Willie Mays (# 28) - Minneapolis Millers 1951
Compiled by Stew Thornley
*Scheduled for seven innings
Date Opponent AB R H RBI
W 4/18 at Columbus Red Birds 6 1 2 0
Th 4/19 at Columbus 4 1 1 0 2B
F 4/20 at Columbus 2 1 2 1 2B, HR (1) - homer in 7th over the 378-foot mark in left ties game 3-3.
Sa 4/21 at Toledo Mud Hens 5 1 2 1 2B, 3B - Mays throws out a runner at the plate and scores winning run after leadng off the 10th with a double.
Su 4/22-1 at Toledo 4 1 1 2 HR (2)
*Su 4/22-2 at Toledo 4 0 1 0
Tu 4/24 at Louisville Colonels 5 1 1 0 Mays scores winning run in the 11th.
W 4/25 at Louisville 5 0 2 2 2 2B
Th 4/26 at Louisville 4 1 2 1
F 4/27 at Indianapolis Indians 4 0 2 0
Sa 4/28 at Indianapolis 5 1 2 1 2B
Su 4/29-1 at Indianapolis 3 0 1 0
*Su 4/29-2 at Indianapolis 3 0 0 0
Tu 5/1 Columbus 5 1 3 0 2B before crowd of 6,477 in home opener.  Halsey Hall in the Minneapolis Tribune: "Willie Mays said howdy do as bombastically as any newcomer in history.  He got three hits, made a sparkling catch against the flagpole, unfurled a typical throw."
W 5/2 Columbus 4 0 1 0 A-2,770.  Mays lives in Minneapolis at 3616 Fourth Avenue South, across the street from Ray Dandridge and Dave Barnhill.  On the road, the black players stay in the same hotel as the white players, except in Kansas City and Louisville.
Th 5/3 Columbus 3 1 1 0 A-1,259.  Mays makes his only error with the Millers.  Halsey Hall cites the weather with a reference to pitcher "Young Norman Fox, as cutting and sharp as the wiintry breeze that swept Nicollet Park."
F 5/4 Columbus 3 2 3 0 A-1,535.
Su 5/6-1 Toledo 5 1 3 2
*Su 5/6-2 Toledo 3 0 0 0 A-4,511.
M 5/7 Louisville 4 2 2 1 3B - A-1,351.  Halsey Hall: "Willie Mays turned scoreboard boy.  Off Taft Wright in the third inning the young genius looked like he was hanging up numbers as he leaped almost to the level of the big league board for a fly ball, banged into the wall and doubled a runner at second base.  It will rank as one of the greatest catches you will ever see."  From On to Nicollet: "Meanwhile, Wright put his head down and hustled into second base, assuming he had a stand-up double and was incredulous when the umpire informed him he was out.  Wright remained at second until manager Pinky Higgins came out and told him that Willie indeed had caught the ball."
Tu 5/8 Louisville 5 3 3 1 2B, HR (3) - A-2,211 (plus 1,328 ladies).  Mays opens scoring with low-liner over the left-field fence in the 1st inning.    Later, Mays gets spiked in the hand at second base, but the injury wasn't serious.
W 5/9 Louisville 5 2 5 3 2B - In addition to 5 hits, Mays draws a walk.  A-568 on a cold night.
Th 5/10 Louisville 4 3 3 2 HR (4) - A-1,332.
F 5/11 Indianapolis 6 2 4 1 2B - A-2,773.
Sa 5/12 Indianapolis 3 1 2 1 HR (5) - Mays raises average to .471.  A-2,067.
Su 5/13-1 Indianapolis 3 3 3 1 2 2B
*Su 5/13-2 Indianapolis 3 1 1 1 HR (6) - A-4,829.
W 5/16 at St. Paul Saints 5 1 2 0 Attendance in St. Paul-5,957.
Th 5/17 St. Paul 5 0 2 2 A-3,238.  Mays drives in the winning run with a single in the last of the 10th inning.
F 5/18 at St. Paul, wet grounds
Sa 5/19 at Milwaukee Brewers 5 4 4 2 2B, 3B, HR (7)
Su 5/20-1 at Milwaukee 5 1 3 3 3 2B
*Su 5/20-2 at Milwaukee 4 1 2 1 HR (8)
M 5/21 at Kansas City Blues 5 1 2 0
Tu 5/22 at Kansas City 5 0 1 0 2B
W 5/23 at Kansas City 5 0 2 2
Total 35 games 149 38 71 31 8 home runs, .477 batting average, .799 slugging average
The Millers were in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, May 24 for an exhibition game against the Sioux City Western League team.  Mays was called up by the New York Giants and left the Millers before the game. 
Attendance at Nicollet Park to see Mays: 34,921 in 13 dates (average: 2,686)
Twin Cities attendance (including one game in St. Paul): 40,878 in 14 dates (average: 2,920)
Mays in 16 games in Twin Cities (including St. Paul): 66 AB, 23 R, 38 H, 15 RBIs, .576 batting average, .894 slugging average
W L Manager
Statistics
Player Games Batting Average Home Runs Runs Batted In Position
Pitcher G IP W L ERA