Willie Mays

**Willie Howard Mays Jr**. (Mayu 6, 1931 - Yuni 18, 2024), wanda ake yi wa lakabi da "Say Hey Kid", ƙwararren ɗan wasan ƙwallon kwando ne Ba'amurke wanda ya buga wasanni 23 a Major League Baseball (MLB). An yi la'akari da shi a matsayin daya daga cikin manyan 'yan wasa na kowane lokaci, Mays ya kasance dan wasa na kayan aiki biyar wanda ya fara aikinsa a gasar Negro, yana wasa a Birmingham Black Barons, kuma ya shafe sauran aikinsa a National League (NL). wasa don New York / San Francisco Giants da New York Mets. An haife shi a Westfield, Alabama, Mays ɗan wasa ne. Ya shiga Black Barons na Negro American League a cikin 1948, yana wasa da su har sai da Giants suka sanya masa hannu bayan kammala karatunsa na sakandare a 1950. Ya yi muhawara a cikin MLB tare da Giants kuma ya lashe lambar yabo ta Rookie na Year a cikin 1951 bayan buga tseren gida 20 don taimakawa Kattai su sami nasarar farko a cikin shekaru 14. A cikin 1954, ya ci lambar yabo ta NL Most Valuable Player (MVP), wanda ya jagoranci Giants zuwa taken Duniya na ƙarshe kafin ƙaura zuwa gabar Yamma. Kamun sama-da-fadansa a Wasan 1 na 1954 World Series yana ɗaya daga cikin shahararrun wasan ƙwallon kwando na kowane lokaci. Bayan Kattai sun koma San Francisco, Mays ya ci gaba da lashe wani lambar yabo ta MVP a cikin 1965 kuma ya jagoranci Giants zuwa Gasar Duniya ta 1962, wannan lokacin ya sha kashi a New York Yankees. Ya ƙare aikinsa tare da komawa New York bayan cinikin farkon lokacin zuwa New York Mets a cikin 1972, ya yi ritaya bayan tafiyar ƙungiyar zuwa Gasar Duniya ta 1973. Ya yi aiki a matsayin mai horar da Mets na tsawon shekaru goma kafin ya koma ga Giants a matsayin mataimaki na musamman ga shugaban kasa da babban manajan.

Mays ya kasance Babban Tauraro sau 24, yana daure don fitowa na biyu mafi girma a tarihi.

Mays ya kasance Babban Tauraro sau 24, yana daure don fitowa na biyu mafi girma a tarihi. Ya jagoranci NL a cikin gida yana gudu sau hudu kuma a cikin slugging kashi biyar yayin da yake yin batting a kan .300 da kuma buga 100 runs batted a (RBIs) sau goma kowanne. Mays kuma ya kasance a sahun gaba wajen sake dawo da saurin gudu a matsayin makami mai ban tsoro a shekarun 1950, inda ya jagoranci gasar cikin sansanonin sata har sau hudu, sau uku sau uku, kuma ya yi gudu sau biyu; Sata 179 da ya yi a cikin shekaru goma shi ne ya jagoranci manyan gasar. Shi ne dan wasan NL na farko da ya buga gudu 30 a gida kuma ya saci sansanonin 30 a cikin kakar wasa guda, dan wasa na farko a tarihi wanda ya kai duka 300 na gida da 300 da aka sace, kuma dan wasa na biyu kuma dan wasan dama na farko ya buga 600. gudu gida. Mays kuma sun kafa ma'auni don hazaka na tsaro, inda suka ci lambar yabo ta Zinare a jere guda 12 bayan ƙirƙirar su a 1957, har yanzu rikodin ga 'yan wasan waje; ya jagoranci 'yan wasan tsakiya na NL a wasanni biyu sau biyar kuma ya taimaka sau uku.
