One of the best players ever to grace a MLB uniform, Willie Mays dead at 93
Willie Mays, thrilled fans coast to coast during the golden era of baseball for the San Francisco Giants, died today, Tuesday June 18, 2024. Mays possessed power, eye-popping defense and blazing speed.
Willie Mays is a legend of baseball who played for the San Francisco Giants. He was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mays started his MLB career with the New York Giants in 1951 and played 22 seasons in the big-league, during which the New York Giants moved to the west coast and became the San Francisco Giants. He eventually played for another New York baseball team, the New York Mets, where he ended his illustrious career with the Mets in 1973.
Mays could hit for a high batting average, as he recorded a .301 career batting average, blasts home runs as he slugged 660 home runs which is still sixth all-time, 3,293 hits which today still sits at 12 all-time, he could run the bases like no other as he amassed 1,909 runs batted in which is 11 all-time and scored 2,068 runs which sits at number 7 all-time.
The name Willie Mays is synonymous in the majors as he won 12 Golden Glove Awards out of his 22 seasons played, tied with the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Roberto Clemente. He’s credited with the greatest defensive play in baseball history in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, capturing an over-the-shoulder snag off the bat of Cleveland Indians slugger Vic Wertz. Mays had his back to home plate 425 feet away on September 29,1954 at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan when he made “the catch”.
The World Series MVP Award was renamed after Willie Mays in 2017. He was “one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport” the Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced in their statement today. He had “a career and a legacy like no other”.
Willie Mays also played in the old Negro Leagues and was among the first generation of African American players to play in the Major League alongside and against some of the other greats and future Hall of Famers like Monte Irvin, his teammate, Jackie Robinson and Ernie Banks. Willie Mays received the highest civilian award from President Barack Obama, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. He also won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1951 with the New York Giants.