 1999 (the first year data was reported), making it the most pitcher-friendly park in MLB during this period. However,

14241-474: The postponement. To pay for an outstanding loan with the Dodgers former owner News Corporation , former owner Frank McCourt used Dodger Stadium as collateral to obtain a $ 250 million loan. In 2008, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to give the Dodger Stadium area bounded by Academy Rd, Lookout Dr. and Stadium Way its own zip code, 90090 (as of July 2009). This also gives the area

14382-484: The proceeds going to charity. The baseline seating sections have been converted into retro-style "box" seating, adding leg room and a table. Other repairs were made to the concrete structure of the stadium. These improvements mark the second phase of a multi-year improvement plan for Dodger Stadium. Between 2003 and 2005, Dodger Stadium upgraded with LED video displays . The large main video display measures 27 feet (8.2 m) high by 47 feet (14 m) wide. In 2008,

14523-445: The rest of the year. One reason he hit so few home runs was that Mays walked 112 times, 30 more times than he had at any point in his career. This was partly because Willie McCovey , who often batted behind Mays in the lineup, missed several games with injuries, causing pitchers to pitch carefully to Mays so they could concentrate on getting less-skilled hitters out. Subsequently, Mays led the league in on-base percentage (.425) for only

14664-412: The second player and the first right-handed hitter to hit 600 home runs. Mays also set standards for defensive brilliance, winning 12 consecutive Gold Glove Awards after their creation in 1957, still a record for outfielders; he led NL center fielders in double plays five times and assists three times. A classic example of a five-tool player , Mays finished his career with a .302 batting average. At

14805-616: The second time, though his 123 strikeouts were a career-high. He batted .271 and stole 23 bases. The Giants won the NL West in 1971, returning Mays to the playoffs for the first time since 1962. In the NL Championship Series (NLCS) against the Pirates, Mays had a home run and three RBIs in the first two games. In Game 3, Mays attempted an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt in a 1–1 tie in the sixth with no outs and Tito Fuentes on second base,

14946-406: The series, Mays hit poorly as the Giants lost the series in six games. In Game 5, he hit a consequential fly ball , which DiMaggio and Yankee rookie Mickey Mantle pursued. DiMaggio called Mantle off at the last second; as he stopped, Mantle got his cleat stuck in an open drainpipe, suffering a knee injury that would affect him the rest of his career. Soon after the 1951 season ended, Mays learned

15087-457: The slump. He finally set the record May 4. Despite nursing an injured thigh muscle on September 7, Mays reached base in the 11th inning of a game against the Dodgers with two outs, then attempted to score from first base on a Frank Johnson single. On a close play, umpire Tony Venzon initially ruled him out, then changed the call when he saw Roseboro had dropped the ball after Mays collided with him. San Francisco won 3–2. Mays finished third in

15228-514: The stadium before the start of a doubleheader on April 30 without telling him. On May 11, 1972, Mays was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and an undisclosed amount rumored to be $ 100,000. The Mets agreed to keep his salary at $ 165,000 a year for 1972 and 1973, promising to pay Mays $ 50,000 a year for 10 years after he retired. Mays had remained popular in New York, and owner Joan Payson had long wanted to bring him back to his major league roots. In his Mets debut against

15369-400: The stadium inflated home runs by 26%), the second-highest in MLB. Although the distance to center field has been marked at 395 feet since 1973, it is still actually 400 feet (120 m) to center, as has been the case since 1969. The two 395-foot (120 m) signs erected in 1973 are to the left and right of dead center. However, curvature of the fence between the posted distance signs

15510-540: The stadium overlooks downtown Los Angeles and provides views of the city to the south, the green tree-lined hills of Elysian Park to the north and east, and the San Gabriel Mountains beyond the outfield pavilions. Due to dry summers in Southern California, rainouts at Dodger Stadium are rare. Prior to 1976, the Dodgers were rained out only once, against the St. Louis Cardinals , on April 21, 1967, ending

