Willie Mays, the Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ dies at 93

Hillel Italie, Associated Press

PALO ALTO, California (AP) — Willie Mays, nan electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular operation of talent, thrust and exuberance made him 1 of baseball’s top and astir beloved players, has died. He was 93.

Mays’ family and nan San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday nighttime he had died earlier successful nan day successful nan Bay Area.

“My begetter has passed distant peacefully and among loved ones,” boy Michael Mays said successful a connection released by nan club. “I want to convey you each from nan bottommost of my surgery bosom for nan unwavering emotion you person shown him complete nan years. You person been his life’s blood.”

The halfway fielder, who began his master profession successful nan Negro Leagues successful 1948, had been baseball’s oldest surviving Hall of Famer. He was voted into nan Hall successful 1979, his first twelvemonth of eligibility, and successful 1999 followed only Babe Ruth connected The Sporting News’ database of nan game’s apical stars. The Giants retired his azygous number, 24, and group their AT&T Park successful San Francisco connected Willie Mays Plaza.

Mays died 2 days earlier a crippled betwixt nan Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to grant nan Negro Leagues astatine Rickwood Field successful Birmingham, Alabama.

“All of Major League Baseball is successful mourning coming arsenic we are gathered astatine nan very ballpark wherever a profession and a bequest for illustration nary different began,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from nan Birmingham Black Barons of nan Negro American League to nan historical Giants franchise. From seashore to seashore … Willie inspired generations of players and fans arsenic nan crippled grew and genuinely earned its spot arsenic our National Pastime.”

Few were truthful blessed pinch each of nan 5 basal qualities for a superstar — hitting for average, hitting for power, speed, fielding and throwing. Fewer truthful joyously exerted those qualities — whether launching location runs; dashing astir nan bases, loose-fitting headdress flying disconnected his head; aliases chasing down alert balls successful halfway section and finishing nan occupation pinch his trademark handbasket catch.

Over 23 awesome convention seasons, virtually each pinch nan New York/San Francisco Giants but besides including 1 successful nan Negro Leagues, Mays batted .301, deed 660 location runs, totaled 3,293 hits, scored much than 2,000 runs and won 12 Gold Gloves. He was Rookie of nan Year successful 1951, doubly was named nan Most Valuable Player and vanished successful nan apical 10 for nan MVP 10 different times. His lightning sprint and over-the-shoulder drawback of an evident other guidelines deed successful nan 1954 World Series remains nan astir celebrated protect play successful shot history.

“When I played ball, I tried to make judge everybody enjoyed what I was doing,” Mays told NPR successful 2010. “I made nan clubhouse feline fresh maine a headdress that erstwhile I ran, nan upwind gets up successful nan bottommost and it flies correct off. People emotion that benignant of stuff.”

For millions successful nan 1950s and ’60s and after, nan smiling ballplayer pinch nan friendly, high-pitched sound was a signature jock and showman during an era erstwhile shot was still nan signature pastime. Awarded nan Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama successful 2015, Mays near his fans pinch countless memories. But a azygous feat served to seizure his magic — 1 truthful untoppable it was simply called “The Catch.”

In Game 1 of nan 1954 World Series, nan then-New York Giants hosted nan Cleveland Indians, who had won 111 games successful nan regular play and were beardown favorites successful nan postseason. The people was 2-2 successful nan apical of nan eighth inning. Cleveland’s Vic Wertz faced reliever Don Liddle pinch nary out, Larry Doby connected 2nd and Al Rosen connected first.

With nan count 1-2, Wertz smashed a fastball to heavy halfway field. In an mean park, pinch an mean halfway fielder, Wertz would person homered, aliases astatine slightest had an easy triple. But nan halfway section wall successful nan eccentrically shaped Polo Grounds was much than 450 feet away. And location was thing adjacent to mean astir nan skills of Willie Mays.

Decades of taped replays person not diminished nan astonishment of watching Mays title toward nan wall, his backmost to location plate, scope retired his mitt and haul successful nan drive. What followed was besides extraordinary: Mays managed to move astir while still moving forward, heave nan shot to nan infield and forestall Doby from scoring moreover arsenic Mays spun to nan ground. Mays himself would proudly constituent retired that “the throw” was arsenic important arsenic “the catch.”

“Soon arsenic it sewage hit, I knew I’d drawback nan ball,” Mays told biographer James S. Hirsch, whose book came retired successful 2010.

“All nan clip I’m moving back, I’m thinking, ‘Willie, you’ve sewage to get this shot backmost to nan infield.’”

“The Catch” was seen and heard by millions done power and nan then-emerging mean of television, and Mays became 1 of nan first Black athletes pinch wide media appeal. He was a impermanent prima connected “The Donna Reed Show,” “Bewitched” and different sitcoms. He inspired a fistful of songs and was named first successful Terry Cashman’s 1980s novelty hit, “Talkin’ Baseball (Willie, Mickey & The Duke),” a tribute successful portion to nan little era erstwhile New York had 3 early Hall of Famers successful center: Mays, Mantle of nan Yankees and Snider of nan Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Giants went connected to expanse nan Indians, pinch galore citing Mays’ play arsenic nan turning point. The effect was truthful powerful that 63 years later, successful 2017, shot named nan World Series Most Valuable Player aft him moreover though it was his only infinitesimal of postseason greatness. He appeared successful 3 different World Series, successful 1951 and 1962 for nan Giants and 1973 for nan Mets, batting conscionable .239 pinch nary location runs successful nan 4 series. (His 1 postseason homer was successful nan 1971 National League playoffs, erstwhile nan Giants mislaid to nan Pittsburgh Pirates).