Misali na al'ada na ɗan wasan kayan aiki biyar, Mays ya gama aikinsa tare da matsakaicin batting .302. A lokacin da ya yi ritaya, ya riƙe rikodin NL don gudanar da ayyukan da ya zira kwallaye (2,062), kuma ya zama na biyu a tarihin gasar bayan Stan Musial a wasannin da aka buga (2,992), na uku a cikin gida (660), a jemagu (10,881), yana gudana cikin (1,903), jimillar sansanoni (6,066), karin-base hits (1,323) da tafiya (1,464), na hudu cikin hits (3,293), na biyar cikin kashi slugging (.557), na takwas a ninki biyu (523); 140 sau uku ya zama na hudu a cikin 'yan wasan da ke aiki bayan 1945. Yana riƙe da manyan rikodin gasar wasanni a matsayin ɗan wasan tsakiya (2,829), wanda ya zama ɗan wasan waje (7,095), kuma ya ƙare aikinsa a bayan Ty Cobb kawai a cikin jimlar wasannin a matsayin ɗan wasan waje (2,842), matsayi na bakwai a cikin taimako (188) da na uku. a cikin wasanni biyu (59) a filin tsakiya. An zabi Mays zuwa Gidan Wasan Kwallon Kafa a cikin 1979 a cikin shekararsa ta farko ta cancanta, kuma an nada shi cikin Kungiyar Kwallon Kafa ta Manyan Kwallon Kafa a 1999. Mays ta samu lambar yabo ta Shugaban kasa ta 'Yanci ta Shugaba Barack Obama a cikin 2015.
## Rayuwa
An haifi Willie Howard Mays Jr. a ranar 6 ga Mayu, 1931, a Westfield, Alabama, babban kamfani na baƙar fata kusa da Fairfield. Mahaifinsa, Cat Mays, ƙwararren ɗan wasan ƙwallon kwando ne tare da ƙungiyar baƙar fata a shukar ƙarfe na gida. Annie Satterwhite, mahaifiyarsa, ƙwararriyar ƙwallon kwando ce da tauraruwar waƙa. Ga danginsa da abokansa na kud da kud, kuma daga baya ga abokan wasansa, cikin ƙauna ana kiran Mays da "Buck."
Iyayensa ba su yi aure ba kuma sun rabu lokacin da Mays ke da shekaru uku. Mahaifinsa da yayansa biyu, Sarah da Ernestine sun rene shi. Sarah ta kai matashi Willie zuwa Cocin Episcopal Methodist na Afirka kowace Lahadi. Cat Mays ya yi aiki a matsayin ɗan dako na jirgin ƙasa kuma daga baya a masana'antar ƙarfe a Westfield.
Cat ya fallasa Willie zuwa wasan ƙwallon kwando tun yana ƙarami, yana wasa da shi yana ɗan shekara biyar kuma ya ba shi damar zama a kan benci tare da ƙungiyar masana'antar sa ta Birmingham yana da goma. Dan wasan kwallon kwando da ya fi so shi ne Joe DiMaggio; Sauran wadanda aka fi so su ne Ted Williams da Stan Musial. Mays ya buga wasanni da yawa a makarantar Highfield Industrial High School. A ƙungiyar ƙwallon kwando, ya jagoranci ƴan wasa a manyan makarantun baƙar fata a gundumar Jefferson wajen zira kwallaye. Mays ya buga kwata-kwata, baya-baya da kuma punter ga ƙungiyar ƙwallon ƙafa. Ko da yake ya cika shekara 18 a shekara ta 1949, Mays bai kammala karatunsa a Fairfield ba har zuwa 1950, wanda dan jarida Allen Barra ya kira "wani karamin asiri a rayuwar Willie"
