Willie Mays was in the middle of a great run of form on August 16, 1966, and took a pitch the other way to lead off the third and make history at Candlestick Park by tying himself with Jimmie Foxx for the most home runs by a right-handed hitter at 534.
Mays needed little time to pass Foxx, hitting his 30th home run of the season – his last 30-homer campaign – off Ray Washburn the next day, following that up with home runs in each of the first two games in the Giants’ series with Atlanta, all part of a run where he hit eight home runs with 13 RBIs in a dozen games. Mays finished well ahead of Foxx with 660 career home runs, still fourth-most all-time. Since Mays passed Foxx, eight other right-handers have eclipsed the longtime Philadelphia Athletic’s mark, but only one has passed Mays: Hank Aaron.
Mick Gillispie told the story of the day Mays tied the mark during the sixth inning of Tennessee’s game with the Huntsville Stars
Andrew Green
jrocke
npattill
Leave a Reply