Willie Mays, whose unparalleled collection of skills made him the greatest center fielder who ever lived, died Tuesday afternoon in the Bay Area. He was 93 years old.
“My father passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones,” Michael Mays said in a statement released by authorities. San Francisco Giants. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you gave him all these years. You were the flesh and blood of his life.”
“Say Hey Kid” left an indelible mark on the sport, with his name a constant throughout baseball’s hallowed record books and his defense – — embodied by “The Catch” in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series — is second to none.
In all, in a career that spanned more than 20 years (1951-73) – mostly with his beloved Giants – he made 24 All-Star teams, winning two National League MVP awards and has 12 Golden Gloves. He ranks sixth all-time in home runs (660), seventh in runs scored (2,068), 12th in RBI (1,909) and 13th in hits (3,293).
“Today we lost a true legend,” Giants President Greg Johnson said in a statement. “In the pantheon of baseball greats, Willie Mays’s combination of remarkable talent, sharp intellect, showmanship and boundless joy set him apart. A 24-time All-Star, Say Hey Kid was the last of the Giants.
“He had a profound impact not only on baseball but on the foundation of America. He was an inspiration and a hero who will be forever remembered and deeply missed.”
Giants legend Barry Bonds, Mays’ godson and just five spots above him on the all-time home run rankings, said Mays “made me what I am today” in a messages shared on social networks.
Mays’ death occurred two days before the Giants were set to play Saint Louis Cardinal at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, in a game honoring Mays and the Negro Leagues in general. It was announced on Monday that Mays would not be able to attend.
Mays, born May 6, 1931 and raised in Alabama, began his professional career at age 17 in 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons, helping the team reach the Negro League World Series that season.
MLB worked with the city of Birmingham and the nonprofit group Friends of Rickwood to renovate the 10,800-seat ballpark, which is 114 years old and the oldest professional ballpark in the United States.
“Thursday’s game at historic Rickwood Field is designed to celebrate Willie Mays and his colleagues,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national tribute to an American who will forever be on the shortlist of the most influential individuals who graced the game.” we ever knew.”
The Giants are playing the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday night; Wrigley Field’s crowd of 36,292 stood and saluted Mays in a moment of silence when his death was announced on the left field video board in the sixth inning.
Giants manager Bob Melvin said he learned of Mays’ death shortly before the game began. After that, most of his players knew when the competition started.
“It’s a heavy heart not only for the Bay Area and New York, where he got his start, but the entire baseball world,” Melvin said. “This is one of the true icons of the game.”
Melvin, 62, from Palo Alto, California, said he grew up watching Mays play at Candlestick Park.
“I love baseball because of Willie Mays,” Melvin said. “It means a lot.”
Melvin said the Giants would be happy if he could watch Thursday’s game at Rickwood Field.
“If possible, going there would be more beneficial,” he said.
Huge appetizer Logan Webb said he learned of Mays’ death during the Cubs’ announcement, as he was preparing to pitch the sixth inning.
“It was difficult at first,” Webb said. I took off my hat, looked at the scoreboard and just thought about him.” “I looked at the referee and said, ‘I think you need to stop the clock.’ I need to take a moment to think about that and be proud of the jersey I’m wearing, the hat I’m wearing knowing Willie did the same.”
Webb said the team will play Thursday’s game in honor of Mays. Right puncher Mike Yastrzemski also reflected on his interactions with Mays, recalling how the Hall of Famer insisted he should play center field when he was first called up.
“He said he couldn’t watch most of the game but he could see it,” Yastrzemski said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Mays excelled in baseball, football and basketball as a high school student. But his love of baseball transcended all sports. Because he was still in school when he played for the Black Barons, he only played with the club on weekends; he traveled with Birmingham when school was out.
The New York Giants lured Mays and purchased his contract from Birmingham in 1950. Mays had no trouble adapting, batting .353 in 81 games with Trenton that season. In 1951, Mays broke out with the Triple-A Minneapolis Millers; He batted .477 in 35 games before the Giants recalled him in May.
There will never be another like Willie Mays 🧡 pic.twitter.com/I95JW1buJF
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 19, 2024
At age 20, Mays was the 10th black player in major league history. After going winless in his first three games, Mays’ first career hit with the Giants was a home run against Hall of Famer Warren Spahn in the first inning of the Giants’ 4–1 loss to the team. brave on May 28, 1951. Mays was also on deck when the Giants’ Bobby Thomson hit the NL pennant-winning home run against the Dodgers on October 3, 1951, famous as “Gunshots Heard Around the World”.
The Korean War interrupted Mays’ career in 1952. He played 34 games for the Giants (batting .236) before joining the United States Army. Mays was assigned to Fort Eustis in Virginia, and he kept his skills sharp by playing games regularly. Mays also missed the entire 1953 season because of military service; he did not return to the Giants until the spring of 1954.
But being fired from the professional baseball team didn’t affect him. Mays won the first NL MVP award of his career that season, leading the league in batting at .345 and hitting 41 home runs along with 110 RBI. Mays won another NL MVP in 1965.
“I love baseball because of Willie, plain and simple,” said Larry Baer, Giants chairman and chief executive officer. “My childhood was defined by going to Candlestick with my dad, watching Willie patrol center field with great grace and sportsmanship. Over the past 30 years, working with Willie and seeing it firsthand His zest for life, and his unbridled passion for giving back to young players and his children, was one of the joys of my life.”
In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series vs Cleveland at the Polo Grounds, Mays made one of the most famous plays in baseball history. With the score tied at 2 and two runners on, Cleveland’s Vic Wertz hit a 2-1 homer to center field in the top of the eighth inning. Mays ran quickly toward the wall, his back to Wertz. He made the basket while running, turned around and kicked the ball into the court. Mays’ catch and fast relay throw prevented both runners from scoring; The Giants won the game 5-2 in 10 innings.
Today, the play is known simply as “The Catch”.
“It wasn’t a lucky catch,” Mays noted years later.
On May 11, 1972, Mays was traded from the Giants New York Mets to pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000. After the 1973 season – in which Mays helped the Mets win the NL pennant – Mays retired. In 1979, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In a statement from the MLB Players Association, executive director Tony Clark said Mays “played the game with a seriousness, joy and constant smile that resonated with fans everywhere.”
“He will be remembered for his integrity, commitment to excellence and a level of greatness that spans generations,” Clark said.
During his 22-year career, Mays led the NL in home runs four times, and when he retired, his 660 home runs ranked third in major league history; he is currently sixth behind Bonds, Hank Aaron, Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. He also finished his career with 3,283 hits (12th all-time) and 1,903 RBI (12th all-time).
“His incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe of watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable,” Manfred said in his statement. Okay”. “We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend our deepest condolences to Willie’s family, his friends in our game me, Giants fans everywhere and his countless admirers around the world.”
Except for 1951, when he wore number 14, Mays wore number 24 throughout his career. Mays’ legacy still resonates in San Francisco. The Giants’ ballpark is located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, complete with a statue of Mays. The city of San Francisco also celebrates May 24 every year as Willie Mays Day.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