## Kwararren Sana'a
### Negro da ƙananan wasanni
Kwararren wasan ƙwallon kwando na Mays ya fara ne a cikin 1948 lokacin da ya taka leda a ɗan gajeren lokacin bazara tare da Chattanooga Choo-Choos, ƙaramin ƙungiyar Negro. Daga baya waccan shekarar, Mays ya shiga Birmingham Black Barons na Negro American League, inda aka san shi da "Buck". Piper Davis, abokin aikin mahaifin Mays ne ya jagoranci Black Barons a ƙungiyar masana'antu. Lokacin da shugaban masana'antu na Fairfield E.T. Oliver yayi barazanar dakatar da Mays saboda buga ƙwallon ƙwararru, mahaifin Davis da Mays sunyi yarjejeniya. Mays za su buga wasannin gida don Black Barons kawai. A sakamakon haka, har yanzu yana iya buga ƙwallon ƙafa ta makarantar sakandare. Mays ya taimaka wa Birmingham ci gaba zuwa 1948 Negro World Series, wanda suka rasa 4 – 1 ga Homestead Grays. Ya buga .262 don kakar wasa kuma ya tsaya a waje saboda kyakkyawan filin wasa da gudu. A ranar 28 ga Mayu, 2024, Babban Baseball ta sanar da cewa ta haɗa kididdigar gasar Negro a cikin bayananta. Kungiyoyin manyan kungiyoyin da dama sun yi sha'awar sanya hannu kan Mays, amma dole ne su jira har sai ya kammala karatunsa na sakandare don ba shi kwangila. The Boston Braves da Brooklyn Dodgers duka sun leko shi, amma New York Giants sun zazzage Eddie Montague ya sanya hannu kan kwangilar $ 4,000. Mays ya shafe sauran 1950 tare da Class B Trenton Giants na Interstate League, yana yin .353. An inganta shi zuwa Triple-A Minneapolis Millers na Ƙungiyar Amirka a 1951, ya yi wasa .477 a cikin wasanni 35.
### New York / San Francisco Giants
#### NL Rookie na Shekara
Yin wasa da kyakkyawan tsaro, Giants ne suka kira Mays a ranar 24 ga Mayu, 1951. Da farko, Mays ya yi jinkirin karɓar tallan don bai yarda cewa ya shirya fuskantar manyan ƴan wasan gasar ba. Cikin mamaki manajan Giants Leo Durocher ya kira Mays kai tsaye ya ce, "Ki daina kashe kudin kulob din kwallon da kiran waya mai nisa sannan ku shiga kungiyar." Har ila yau, a wannan lokacin ne aka bai wa Mays sanannen moniker: "The Say Hey Kid".
Kattai sun yi fatan Mays za su taimaka musu ta hanyar tsaro a tsakiyar fili, da kuma kai hari. Filin Polo ya nuna siffar takalmin dawaki wanda ba a saba gani ba, tare da ɗan gajeren filin hagu (ƙafa 280; 85 m) da filin dama (ƙafa 258; 79 m) amma filin tsakiya mafi zurfi a cikin ƙwallon kwando (ƙafa 483; 147 m). Mays ya bayyana a wasansa na farko na babban gasar a ranar 25 ga Mayu da Philadelphia Phillies a Shibe Park, yana yin wasa na uku. Ba shi da nasara a cikin 12 na farko a jemagu a cikin manyan wasanni, amma a cikin 13th a ranar Mayu 28, ya bugi tseren gida daga Warren Spahn a kan rufin filin hagu na Polo Grounds. Mays ya tafi ba tare da nasara ba a cikin 12 na gaba a jemagu, kuma Durocher ya jefa shi zuwa na takwas a cikin odar batting a ranar 2 ga Yuni, yana ba da shawarar cewa Mays ya daina ƙoƙarin cire kwallon kuma kawai ya tuntuɓa. Mays ya mayar da martani da buga hudu a wasanni biyu na gaba a ranar 2 da 3 ga watan Yuni. A karshen wata, ya tura matsakaicin batting dinsa zuwa sama da .300. Zai yi wasa kusa da .290 don sauran kakar wasa. Kodayake matsakaicin .274, 68 RBIs, da 20 na gida (a cikin wasanni na 121) zai kasance a cikin mafi ƙasƙanci na aikinsa, har yanzu ya lashe lambar yabo ta National League (NL) Rookie na Year Award.

