Willie Mays and Jimmy Piersall had little in common as ballplayers but did actually decide to have a throwing contest.
Not really a lot to tell the event was a stunt that took place when I was to young to
remember or even understand the logic behind a throwing contest.
During an off day for both teams, August 16th, 1954. The National League powerhouse and eventual World Series winner that year, The New York Giants came up from New York by train to face the lowly American League perennial cellar dweller Boston Red Sox in a charity game. Before the game started Jimmy Piersall and the “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays engaged in a baseball throwing contest.
Unfortunately for Boston and Piersall, Jimmy hurt his arm early on and had to forfeit the meaningless contest staged to entertain the small crowd that showed that day.
Piersall still started the game but left the game early. The next morning he woke up and his arm was still sore, in fact the pain stayed with him for at least a year, and he never regained his old form as an outfielder with outstanding gun for an arm in center field. He still had game though and remained an outstanding defensive outfielder despite losing the strong arm.
Playing the shallowest center-field in the majors, he won two Gold Gloves. Piersall's best years at the plate included a league-leading 40 doubles, 91 runs, 87 RBI, and .293 average for the 1956 Red Sox; 19 HR and 103 runs for the Red Sox in 1957; 18 HR, 66 RBI, and a .282 average for Cleveland in 1960, with a career-high 18 steals, fifth in the league; and a .322 average, fourth in the league, for the 1961 Indians.
While with the Mets in 1963 at the end of a long 14 year career Piersall pulled off one of his most famous stunts (IMO it rivaled his many other stunts as easily the most memorable of all)
June 23, 1963 - Having noted that New York Mets teammate Duke Snider didn't receive much attention for hitting his 400th career home run earlier in the season, Jimmy Piersall concocted a plan to receive considerably more ink for his next homer, which would be No. 100. He even practiced it.
Facing Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Dallas Green, Piersall hit a pop fly just over the right-field fence at the Polo Grounds, a distance of about 260 feet. After his first drive into the stands as a Met, he put his plan into operation. He sped around the bases backward. "I did it good, too," Piersall said. "I even shook hands with the coach at third base."
The stunt made the front page of several New York newspapers. But one person who wasn't amused was his manager, Casey Stengel. "Casey was so mad that he cut me [two days later]," Piersall said. "But I got $6,000 severance pay for one month, which made it my best payday in baseball, although I'd hit only .194 for the Mets. He did me a favor."
Piersall and his first wife had nine children. Later Jim was diagnosed with manic depression, Piersall takes lithium for the illness to this day..
wil.
Not really a lot to tell the event was a stunt that took place when I was to young to
remember or even understand the logic behind a throwing contest.
During an off day for both teams, August 16th, 1954. The National League powerhouse and eventual World Series winner that year, The New York Giants came up from New York by train to face the lowly American League perennial cellar dweller Boston Red Sox in a charity game. Before the game started Jimmy Piersall and the “Say Hey Kid” Willie Mays engaged in a baseball throwing contest.
Unfortunately for Boston and Piersall, Jimmy hurt his arm early on and had to forfeit the meaningless contest staged to entertain the small crowd that showed that day.
Piersall still started the game but left the game early. The next morning he woke up and his arm was still sore, in fact the pain stayed with him for at least a year, and he never regained his old form as an outfielder with outstanding gun for an arm in center field. He still had game though and remained an outstanding defensive outfielder despite losing the strong arm.
Playing the shallowest center-field in the majors, he won two Gold Gloves. Piersall's best years at the plate included a league-leading 40 doubles, 91 runs, 87 RBI, and .293 average for the 1956 Red Sox; 19 HR and 103 runs for the Red Sox in 1957; 18 HR, 66 RBI, and a .282 average for Cleveland in 1960, with a career-high 18 steals, fifth in the league; and a .322 average, fourth in the league, for the 1961 Indians.
While with the Mets in 1963 at the end of a long 14 year career Piersall pulled off one of his most famous stunts (IMO it rivaled his many other stunts as easily the most memorable of all)
June 23, 1963 - Having noted that New York Mets teammate Duke Snider didn't receive much attention for hitting his 400th career home run earlier in the season, Jimmy Piersall concocted a plan to receive considerably more ink for his next homer, which would be No. 100. He even practiced it.
Facing Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Dallas Green, Piersall hit a pop fly just over the right-field fence at the Polo Grounds, a distance of about 260 feet. After his first drive into the stands as a Met, he put his plan into operation. He sped around the bases backward. "I did it good, too," Piersall said. "I even shook hands with the coach at third base."
The stunt made the front page of several New York newspapers. But one person who wasn't amused was his manager, Casey Stengel. "Casey was so mad that he cut me [two days later]," Piersall said. "But I got $6,000 severance pay for one month, which made it my best payday in baseball, although I'd hit only .194 for the Mets. He did me a favor."
Piersall and his first wife had nine children. Later Jim was diagnosed with manic depression, Piersall takes lithium for the illness to this day..
wil.
