Thanks to Mays’ catch and throw, the Giants were able to escape the inning unscathed, setting up a 10th-inning walk-off and, ultimately, a World Series victory in four games.

No other player among the Big Red Machine's lineup of superstars can claim greater individual impact on how the game has been played since, even now.

Orioles’ Cedric Mullins goes full Willie Mays with insane snag vs. Nationals The Orioles center fielder made a running catch at the wall look easy as he robbed the Nationals of extra bases with ...

Junior Giants play catch on the field during the Willie Mays celebration of life. (Maddie Harrell / San Francisco Giants / Getty Images) ...

Baseball legend Willie Mays died Tuesday at age 93 and "The Catch" is one of the most iconic plays from his Hall of Fame career.

His philosophy was “They throw the ball, I hit it; they hit the ball, I catch it.” If he did that as well as he could, he could lead by example, and make the people around him play better.

Despite media efforts to force Mays into a story, the superstar adamantly handled racism in his own, quieter way.

"Willie Mays-style," said Giants color commentator Mike Krukow. While Ramos's catch was admittedly, not one of the basket variety, it was a play that likely would have made Mays proud.

But to even get to that point where they had an opportunity to win, their young, breakout center fielder Heliot Ramos made an incredible Mays-style over-the-shoulder basket catch in the seventh ...

That was the Mays who inspired many to adopt the basket catch and made many fall in love with the poetry of the game. That was the speed, the power, the flash, confidence, and tenacity.

Remembering Willie Mays: Where to find all of our coverage The Giants lost to the Cubs, 5-2, but the game played second fiddle to the news that many players and coaches learned of as it transpired.