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Article: One Catch, Pure Joy For Nixon; For a Split Second, He Was Willie Mays
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- October 3, 1992
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Just for a moment Tuesday night, Atlanta Braves outfielder and
leadoff hitter Otis Nixon became his idol, Willie Mays.
Catching San Francisco Giants pinch hitter John Patterson's
shallow fly to center field transformed one of Nixon's childhood
dreams into reality. Ball firmly in glove, Nixon leapt into left
fielder Ron Gant's arms in celebration of Atlanta's second
consecutive National League West title and a win over Hall of Famer
Mays's former team.
"If I had to pull out a moment of my whole career, that's the
one I'd put up on the shelf," Nixon said. "I'd always wanted to be
like Willie Mays. I spoke with him, met him and just for a moment,
making that catch, I felt like I was the ...