Willie Mays

Willie Howard Mays Jr. (May 6, 1931 – June 18, 2024), nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid" was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He spent almost all of his 22 season career playing for the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. His career began in 1951 and he retired in 1973.

Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama, near Bessemer, Alabama.

Mays was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1979 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015.

In 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting Newss "List of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players", placing second to Babe Ruth. Later that year, fans elected him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. In 2020, The Athletic ranked Mays at number 1 on its "Baseball 100" list. In 2022, MLB.com writers voted Mays as being the greatest player in Giants franchise history.

Roberto Clemente said of Mays: "To me, Willie Mays is the greatest who ever played." 

Mays died of heart failure on June 18, 2024 in Palo Alto, California at the age of 93.

References

Other websites

Willie Mays article, Encyclopedia of Alabama 
May 1951: Minneapolis Tribune account of Mays' first home game as a Minneapolis Miller
Willie Mays: Say Hey!  – slideshow by Life magazine

Category:1931 births
Category:2024 deaths
Category:African-American baseball players
Category:American military personnel of the Korean War
Category:National Baseball Hall of Fame members
Category:National League All-Stars
Category:New York Giants (NL) players
Category:New York Mets players
Category:People from Bessemer, Alabama
Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Category:San Francisco Giants players
Category:Sportspeople from Alabama
Category:People from Atherton, California
Category:Sportspeople from California
Category:Military people from Alabama
Category:Deaths from heart failure