The Best Fielding Team Moments Ever!

Fielding Team

  • Willie Mays makes one of the best over-the-shoulder catches for a in Major League history
  • Brooks Robinson stuns the Cincinnati Reds with his acrobatic, backhand catch to throw out Lee May at first base
  • Bill Buckner goes down in baseball lore as having one of the worst moments ever

Luckily, we’ve been able to see these amazing moments on television. If you were even luckier, you could have seen these plays on the electronic baseball scoreboards, live.

Willie Mays – New York Giants

It’s Game 1 of the 1954 World Series and the Giants are playing the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds. The game is tied in the eighth inning and the Giants are the fielding team with Willie Mays in center. Vic Wertz is up for the Indians and drives a shot to deep center field. Mays turns around and starts running while tracking the ball over his shoulder. He reaches out, with his back to diamond, and catches the ball over his shoulder.

While the catch was spectacular, what followed was some of the best baseball team fielding ever. Once Mays caught the ball, he immediately spun around and threw to second to hold the runner at first. This game saving catch and throw allowed the Giants to win the game 5-2.

Brooks Robinson – Baltimore Orioles

They’re playing Game 1 of the 1970 World Series at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati…home of the Reds. The score is tied 3-3 in the sixth inning and Lee May of the Reds is at the plate. He hits a screaming high bouncer down the third baseline where Brooks Robinson of the fielding team is positioned. The ball was fair; however, by the time Robinson “backhanded” the ball it was in foul territory behind third base. Off-balance and on one foot, Robinson threw out May at first with a one-hop throw to Boog Powell at first. The Oriole’s stellar baseball team fielding led them to a 4-3 victory.

Bill Buckner – Boston Red Sox

This fielding team moment is a nightmare for Sox fans and a dream come true for Mets fans. While Bill Buckner wasn’t known for his stellar fielding percentage, no one deserves this type of fate when it comes to Game 6 of the World Series. The Sox were ahead in the series 3 – 2 and were leading with two outs in the 10th inning. Buckner went to first base for the fielding team even though he was playing with injured knees. Mookie Wilson was at bat for the Mets and fouled off several pitches. He then hit a rolling grounder up the first base line which should have resulted in a quick force out and World Series championship. In what is some of the worst baseball team fielding by a player, the ball rolled through Buckner’s legs giving Wilson a single and allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run. The Mets went on to capture the Fall Classic in Game 7.

Devon White – Toronto Blue Jays

White was a speedster in the outfield with a quality fielding percentage. It was Game 3 of the World Series between the Jays and the Atlanta Braves at the Skydome. With Deion Sanders and Terry Pendleton on base for the Braves, Dave Justice hit a long ball to center field. White makes an over-the-shoulder catch knowing full well that he was about slam into the center field wall. He did…face first…and he hung on to the ball.

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