Another sporting legend has died, with the San Francisco Giants announcing that Willie Mays passed away Tuesday at the age of 93.
“There will never be another quite like Willie Mays”, the Giants’ social media accounts posted accompanied by a photo of Mays and his statistics.
Bob Costas said about Mays on Tuesday night on MLB Network “the consensus is that Willie Mays is the greatest all-around player in baseball history.”
The “Say Hey Kid” was a 24-time all-star and 12-time gold glove winner. In 1954 and 1965, he was named Most Valuable Player - batting a career-high .345 in 1954 with 41 home runs and 110 RBIs. In 1955, he hit 51 home runs and batted .319. From 1961-1965, he had a stretch of 40, 49, 38, 47, and 52 home runs. His over-the-shoulder catch in the ‘54 World Series is one of the greatest plays of all-time.
Keith Hernandez referred to Mays on the New York Mets’ broadcast on Tuesday as the greatest five-tool player (hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, throwing, and fielding) that there has ever been. Mays was the first player to finish his career with at least 500 home runs and 300 stolen bases. Barry Bonds, who is Mays’ Godson, and Alex Rodriguez since joined him in that exclusive group.
“Probably the best ball player I’ve ever seen when you take everything into consideration,” Sandy Koufax once said in an ESPN interview. “It seemed like Willie never made a mistake.”
Mays debuted in 1948 with the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons, and made his Major League debut in 1951 with the New York Giants. The Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958, and Mays played there until 1971, when he was 40 years old. He played 69 games and 66 games in 1972 and 1973 with the New York Mets.
Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, Mays led Major League Baseball in stolen bases four times, and slugging percentage and OPS five times. He tallied 660 home runs, which is the sixth-most in history. He batted .301 for his lifetime, and finished his career with 3,293 hits. On September 29, 2017, the World Series’ MVP award was named after him.
It has been a trying two years for the sports world, as it has lost Bill Russell, Jim Brown, Jerry West, and now Mays - all of whom were titans in their respective sports. All four are in the pantheon of all-time sports greats.
The Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are playing Thursday at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala., where Mays first started his career with the Black Barons. The game will celebrate both Mays’ contributions to the sport, as well as history and impact of The Negro Leagues.
Rest In Peace, Willie Mays.
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