Willie Mays, baseball’s exuberant and electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93.
As investors eye the Eastside of Jacksonville amid stadium talks, residents working to make sure they aren’t priced outFILE - San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays displays the four baseballs in the clubhouse representing the four homers which he hit against the Milwaukee Braves, April 30, 1961, in Milwaukee. Mays, the electrifying Say Hey Kid whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseballs greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93.
Few were so blessed with each of the five essential qualities for a superstar -- hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding and throwing. Fewer so joyously exerted those qualities -- whether launching home runs; dashing around the bases, loose-fitting cap flying off his head; or chasing down fly balls in center field and finishing the job with his trademark basket catch.
For millions in the 1950s and ’60s and after, the smiling ball player with the friendly, high-pitched voice was a signature athlete and showman during an era when baseball was still the signature pastime. Awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015, Mays left his fans with countless memories. But a single feat served to capture his magic -- one so untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.
Decades of taped replays have not diminished the astonishment of watching Mays race toward the wall, his back to home plate; reach out his glove and haul in the drive. What followed was also extraordinary: Mays managed to turn around while still moving forward, heave the ball to the infield and prevent Doby from scoring even as Mays spun to the ground. Mays himself would proudly point out that “the throw” was as important as “the catch.
The Giants went on to sweep the Indians, with many citing Mays’ play as the turning point. The impact was so powerful that 63 years later, in 2017, baseball named the World Series Most Valuable Player after him even though it was his only moment of postseason greatness. He appeared in three other World Series, in 1951 and 1962 for the Giants and 1973 for the Mets, batting just .239 with no home runs in the four series. .
Admirers of Aaron, who died in 2021, would contend that only his quiet demeanor and geographical distance from major media centers -- Aaron played in Atlanta and Milwaukee -- kept him from being ranked the same as, or even better than Mays. But much of the baseball world placed Mays above all. He was the game’s highest-paid player for 11 seasons and often batted first in All-Star games, because he was Willie Mays. From center field, he called pitches and positioned other fielders.
He was born in Westfield, Alabama, in 1931, the son of a Negro League player who wanted Willie to do the same, playing catch with him and letting him sit in the dugout. Young Mays was so gifted an athlete that childhood friends swore that basketball, not baseball, was his best sport. Mays finished 1951 batting .272 with 20 home runs, good enough to be named the league’s top rookie. He might have been a legend that first season. The Giants were 13 games behind Brooklyn on Aug. 11, but rallied and tied the Dodgers, then won a best-of-3 playoff series with one of baseball’s most storied homers: Bobby Thomson’s shot in the bottom of the ninth off Ralph Branca.“I was concentrating on Branca, what he was throwing, what he might throw me,” Mays told The New York Times in 2010.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93Willie Mays, baseball’s exuberant and electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93.
Read more »
Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93Willie Mays, baseball’s exuberant and electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93.
Read more »
Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93Over 22 seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants, Mays batted .302, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,283 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs...
Read more »
Legendary outfielder Willie Mays, 'Say Hey Kid,' dies at 93Willie Mays, known as the 'Say Hey Kid,' made 24 All-Star teams, won two NL MVP awards and had 12 Gold Gloves over the course of his legendary 22-year career.
Read more »
Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” who was one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93.
Read more »
MLB icon Willie Mays dies at 93MLB legend Willie Mays has died at 93.
Read more »