Willie Mays made early stop in Lancaster during his Hall of Fame Baseball career

It was an ordinary day.  The number of fans who sat in the bleachers at Lancaster’s Stumpf Field on July 29, 1950, has been lost to history.  All evidence suggests it was likely just a few hundred who watched the baseball doubleheader between the Lancaster Red Roses and the Trenton Giants that Saturday night in the Class B Inter State League.  Surely, in the intervening years there are plenty who had wished they were at the ballpark on Fruitville Pike. So many missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  See, what hasn’t been lost — just faded by the passage of time — was the presence of a 19-year-old center fielder who was on his way to being arguably the greatest to play the game.  Willie Mays, who died Tuesday at the age of 93, flashed his immense skills — and likely his infectious smile — during that five-game series from July 29-31.  Lancaster New Era sports editor George Kirchner wrote in a column on Aug. 3 on Trenton’s top players: “Local fans are convinced that Mays, by far and wide, is the brightest prospect; the kid who is likely to go all the way and in a few years, at that.”  Mays went 9-for-21 with three doubles, a triple, three runs and three RBIs in the series, though Lancaster won three of the games.  In the finale, a 12-11, 10-inning win for the Giants, Mays made a game-saving catch in the ninth after throwing out a runner at the plate earlier in the game (he also had at least one other outfield assist in the series).  The New Era, in a story headlined “Mays’ Catch Stops Roses for Trenton,” reported: “Mays, the fastest guy in the Inter State League, came chasing in from center field to nab a looping hit by Gale Wade and cut off the run that would have given the Roses the decision in nine innings.”  The catch was again referenced later in the story: “Mays came tearing in like a speed demon and made a great catch to save immediate defeat.  When Trenton’s bus pulled into Lancaster for the start of the series, Mays had only been with the New York Giants organization for about a month. His contract had been purchased by New York from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League on June 21, and he made his debut with Trenton on June 24.   “Incidentally, Eddie Glennon, former business manager for Wilmington, now acting in a similar capacity for Birmingham, says he believes Mays could be converted into a pitcher because of his powerful right arm. … While with the Barons, Willie had two assists from center field, indicating that he must be able to throw the ball.”  After seeing Mays in person, Kirchner was sold, and not on him being a pitcher.  In his column on Aug. 3, he wrote “Willie was slightly terrific against our Roses, both at the plate and in the field.  “He’s one of the fastest runners ever to come into Stumpf Field, and when it comes to throwing, he has an arm that looks every bit as strong as any we’ve seen in baseball … Major or Minor League.”  Kirchner concluded that Mays was “one kid who seems destined to go places in baseball in a hurry.”  On Aug. 16, Kirchner made his case for Mays being the league’s MVP despite the late start to his season, pointing to his “terrific hitting,” “sensational fielding” and “dazzling speed.”  “Anytime he steps to the plate, he’s dangerous for he not only can place his hits ‘where they ain’t,’ ” Kirchner wrote, “he can also pole that long ball. In the field, he’s a good bet to snag anything that stays inside the park and in several appearances which he has made at Stumpf Field he has come up with catches that positively amazed the customers.”  Mays ended up hitting .353 with four home runs, 55 RBIs, seven stolen bases and a .947 OPS in 81 games for Trenton.  For the record, Danny Schell, an outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies’ Wilmington team, won the MVP voting. He hit .318 with 20 homers and 104 RBIs for the league champion Blue Rocks. He hit .281 in 94 major league games with the Phillies.  Mays did play two more late-season games at Stumpf Field — Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 — going 2-for-8 with a stolen base as the Giants lost both to the Red Roses.  Incidentally, the listed attendance for the last game was 275.  The Red Roses, a Brooklyn farm team managed by the fabulously named Ed Head, a former Dodgers pitcher, averaged 467 fans per game.  In 1951, Mays spent just 35 games with Triple-A Minneapolis, hitting .477, before being called up to New York. For the pennant-winning Giants, he hit .274 with 20 home runs and 68 RBIs in 121 games and was named Rookie of the Year.  It was just the beginning of a legendary career that ended with 660 home runs, two National League MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves, a batting title, 24 All-Star Game selections, a World Series title and election into the Baseball Hall of Famer on the first ballot.  But before any of that, before Mays was the “Say Hey Kid,” he displayed his prodigious talent in Lancaster.  Those of us living here in Lancaster knew he would be great before any one else knew!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.