“When a player is iconic, he needs a signature moment. We see (Hank) Aaron in our mind’s eye between second and third when he hit his 715th. We see (Mickey) Mantle hitting the ball off the facade in Yankee Stadium. (Sandy) Koufax pitched four no-hitters, but it’s the perfect game with Vin Scully’s call that really sets him in the mind’s eye. Ted Williams homering in his last at-bat. Those things capture the imagination more than raw statistics. Willie had many signature moments. But if you had to pick one, that’s the one.”
