Call to the pen
Fansided

MLB history: The eclectic 300-300 club

By David Hill

NEW YORK - CIRCA 1967: Outfielder Willie Mays #24 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the New York Mets during an Major League Baseball game circa 1967 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Mays played for the Giants from 1951-72. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1967: Outfielder Willie Mays #24 of the San Francisco Giants bats against the New York Mets during an Major League Baseball game circa 1967 at Shea Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City. Mays played for the Giants from 1951-72. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images)
(Photo by Herb Scharfman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /

Willie Mays

During the height of his career, Willie Mays was one of the more impressive all around players in MLB history. He cemented his stature as one of the greatest players of all time by founding the 300-300 club.

Mays was an impressive combination of power and speed, nearly founding the 40-40 club in 1956 when he hit 36 homers and stole 40 bases. Over the course of his career, Mays led the National League in steals four times, doing so from 1956 through 1959. He was a prodigious slugger as well, leading the NL in homers four times in his career.

Reaching the 300 mark in home runs was the easy part. He belted his 300th homer in the second game of a double header on July 4, 1961. Mays led off the top of the fourth against Jack Curtis, belting his offering deep down the left field line for his milestone homer.

The stolen bases were harder to come by. While Mays had tremendous speed in his younger days, the wear and tear of all those years taking a toll on him. But Mays was able to pick his spots, showing flashes of his previous speed. On April 8, 1969, Mays swiped his 300th base, in a season where he only stole six bases in total.

Mays finished his career with 660 homers, then the third most in MLB history, and 338 steals. It makes sense that one of the more exclusive clubs would be founded by one of baseball’s greatest players.

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