A watan Agusta 11, Giants sun sami kansu 13 + 1⁄2 wasanni a baya na Dodgers a cikin tseren NL; Manajan Brooklyn Charlie Dressen cikin nasara ya annabta, "Kattai sun mutu." Koyaya, Kattai sun tafi 40 – 18 a wasannin 58 na ƙarshe na kakar wasa, inda suka lashe bakwai na ƙarshe na shekara don kammala kakar wasa ta yau da kullun tare da Dodgers. A lokacin tseren da ba a so, wasan Mays da kuma hannun jifa mai ƙarfi sun taimaka a cikin manyan nasarorin Kattai da yawa. Mays ya kasance a cikin da'irar kan bene a ranar 3 ga Oktoba lokacin da Bobby Thomson ya buge homer mai gudu uku don cin nasara a jerin fafatawa uku na NL da ci 2–1.

Giants sun sadu da Yankees na New York a cikin Tsarin Duniya na 1951. A cikin Wasan 1, Mays, Hank Thompson, da Monte Irvin sun haɗa filin waje na farko baƙar fata a cikin manyan tarihin gasar. Don jerin abubuwan, Mays sun yi rauni yayin da Giants suka rasa jerin a cikin wasanni shida. A cikin Wasan 5, ya buga kwallon tashi mai ma'ana, wanda DiMaggio da Yankee rookie Mickey Mantle suka bi. DiMaggio ya kira Mantle a karshen daƙiƙa na ƙarshe; yayin da ya tsaya, Mantle ya makale a cikin buɗaɗɗen buɗaɗɗen magudanar ruwa, yana fama da rauni a gwiwa wanda zai shafe shi da sauran aikinsa.
#### Sojojin Amurka
Ba da daɗewa ba bayan lokacin 1951 ya ƙare, Mays ya fahimci Sojojin Amurka sun tsara shi don yin hidima a Yaƙin Koriya. 
Kafin ya bar shiga Sojan, Mays ya buga makonni na farko na lokacin 1952 tare da Kattai. Ya yi wasa .236 da gudu hudu a gida a wasanni 34. Ya ba da mamaki ga marubutan wasanni irin su Red Smith lokacin da ya zana farin ciki daga magoya bayan Brooklyn Dodgers, masu kishin Giants, a wasansa na karshe kafin ya ba da rahoto. Bayan shigarsa cikin Sojoji a ranar 29 ga Mayu, Mays ya ba da rahoto ga Fort Eustis a Virginia, inda ya kwashe yawancin lokacinsa yana wasa da ƙungiyar ƙwallon kwando ta Fort Eustis Wheels tare da (da kuma) sauran manyan ƴan wasan ƙwallon ƙafa da ƙanana, da kuma yin hidima. malami mai koyar da wasanni a Sashen Koyar da Jiki. A Fort Eustis ne Mays ya koyi kama kwandon daga wani dan wasan waje na Fort Eustis Al Fortunato. Mays, ta hanyar kiyasin nasa, ya buga wasanni 180 don Wheels, kuma ya rasa kusan wasanni 275 na Ƙungiyoyin saboda aikin soja. Lokacin wasan Mays na Wheels ya ƙare a ranar 28 ga Yuli, 1953, bayan ya tsinke kashi a ƙafarsa ta hagu yayin da yake zamewa zuwa tushe na uku, yana buƙatar yin sati 6 a cikin simintin gyaran kafa. An sallame shi a ranar 1 ga Maris, 1954, ya ba da rahoto ga sansanin horo na bazara na Giants washegari.