15651-520: The stadium returned to its original status as a pitchers' park, decreasing total offense by 7%. FanGraphs noted in 2018 that many other teams had been shrinking their foul territory, although Dodger Stadium still has less foul territory than most MLB ballparks. Since park factors are based on MLB averages and not absolute values, a league-wide decrease in foul territory would by definition make Dodger Stadium's limited foul territory look more pitcher-friendly. From 2022 to 2024, MLB ranked Dodger Stadium as

15792-590: The stadium sits. It is sometimes referred to as "Blue Heaven on Earth," a nickname coined by Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda . In the mid-1950s, Brooklyn Dodgers team president Walter O'Malley had tried to build a domed stadium in the New York City borough of Brooklyn , but was unable to reach an agreement with city officials for the land acquisition, and eventually reached a deal with the city of Los Angeles. The land that would be used for Dodger Stadium had previously been seized from local owners and inhabitants by

15933-534: The start of the Series. He stumbled four times in the first two games, including a fielding error in Game 2 that allowed the Athletics to tie the game and force extra innings. Mays's last hit came later in the same game, an RBI single against Rollie Fingers that snapped a 7–7 tie in the 12th inning of a 10–7 victory. His final at bat came in Game 3, on October 16, 1973, where he pinch-hit for Tug McGraw and grounded into

16074-618: The summer with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos , a Negro minor league team . Later that year, Mays joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League , where he was known as "Buck". The Black Barons were managed by Piper Davis , a teammate of Mays's father on the industrial team. When Fairfield Industrial principal E. T. Oliver threatened to suspend Mays for playing professional ball, Davis and Mays's father worked out an agreement. Mays would only play home games for

16215-412: The team in eight offensive categories in 1962: runs (130), doubles (36), home runs (49), RBIs (141), stolen bases (18), walks (78), on-base percentage (.384), and slugging percentage (.613). He finished second in NL MVP voting to Maury Wills , who had broken Ty Cobb 's record for stolen bases in a season. On September 30, Mays hit a game-winning home run in the Giants' final regularly scheduled game of

16356-687: The team's first batting title since Bill Terry 's in 1930. Hitting 41 home runs, Mays won the NL Most Valuable Player Award and the Hickok Belt . The Giants won the NL pennant and the 1954 World Series , sweeping the Cleveland Indians in four games. The 1954 series is perhaps best remembered for " The Catch ", an over-the-shoulder running grab by Mays of a long drive off the bat of Vic Wertz about 425 feet (130 m) from home plate at

16497-440: The third batter in the lineup, Mays was moved to fourth in 1964 before returning to third in subsequent years. On May 21, Dark named Mays the Giants' captain, making Mays the first African-American captain of an MLB team. "You deserve it," Dark told Mays. "You should have had it long before this." Against the Phillies on September 4, Mays made what Hirsch called "one of the most acrobatic catches of his career". Rubén Amaro Sr. hit

16638-505: The time of his retirement, he held the NL record for career runs scored (2,062), and ranked second in league history behind Stan Musial in games played (2,992), third in home runs (660), at bats (10,881), runs batted in (1,903), total bases (6,066), extra-base hits (1,323) and walks (1,464), fourth in hits (3,293), fifth in slugging percentage (.557), and eighth in doubles (523); his 140 triples ranked fourth among players active after 1945. He holds major league records for games as

16779-463: The top of the stadium. On July 23, 2019, a press conference was held with the presentation of the $ 100 million renovation to the ballpark, which includes a 2-acre (0.81 ha) center field plaza with a children's playground located between the left field and right field bleachers, the relocation of the Jackie Robinson statue from the left field entrance to the center field playground, as well as

16920-412: The trough urinals in the men's restrooms, new concession stands and earthquake retrofitting to the concrete structure. It was also to include the replacement of the outfield scoreboards and monitors with new HD monitors. Due to the 2009 World Baseball Classic hosted at Dodger Stadium, these renovations were put on hold. The divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt, as well as a weak economy, were the reasons for

