The baseball world is mourning a great one. Willie Mays, former center fielder for the New York and San Francisco Giants, has died at 93. He died on Tuesday June 18. Mays was known and beloved for his seamless marriage of speed and power. He’s lauded as of the greatest to ever play the sport, and one of the greatest athletes of all time, with 660 home runs in his prolific career.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93,” the San Francisco Giants shared on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
As The Hollywood Reporter stated, ahead of his death, Mays said that he would not be in attendance when the Giants face the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field this week in a game honoring him and the Negro Leagues. Mays’ career started with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro League before the MLB was integrated.
“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 just a day before his death on June 17. “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.”
A two-time National L Most Valuable Player and 24-time All-Star, his time with the Giants began when he was just 20. He moved to San Francisco with the team in 1958, then returned to NYC midway through the 1972 season when he was traded to the New York Mets. His style of playing was something he considered to be one of an entertainer. “When I played ball, I tried to make sure that everybody enjoyed what I was doing,” he said in James S. Hirsch’s 2010 authorized biography Willie Mays: The Life, the Legend. “I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap so that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom and it flies right off. People love that type of stuff.” He also had several acting credits, which include Bewitched.
The decorated athlete was on ESPN’s list of 100 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century, making the No. 8 spot. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try in 1979, celebrating a 22-year career. He was drafted into the U.S. Army during his career in the 1950s, and returned an even greater player.