#### Zakaran Duniya da NL MVP
Mays ya fara kakar 1954 akan Ranar Buɗewa tare da gudu na gida sama da ƙafa 414 (126 m) akan Carl Erskine. Bayan da ya yi wasa .250 a cikin wasanni na 20 na farko, Durocher ya motsa shi daga na uku zuwa na biyar a cikin tsari na batting kuma ya sake ƙarfafa shi ya daina ƙoƙarin cire kwallon kuma yayi ƙoƙarin samun nasara zuwa filin da ya dace. Mays ya sauya matsayinsa ya mik'e a plate, yana matso da k'afafunsa. Ya yi la'akari da waɗannan gyare-gyare tare da inganta matsakaicin batting, yayin da ya yi amfani da .450 tare da 25 RBIs a cikin wasanni na 20 na gaba. A ranar 25 ga watan Yuni, ya buga wasan gida na cikin-park a cikin nasara 6–2 akan Chicago Cubs. An zaɓi Mays don ƙungiyar NL All-Star; zai kasance wani ɓangare na 24 madaidaiciya NL All-Star teams a kan 20 yanayi. Mays ya zama dan wasa na farko a tarihi da ya buga gudun gida 30 kafin wasan All-Star. Yana da gida 36 yana gudana har zuwa Yuli 28. A wannan lokacin, Durocher ya tambaye shi ya daina ƙoƙarin bugun su, yana bayyana ƙungiyar tana son ya isa tushe sau da yawa. Mays ya buga wasan gida biyar ne kawai bayan 28 ga Yuli amma ya haɓaka matsakaicin batting ɗinsa daga .326 zuwa .345 don lashe kambun batting na farko na ƙungiyar tun lokacin Bill Terry a 1930. Buga 41 gida gudu, Mays lashe NL Mafi daraja Player Award da Hickok Belt.
Kattai sun yi nasara a gasar NL da 1954 na Duniya, suna share 'yan Cleveland a cikin wasanni hudu. Wataƙila an fi tunawa da jerin 1954 don "The Catch", wani tseren kan-da-kafada ta Mays na dogon tuƙi daga bat na Vic Wertz kimanin ƙafa 425 (130 m) daga farantin gida a filin Polo a lokacin na takwas. Inning of Game 1. Kamun ya hana 'yan tseren Indiya biyu damar zura kwallo a raga, tare da kiyaye wasan kunnen doki. Barra ya rubuta cewa "Catch ya wuce wasan ƙwallon kwando," kuma Larry Schwartz na ESPN ya ce game da duk abubuwan da Mays ya yi, "ana ɗaukarsa a matsayin mafi girma".Mays bai ko kalli kwallon kafa ashirin da suka wuce ba yayin da yake gudu, inda ya ce daga baya ya gane cewa zai ci gaba da gudu idan har zai samu kwallon. Giants sun lashe wasan a cikin 10th inning a kan gida guda uku na Dusty Rhodes, tare da Mays ya zira kwallaye na nasara.

Mays ya kara satar tushe a cikin basirarsa, inda ya karu daga takwas a 1954 zuwa 24 a 1955. A tsakiyar watan Mayu, Durocher ya tambaye shi da ya gwada don ƙarin gudu na gida. Mays ya jagoranci gasar da 51 amma ya kare a matsayi na hudu a zaben NL MVP. Jagoranci gasar tare da kashi .659 slugging, Mays ya yi nasara .319 yayin da Giants suka ƙare a matsayi na uku. A lokacin wasan karshe na kakar wasa, Durocher, wanda ya goyi bayan Mays tun lokacin da ya fara aikinsa, ya gaya masa cewa ba zai dawo a matsayin manajan Giants ba. Lokacin da Mays ya amsa, "Amma Mista Leo, zai bambanta da ku da kuka tafi. Ba za ku kasance a nan don taimaka mini ba," Durocher ya gaya wa tauraronsa, "Willie Mays baya buƙatar taimako daga kowa."
## Rayuwa ta sirri
Mays ya zama mijin Marghuerite Wendell Chapman na uku (1926–2010) a shekara ta 1956. Ma'auratan sun dauki wani jariri mai kwanaki biyar mai suna Michael a shekarar 1959. Sun rabu a 1962 kuma sun sake aure a 1963, tare da Marghuerite ya ɗauki Michael don mafi yawan lokaci.
