Willie Mays, known as the “Say Hey Kid” and a legendary figure in Major League Baseball, passed away at the age of 93 after a short illness, according to an announcement by the San Francisco Giants.
Mays, celebrated for his extraordinary career as a home run slugger and center fielder, was a key player for the Giants during the 1950s and 1960s. His career spanned 23 years, beginning with his major league debut in 1948, just a year after Jackie Robinson integrated the league.
Mays was set to be honored at a Major League Baseball game between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, his hometown and the site of his early Negro League career.
Although he initially planned to attend, Mays informed that he would not be able to make it to the event and would watch the game from home instead.
Willie Mays was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1979, receiving 95% of the vote. His illustrious career included hitting 660 home runs, which was the third-highest total at the time of his retirement.
He also accumulated 3,283 hits, won two National League MVP awards, and tied the record for most All-Star Game appearances with 24. During the All-Star Games, he set several records, including the most at-bats (75), most hits (23), most runs (20), and most stolen bases (6).
“His incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable,” Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Tuesday night.
“We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Willie’s family, his friends across our game, Giants fans everywhere, and his countless admirers across the world.
“Thursday’s game at historic Rickwood Field was designed to be a celebration of Willie Mays and his peers. With sadness in our hearts, it will now also serve as a national remembrance of an American who will forever remain on the short list of the most impactful individuals our great game has ever known.”
Willie Mays is perhaps best known for one of the greatest plays in baseball history: his running basket catch during the 1954 World Series while playing for the New York Giants against the Cleveland Indians.
This iconic moment is known simply as “The Catch.” Mays himself referred to it as “The Throw,” highlighting the importance of his throw immediately after the catch to prevent the runners from advancing.
In Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, the New York Giants were tied 2-2 with the Cleveland Indians at the Polo Grounds in New York City. Vic Wertz hit a deep fly ball approximately 460 feet to dead center field, seemingly out of reach.
However, Willie Mays, running at full speed, made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch and, in a seamless motion, threw the ball back to the infield, preventing the runners from advancing. This play became famously known as “The Catch.”
The Indians failed to score after Willie Mays’ remarkable catch, and the Giants went on to win the game in the 10th inning with a pinch-hit home run by Dusty Rhodes.
The Giants ultimately swept the Series, securing their first championship in 21 years.
“It was a wide-receiver catch,” Mays said. “I knew I’d get it. It was high enough where I could catch it. That wasn’t the problem. The hardest thing was getting it back to the infield.
“I knew Larry (Doby) could score (from second) if I didn’t get the ball back quickly. I scored lots of times from second base on a deep fly that was caught. That was the only thing I was worried about.”
The basket catch was Willie Mays’ trademark, characterized by catching fly balls at his waist rather than over his head. Mays developed this distinctive style while playing baseball in the Army after being drafted in the early 1950s.
“I wanted to do something different than other guys playing the outfield,” Mays said. “When I came out of the Army, (manager) Leo (Durocher) said I could do it. ‘Just don’t drop it.’ I missed two. One in Pittsburgh, one in New York. Ten years apart. I was pretty polished.”
“They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays,” Hall of Famer Ted Williams once said.
