Willie Mays, baseball's towering Giant, dies at 93
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In an undated photo, Willie Mays when he was a San Francisco outfielder at Spring Training in Phoenix. Photo: Via Getty Images
Willie Mays, a Hall of Famer regarded as the greatest all-around baseball player of all time, died on Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Giants announced. He was 93-years-old.
The big picture: Nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid," Mays was the oldest living Hall of Famer and one of the first Black players to join Major League Baseball.
- Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
- Former President Obama, who awarded Mays his presidential medal, paid tribute to him in a Tuesday night post to X:
The intrigue: Last month, MLB announced that it would add 10 hits to Mays' official stat record after the league said it would include records from the Negro Leagues.
Zoom in: The Westfield, Alabama-born Mays joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in 1948, playing only on Sundays during the school year while he was 16-years-old.
- The Giants, then based in New York, purchased his contract in 1950 when he graduated from Fairfield Industrial High School.
- He spent most of 1952 and all of 1953 in the Army.
- He won first the National League MVP Award in 1954 and led the Giants to a World Series title before the team moved to San Francisco.
- During the 1954 World Series, Mays made an over-the-head catch after Cleveland Indians slugger Vic Wertz hit a towering drive that would have been a home run in most parks. "The Catch" is considered one of the greatest plays in baseball history.
- He won another MVP Award in San Francisco in 1965 before joining the New York Mets.
What they're saying: The MLB said in a post to X on Tuesday night it was "heartbroken" to learn of the death of Mays, "one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport."
- It noted that "in commemoration of 'The Catch' as perhaps the most famous play in the history of the Fall Classic, the World Series MVP Award was named in his honor in 2017."
Between the lines: Many experts believe that Mays could have broken Babe Ruth's all-time homerun record like Hank Aaron had he not had to serve in the military.
- He ended his career with 660 home runs, shy of the then-714 record.
- Mays was later credited with helping Afro-Latino players who joined the Giants adjust to life in baseball and fight discrimination during the first generation of desegregated baseball.
- He was one of the last surviving players who played in the Negro Leagues.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout. Axios' Shawna Chen contributed reporting.
