Today In Brewer History: Mays Mashes

Willie Mays hit 660 home runs over 22 major league seasons, so there's no shame in having given one up. On this day in 1961, though, the Milwaukee Braves let Mays run roughshod all over them.

The action started in the top of the first, when Mays hit a solo shot off Lew Burdette. The Giants retook the lead in the third when Mays homered again, this time a two-run shot. He hit a three-run blast in the sixth to increase San Francisco's lead to 11-3, and at that point he became the proud owner of both his first three-homer game in the majors and the first three-homer game in Milwaukee baseball history.

Mays wasn't done, though: He hit another two-run shot in the eighth to give the Giants 14 runs. Mays drove in eight of those tallies himself.

With help from the B-Ref Play Index, happy birthday today to:

• 1992-99 Brewers manager Phil Garner, who turns 64. We covered his birthday in this space two years ago.
• 1961-63 Milwaukee Brave Bob Hendley, who turns 74.
• Milwaukee native Chet Laabs, who would have turned 101. He played eleven seasons in the majors from 1937-47 as a member of the St. Louis Browns and two other teams. We covered his birthday in this space last year.