Joe Garagiola had the best seat in the house for Willie Mays' iconic catch

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 29: Willie Mays famous catch in the 1954 World Series. Catch was made in the Polo Grounds, against Vic Wertz of the Cleveland Indians. Mays caught the baseball going away from home plate.New York Giants sweep the series. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) (New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images)

There are many ways to remember Joe Garagiola, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 90: Father, husband, catcher, legendary broadcaster, childhood friend of Yogi Berra, and if you want to get really specific, the man with the best view of Willie Mays' iconic catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

Yes, Garagiola was with the Giants in 1954 -- his last season in the Majors -- but he wasn't on the team's World Series roster. So instead of being in the dugout, he was in the center-field clubhouse and happened to be looking out the window at the precise moment Mays made one of MLB's most famous plays. But even with his serendipitous view, Garagiola could hardly believe what he was about to see:

"I saw the whole thing," he told the East Valley Tribune in 2007. "I thought the ball was going over his head. I didn't think he'd catch it,"

But we all know how that turned out.