17061-506: The waist and helped him off the field, then tackled Lou Johnson to keep him from attacking an umpire. Johnson kicked him in the head and nearly knocked him out. After the brawl, Mays hit a game-winning three-run home run against Sandy Koufax , but he did not finish the game, feeling dizzy after the home run. Mays won his fourth and final NL Player of the Month award in August 1965 (.363, 17 home runs, 29 RBIs). On September 13, he hit his 500th career home run off Don Nottebart , becoming

17202-508: The winter of 2012. Both video boards were replaced with High Definition screens, and new clubhouses and weight rooms were installed. The restrooms, concession stands, sound system and batting cages were also improved and renovated. Dodgers owner Guggenheim Partners internally discussed moving the Dodgers to a new stadium at a Downtown Los Angeles site proposed by the Anschutz Entertainment Group to allow an NFL team to build

17343-404: The year, forcing the team into a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers . The Giants faced the Dodgers in a three-game playoff series . With the Giants trailing 4–2 in the top of the ninth inning of Game 3, Mays hit an RBI single, eventually scoring as the Giants took a 6–4 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Lee Walls hit a fly ball to center field, which Mays caught for

17484-668: The year, the first time since 1958 he had failed to reach 100. Before a game in Houston on May 6, 1968, Astros owner Roy Hofheinz presented Mays with a 569-pound birthday cake for his 37th birthday—the pounds represented every home run Mays had hit in his career. After sharing some of it with his teammates, Mays sent the rest to the Texas Children's Hospital . He played 148 games and upped his batting average to .289, accumulating 84 runs scored, 144 hits, 23 home runs, and 79 runs batted in. In 1969, new Giants' manager Clyde King moved Mays to

17625-487: Was affectionately referred to as "Buck." His parents never married and separated when Mays was three. His father and two aunts, Sarah and Ernestine raised him. Sarah took young Willie to an African Methodist Episcopal Church every Sunday. Cat Mays worked as a railway porter and later at the steel mills in Westfield. Cat exposed Willie to baseball at an early age, playing catch with him at five and allowing him to sit on

17766-406: Was also at the forefront of a resurgence of speed as an offensive weapon in the 1950s, leading the league in stolen bases four times, triples three times, and runs twice; his 179 steals during the decade topped the major leagues. He was the first NL player to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season , the first player in history to reach both 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases, and

17907-532: Was an all-around athlete. He joined the Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948, playing with them until the Giants signed him upon his graduation from high school in 1950. He debuted in MLB with the Giants and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1951 after hitting 20 home runs to help the Giants win their first pennant in 14 years. In 1954, he won the NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award , leading

18048-625: Was built behind the main stands, allowing ticket-holders to park at roughly the level of their seats, minimizing use of ramps once inside. The stadium was also designed to be earthquake -resistant, an important consideration in California, and it has withstood several serious earthquakes. Dodger Stadium was originally equipped with two large Fair Play electronic scoreboard units above the left- and right-field pavilions. The right-field board displayed in-game information. The left-field board displayed scores of out-of-town games and other messages. Smaller auxiliary scoreboards were installed at field level on

18189-668: Was called up by the Giants on May 24, 1951. Initially, Mays was reluctant to accept the promotion because he did not believe he was ready to face major league pitchers. Stunned, Giants manager Leo Durocher called Mays directly and said, "Quit costing the ball club money with long-distance phone calls and join the team." It was also around this time that Mays was given his famous moniker: "The Say Hey Kid". The Giants hoped Mays would help them defensively in center field, as well as offensively. The Polo Grounds featured an unusual horseshoe shape, with relatively short left field (280 feet; 85 m) and right field (258 feet; 79 m) lines but

18330-550: Was coach with the Montreal Expos ); the home plate umpire was Emmett Ashford , the first African-American umpire in the Major Leagues. Players voluntarily attended to play in the game despite the fact that spring training was ongoing. Notably, Willie Mays flew from Japan where the San Francisco Giants were playing exhibition games, later saying: "It was too important to pass up." Tom Seaver , starting pitcher for

