Willie Mays, one of baseball’s all-time greats, has passed away at the age of 93, the San Francisco Giants announced Tuesday, June 18. The legendary player’s career spanned 22 remarkable seasons. Mays “passed away peacefully this afternoon,” the Giants said in a statement.
“All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise. From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime.”
On Monday, Mays announced he would be unable to attend Thursday’s special tribute game against the St. Louis Cardinals, which will be held at Rickwood Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. The game was planned to commemorate Mays and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, with whom Mays began his professional career in 1948. MLB announced that Thursday’s game will now include a pregame ceremony honoring the life of Willie Mays.
Nicknamed the “Say Hey Kid,” Mays was primarily a center fielder for the Giants, first in New York and then in San Francisco after the team’s move. In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, Mays made “The Catch” — an iconic over-the-shoulder snag of a fly ball that is still considered the greatest catch in baseball history. That championship would be the only one Mays won in his career, but it cemented his status as a cultural icon.
Born in Westfield, Alabama, Mays learned to play baseball from his father, Cat Mays, a steelworker and local baseball player. At 16, Willie joined the Birmingham Black Barons. After graduating from high school in 1951, he was signed by the New York Giants.
“I arrived in New York City on a Friday at 4 o’clock,” Mays recalled during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1979. “Scared to death with three bats in my little briefcase, my glove, I didn’t have a uniform, I didn’t have a hat.”
Mays quickly found his footing, being named National League Rookie of the Year after his first season. His career was interrupted in 1952 when he was drafted by the Army during the Korean War. He spent most of his service playing on military baseball teams and was discharged in March 1954. Mays rejoined the Giants that year, winning his first of two MVP awards and leading the team to a championship.
In 1958, Mays moved with the Giants to San Francisco, leading them to a World Series appearance in 1962 and becoming the team’s captain in 1964. He won his second MVP award in 1965. Mays was traded to the New York Mets for the 1972-73 season, which would be his last. He retired with 660 home runs, the sixth most of all time, and was a 24-time All-Star, tied for second most of all time, and won 12 Gold Glove awards.
Mays was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, receiving 97% of the vote when he became eligible in 1979. Despite the trade from the Giants, Mays remained a beloved figure in San Francisco, often inspiring younger players with his visits.
In 2000, a landmark statue was erected in his honor outside Oracle Park, surrounded by 24 palm trees in homage to his number 24, which the organization also retired. The statue stands as a reminder of a man who was long regarded as baseball’s greatest living legend, even though he was not entirely comfortable with the title.
“I never liked that,” he said in 2011. “If you are the greatest ballplayer, you say, ‘you’re the greatest ballplayer.’ Rather not the ‘living ballplayer.’ What good is that? When I first heard it, I said ‘Wait a minute. You mean I got to be passed away before you guys give me credit for doing something?'”
Following his illustrious baseball career, Mays took up golf, enjoying the game during his retirement with friends such as Bob Hope and others at tournaments. According to Reddit.com, Mays played at a 4 handicap and regularly drove the ball 300 yards. He competed in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am (then named the Bing Crosby Clam Bake) several times. The Willie Mays Golf Tournament & Roast was held at Bally’s Park Place Casino Hotel in Las Vegas from October 12-14, 1984, featuring sportscaster Howard Cosell as the special toastmaster. He enjoyed a 10-year deal to do public-relations work for Bally’s Casino in Atlantic City, to greet people and play golf, things he had done at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas for years.
Throughout the years, Mays’ combination of speed, power, and defense led many to consider him the greatest of all time, living or dead. His legacy will continue to inspire future generations of baseball players and fans.
