Willie MaysMajor League Baseball announced late Tuesday that one of the greatest baseball players to ever step foot on a baseball field has died at the age of 93.
Mays has been living in an assisted living facility in the Palo Alto, Calif., area, according to the Giants.
“Say Hey Kid” was a 24-time MLB All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, Rookie of the Year and 2-time National League MVP before moving to San Francisco with the New York Giants , who patrolled the center court of the massive Polo Grounds.
Mays played for the Giants from 1951-1952 and 1954-1974 (he missed most of both seasons while serving in the U.S. Army)…then ended his career with the New York Mets.
Willie retired at the end of the 1973 season… finishing with 660 home runs, 3,293 hits and a .302 batting average.
In 1979, Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame (his first time on the ballot) with nearly 95% of the vote. The Giants and Mets have retired his No. 24 jersey.
“It is heartbreaking to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of the game. Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star, and 12-time All-Star. Selected to the All-Star Game for the first time.
“In honor of ‘The Catch,’ perhaps the most famous game in Fall Classic history, the World Series MVP award was named after him in 2017. Mays was 93 years old.”
Of course, “The Catch” from Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is one of the most famous plays in American sports history… and perfectly sums up Mays as a player. There’s nothing he can’t do. He is the definition of a five-tool player.
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Long after his unparalleled career, Metz Barry BondsGodfather, serving as one of baseball’s most famous ambassadors.
Perhaps the San Francisco Giants said it best when they wrote… “There will never be another like Willie Mays.”
Rest in peace, Willie.