18471-525: Was elected mayor of Los Angeles in 1953. Proposed public housing projects such as Elysian Park Heights lost most of their support as they became associated with socialist ideals. Following protracted negotiations, the city purchased the Chavez Ravine property back from the Federal Housing Authority at a drastically reduced price, with the stipulation that the land be used for a public purpose. It

18612-402: Was expected to be conducive to home runs, but unpredictable winds affected Mays's power, and he hit only 12 at home in 1960. He found the stadium tricky to field but figured out how to play it as the season progressed. When a fly ball was hit, he would count to five before giving pursuit, enabling him to judge the wind's effect. He hit two home runs on June 24 and stole home in a 5–3 victory over

18753-405: Was going to get the ball. The Giants won the game in the 10th inning on a three-run home run by Dusty Rhodes , with Mays scoring the winning run. Mays added base stealing to his talents, upping his total from eight in 1954 to 24 in 1955. In the middle of May, Durocher asked him to try for more home runs. Mays led the league with 51 but finished fourth in NL MVP voting. Leading the league with

18894-561: Was hired to manage the Giants before the start of the 1961 season, and the improving Giants finished in third place. Mays had one of his best games on April 30, 1961, hitting four home runs and driving in eight runs against the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium . According to Mays, he had been unsure if he would even play because of food poisoning. Each of his home runs traveled over 400 feet (120 m). While Mantle and Roger Maris pursued Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in

19035-446: Was not until June 3, 1958, when Los Angeles voters approved a "Taxpayers Committee for Yes on Baseball" referendum, that the Dodgers were able to acquire 352 acres (1.42 km ) of Chavez Ravine from the city. Los Angeles forcefully evicted residents from their homes, mainly Hispanics. While Dodger Stadium was under construction, the Dodgers played in the league's largest capacity venue from 1958 through 1961 at their temporary home,

19176-507: Was replaced by more conventional box seating in a 1999 renovation, but this feature has been replicated at Progressive Field in Cleveland and Angel Stadium of Anaheim . Two of Dodger Stadium's most distinctive features are the wavy roof atop each outfield pavilion and the top of a 10-story elevator shaft bearing the Dodger logo rising directly behind home plate at the top of the uppermost seating level. A unique terraced-earthworks parking lot

19317-455: Was the first Major League Baseball stadium since the initial construction of the original Yankee Stadium to be built using 100% private financing, and the last until Oracle Park in San Francisco opened in 2000. Ground was broken for Dodger Stadium on September 17, 1959. The tops of local ridges were removed, and the soil was used to fill in Sulfur and Cemetery Ravines to provide a level surface for

19458-437: Was the first time in his career this had happened, though the Giants still won the game 4–3. Afflicted by a fever on July 14, Mays left that day's game after the sixth inning because of fatigue and spent five days in a hospital. "After I got back into the lineup, I never felt strong again for the rest of the season," he recalled. In 141 games, Mays hit .263 with 83 runs scored, 128 hits, and 22 home runs. He had only 70 RBIs for

19599-490: Was the longest gap of any major leaguer who attained the distinction more than once, as were the 10 years between his 50 home run seasons . He scored 118 runs, the 12th year in a row he had scored at least 100 runs in a season. Mays tied Mel Ott 's NL record of 511 home runs on April 24, 1966, against the Astros. After that, he went for nine days without a home run. "I started thinking home run every time I got up," Mays explained

19740-429: Was the only current MLB park (through 2005) that had never done so, due to a conditional-use permit that limits Dodger Stadium's seating capacity to 56,000. Whenever higher-revenue lower seats were added, some in the upper deck or pavilion were removed to keep the number the same. Through the sale of standing room only tickets, the Dodgers' 2009 home opener drew 57,099 fans, the largest crowd in stadium history. Following

19881-426: Was the replacement of nearly all the seats in the stadium. The seats that were removed had been in use since 1975 and helped give the stadium its unique "space age" feel with a color palette of bright yellow, orange, blue, and red. The new seats are in the original (more muted) 1962 color scheme consisting of yellow, light orange, turquoise, and sky blue. 2,000 pairs of seats were made available for purchase at $ 250, with

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