The San Francisco Giants announced the death of Willie Mays at the age of 93.
In a statement on X on Tuesday, the Giants said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this evening at the age of 93. There will never be another Willie Mays. .’
A cause of death was not given. One of the greatest to ever play the game, Mays hit 660 home runs, drove in 2,068 hits and had 3,293 hits in his one World Series win with the Giants (1954). He was a 24-time All-Star and earned National League MVP honors in 1954 and 1965.
The center fielder is the oldest Hall of Famer in baseball. Catching signature baskets and running around the base with flying caps represents the joy of the game. The lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder extra-base grab seen in the 1954 World Series remains the most famous defensive play in baseball history.
Mays has said in a statement that there is only one who will not attend the game on Friday between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals who will honor the man and the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field, Alabama.
Willie Mays, one of baseball’s greatest players, has died at the age of 93
The San Francisco Giants legend is considered by many to be the greatest player in baseball
Mays will be remembered for ‘The Catch’ in the 1954 World Series, which the Giants won –
It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this evening at the age of 93. pic.twitter.com/Qk4NySCFZQ
– SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 19, 2024
Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants and completed a legendary career with the New York Mets in 1972 and 1973. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
The former Giants pitcher began his career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, where he began playing at the age of 16, before joining the Giants in 1951 in an illustrious Major League career that spanned more than two decades.
“I won’t be able to make it to Birmingham this year but will be following the game in the Bay Area,” Mays said in a statement. ‘My heart goes out to all of you who respect the Negro Leagues ballplayers, who should be remembered, including all my friends at the Black Barons.
“I want to thank Major League Baseball, the Giants, the Cardinals and all the fans who will be at Rickwood or watching the game. It will be a special day, and I hope the kids will enjoy it and be inspired.’
The game will now take on even more significance with the news of his death.
Michael Mays, Willie’s son, said: ‘My father died peacefully and surrounded by his loved ones. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unfathomable love you have shown me over the years. You have become his life’s blood.’
The announcement was made when the Giants played the Cubs in Chicago. The Cubs broke the news to the fans in attendance at Wrigley Field and it went quiet.
Mays was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2015
Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants and finished his legendary career with the Mets
To many, Mays is considered the best player to ever play baseball. As of 2020, he is ranked the greatest by The Athletic, while The Sporting News ranks him second only to Babe Ruth.
‘I don’t believe Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays,’ said the great Sandy Koufax. ‘Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf.
‘He’s got the game. But I don’t believe he can run like Mays, and I don’t believe he’s any better as an outfielder.’
In 2015, Mays was honored by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“When I play ball, I try to make everybody happy with what I’m doing,” Mays told NPR in 2010. “I make the clubhouse guy fit a hat that when I run, the wind comes up underneath and flies away. It’s gone. People -people like that kind of thing.’
Sportswriter Barney Kremenko is often credited with the nickname ‘The Say Hey Kid,’ referring to Mays’s enthusiastic way of greeting his teammates.
Mays missed most of the 1952 season and all of 1953 while serving in the US Army during the Korean War, spending most of his time playing for the Army baseball team.
He returned to the Giants in 1954 and won the first of two Most Valuable Player awards as he walked the Giants to a fourth World Series sweep of the Cleveland Indians. In the first game of the series, Mays pulled The Catch, which remains one of the greatest plays in baseball history.
Mays was nicknamed ‘The Say Hey Kid’ for his upbeat attitude and positive spirit
After 23 years with the San Francisco Giants, Mays ended his career with the New York Mets
At New York’s Polo Grounds, Indians Vic Wertz hit a shot into center field. Mays turned, sprinted to the wall, made a graceful over-the-shoulder catch and then immediately whirled around and made a perfect throw that kept two Cleveland baserunners from advancing.
‘I’m the guy, when I first came up, I believed I could catch any ball that stayed in the ballpark,’ Mays told an interviewer years later. ‘I guess I’m a cocky kind of kid, knowing that if the ball goes up, I can catch it.’
Mays’ godson is Barry Bonds, who wrote on Instagram on Tuesday night: ‘I am in despair and emotional. I have no words to describe what you mean to me – you helped shape me into who I am today.
‘Thank you for being my Godfather and always being there. Give my dad a hug for me. Calm down Willie, I love you forever.’