Willie Mays, the baseball legend who played as center fielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants, has died. He was 93.
The San Francisco Giants shared the news Tuesday on its official X (formerly Twitter) account: “He leaves us with a lasting reminder: to work hard and find joy in this great game, and this extraordinary life. Say Hey, Willie Mays. The best there ever was.”
“My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” his son, Michael Mays, said in a statement released by the Giants. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”
Known as the “Say Hey Kid,” Mays played for 22 big-league seasons from 1951 until his retirement in 1973. He made his MLB debut with the Giants in New York and, in 1958, he moved to San Francisco with the team. He ended his career with the New York Mets in 1973.
Mays, who recorded a .301 career batting average, finished with 660 home runs, 3,293 hits, 1,909 runs batted in and 2,068 runs. The center fielder was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove Award winner. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1951 and was voted into the Hall in 1979. (He was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer.)
One of his plays, accomplished at Game 1 of the 1954 World Series between the then-New York Giants and Cleveland Indians, is ranked among the greatest ever in baseball history. The play is now simply known as “The Catch.”
Born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Ala., Mays began his professional career at 17 years old in 1948 with the Birmingham Black Barons; the team made it to the Negro League World Series that season.
Mays’ death comes two days before the Giants are set to play against the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Alabama in a game honoring him and the Negro Leagues. It was announced Monday that Mays would not able to attend the tribute game on Thursday, June 20.
“I’m not able to get to Birmingham this year but will follow the game back here in the Bay Area,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle in a statement at the time. “My heart will be with all of you who are honoring the Negro League ballplayers, who should always be remembered, including all my teammates on the Black Barons. I wanted to thank Major League Baseball, the Giants, the Cardinals and all the fans who’ll be at Rickwood or watching the game. It’ll be a special day, and I hope the kids will enjoy it and be inspired by it.”
Aside from his baseball career, Mays guested on several television series, including “The Donna Reed Show,” “Ironside” and “Mr. Belvedere.” He also made appearances as the mystery guest on the long-running game show “What’s My Line?”
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 from then-President Barack Obama. In 2017, the MVP award for best player of the World Series was named after Mays.
Major League Baseball paid tribute to Mays on Tuesday, calling him “one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport.”