Shekaru takwas bayan haka, Mays ta auri Mae Louise Allen, ma'aikaciyar jin daɗin yara a San Francisco. Wilt Chamberlain ya ba Mays lambar wayarta a 1961, kuma sun yi kwanan wata kuma a cikin shekaru masu zuwa. A cikin 1997, an gano ta da cutar Alzheimer; Mays ta kula da ita har zuwa rasuwarta a ranar 19 ga Afrilu, 2013.
Mays shine uban gidan Barry Bonds, wanda mahaifinsa, Bobby Bonds, abokinsa ne lokacin da suke abokan wasan Giants.
Glaucoma ta tilasta Mays daina tuka mota da wasan golf bayan 2005. A cikin 2018, makaho marubuci Ed Lucas ya rubuta cewa Mays ya gaya masa "'yan shekaru da suka wuce" cewa ya makanta. Koyaya, James S. Hirsch ya rubuta a cikin The New York Times a cikin 2021, a lokacin bikin cikarsa shekaru 90, cewa hangen nesa kawai "lalata" kawai ta hanyar glaucoma kuma har yanzu yana iya kallon wasanni a talabijin, duk da wahala.
A cikin 1957, lokacin da New York Giants suka koma San Francisco, Mays sun ba da tayin kan gida a cikin keɓantaccen yanki na Sherwood Forest. Mai siyar ya ki amincewa da tayin nasa bayan da maƙwabta suka koka game da wani dangin Baƙar fata da ke ƙaura zuwa yankin.
Kusa da ƙarshen rayuwarsa, Mays ya zauna a Atherton, California, tare da mataimakinsa na sirri kuma mai kula da shi.
## Mutuwa
Mays ya mutu sakamakon raunin zuciya a wani gidan kulawa a Palo Alto, California, a ranar 18 ga Yuni, 2024, yana da shekara 93.Ranar da ta gabata, ya fito da bayaninsa na ƙarshe na jama'a lokacin da ya ce ya zaɓi ya zauna a California kuma bai halarci MLB a wasan Rickwood Field tsakanin Giants da Cardinals daga baya a wannan makon a ranar 20 ga Yuni.

Yawancin 'yan siyasa da ƙwararrun 'yan wasa sun ba da girmamawa ga Mays, ciki har da Shugaba Joe Biden da tsohon shugaba Barack Obama, da magajin garin San Francisco London Breed, da gwamnan California Gavin Newsom. Magoya bayan sun bar yabo kuma sun nuna girmamawa a gunkin Mays a wajen Oracle Park.

A ranar 20 ga Yuni, 2024, yayin wasan a filin Rickwood, San Francisco Giants sun sanya wani faci tare da "24" a kai don girmama Mays kuma an kawo plaque na Hall of Fame zuwa wurin da Mays ya fara aikinsa. Michael Mays, ɗansa, ya yi magana kafin wasan kuma an kunna bidiyon girmamawa a kan allon bidiyo kafin fara wasan farko ta Bill Greason, tsohon abokin wasan Mays a cikin wasannin Negro.

An gudanar da bikin tunawa da jama'a, karkashin jagorancin mai watsa labarai na Giants Jon Miller, a ranar 8 ga Yuli a Oracle Park. Tsofaffin abokan wasan Mays da dama ne suka halarci bikin, kuma daga cikin wadanda suka gabatar da jawabai akwai kwamishinan wasan kwallon baseball Rob Manfred, da tsaffin shugabannin kasar Bill Clinton da Barack Obama, da tsohon magajin garin San Francisco Willie Brown. Baya ga karramawar, an ba Mays lambar yabo ta karshe ta soja saboda hidimarsa a lokacin yakin Koriya, tare da wasu ma'aikatan hidima guda biyu suna wasa "Taps" kafin ya gabatar da dansa Michael tare da tutar Amurka.
## Manazarta