Willie Mays was, and still is a household name amongst even the most casual of baseball fans; That is something that likely will never change.
But when Willie Mays stepped foot inside the batter's box of Quigley Stadium in 1948, no one knew who he was.
Mays played 3 games at the then-named freshly built Exhibition Stadium between 1948 and 1949.
The Birmingham Black Barons were fresh off of a pennant win and were looking for more wins. The roads would lead the team to West Haven, Connecticut, for an exhibition game against the very powerful and dominant West Haven Sailors.
Moe Quigley, who owned both the stadium and the Sailors, got one look at 17-year-old Willie Mays and went on a rant. Quigley immediately assumed that Birmingham had pulled Mays off the street.
Quigley reportedly referred to Mays as “the kid” and boasted to Mays that he wasn’t going to get paid.
It didn’t take long for Quigley to have his anger forgoed. Mays smacked 3 doubles and made impressive plays in the outfield, electrifying the local fans.
Overall, after countless hours of research, it seems to be Mays’ time in West Haven is pretty much forgotten about as no official stat line from any of the three games could be found.
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