But “The Catch” and his achievements during nan regular play were greatness enough. Yankees and Dodgers fans whitethorn person fiercely challenged Mays’ eminence, but Mantle and Snider did not. At a 1995 shot writers meal successful Manhattan, pinch each 3 astatine nan dais, Mantle raised nan eternal question: Which of nan 3 was better?

“We don’t mind being second, do we, Duke?” he added.

Between 1954 and 1966, Mays drove successful 100 aliases much runs 10 times, scored 100 aliases much 12 times, deed 40 aliases much homers six times, much than 50 homers doubly and led nan convention successful stolen bases 4 times. His numbers mightiness person been bigger. He missed astir of 1952 and each of 1953 because of subject service, rather perchance costing him nan chance to overtake Ruth’s profession location tally grounds of 714, an grant that first went to Henry Aaron, past Mays’ godson, Barry Bonds. He apt would person won much Gold Gloves if nan grant had been established earlier 1956. He insisted he would person led nan convention successful steals much often had he tried.

“I americium beyond devastated and flooded pinch emotion. I person nary words to picture what you mean to me,” Bonds wrote connected Instagram.

Mays was fortunate successful escaping superior wounded and avoiding awesome scandal, but he endured individual and master troubles. His first marriage, to Margherite Wendell, ended successful divorce. He was often short of money successful nan pre-free supplier era, and he received little for endorsements than Mantle and different achromatic athletes. He was taxable to racist insults and his insistence that he was an entertainer, not a spokesman, led to his being chastised by Jackie Robinson and others for not contributing much to nan civilian authorities movement. He didn’t attraction for immoderate of his managers and didn’t ever admit a chap idol, notably Aaron, his top contemporary.

“When Henry began to soar up nan home-run chart, Willie was loathe to springiness moreover a partial motion to Henry’s ability, choosing alternatively to blasted his ain capacity connected his location turf, (San Francisco’s) Candlestick Park, saying it was a lousy parkland successful which to deed homers and this was nan logic for Henry’s onrush,” Aaron biographer Howard Bryant wrote successful 2010.

Admirers of Aaron, who died successful 2021, would contend that only his quiet demeanor and geographical region from awesome media centers — Aaron played successful Atlanta and Milwaukee — kept him from being classed nan aforesaid as, aliases moreover amended than, Mays. But overmuch of nan shot world placed Mays supra all. He was nan game’s highest-paid subordinate for 11 seasons (according to nan Society for American Baseball Research) and often batted first successful All-Star Games, because he was Willie Mays. From halfway field, he called pitches and positioned different fielders. He boasted that he relied connected his ain instincts, not those of immoderate coach, erstwhile deciding whether to effort for an other base.

Sports writer Barney Kremenko has often been credited pinch nicknaming him “The Say Hey Kid,” referring to Mays’ spirited measurement of greeting his teammates. Moments connected and disconnected nan section sealed nan public’s affection. In 1965, Mays defused a horrifying brawl aft teammate Juan Marichal clubbed Los Angeles Dodgers catcher John Roseboro pinch a bat. Mays led a bloodied Roseboro distant and sat pinch him connected nan clubhouse chair of nan Dodgers, nan Giants’ hated rivals.

Years earlier, erstwhile surviving successful Manhattan, he endeared himself to young fans by playing successful vicinity stickball games.

“I utilized to person possibly 10 kids travel to my window,” he said successful 2011 while visiting nan area of nan aged Polo Grounds. “Every morning, they’d travel astatine 9 o’clock. They’d sound connected my window, get maine up. And I had to beryllium retired astatine 9:30. So they’d springiness maine a chance to spell shower. They’d springiness maine a chance to eat breakfast. But I had to beryllium retired location astatine 9:30, because that’s erstwhile they wanted to play. So I played pinch them for astir possibly an hour.”

He was calved successful Westfield, Alabama, successful 1931, nan boy of a Negro League subordinate who wanted Willie to do nan same, playing drawback pinch him and letting him beryllium successful nan dugout. Young Mays was truthful talented an jock that puerility friends swore that basketball, not baseball, was his champion sport.

By precocious schoolhouse he was playing for nan Birmingham Black Barons, and precocious successful life would person an further 10 hits to his profession total, 3,293, erstwhile Negro League statistic were recognized successful 2024 by Major League Baseball. With Robinson breaking nan awesome league’s colour obstruction successful 1947, Mays’ ascension became inevitable. The Giants signed him aft he graduated from precocious schoolhouse (he had to skip his elder prom) and sent him to their insignificant convention connection successful Trenton, New Jersey. He began nan 1951 play pinch Minneapolis, a Triple-A club. After 35 games, he was batting a head-turning .477 and was branded by 1 scout arsenic “the champion imaginable successful America.” Giants Manager Leo Durocher saw nary logic to hold and demanded that Mays, hardly 20 astatine nan time, subordinate his team’s starting lineup.

Durocher managed Mays from 1951-55 and became a begetter fig — nan surly but astute leader who nurtured and sometimes making out nan young phenom. As Durocher liked to show it, and Mays ne'er disputed, Mays struggled successful his first fewer games and was fresh to spell backmost to nan minors.

“In nan minors I’m hitting .477, sidesplitting everybody. And I came to nan majors, I couldn’t hit. I was playing nan outfield very, very well, throwing retired everybody, but I conscionable couldn’t get a hit,” Mays told nan Academy of Achievement, a Washington-based activity center, successful 1996. “And I started crying, and Leo came to maine and he says: ‘You’re my halfway fielder; it doesn’t make immoderate quality what you do. You conscionable spell home, travel backmost and play tomorrow.’ I deliberation that really, really turned maine around.”

Mays vanished 1951 batting .272 pinch 20 location runs, bully capable to beryllium named nan league’s apical rookie. He mightiness person been a fable that first season. The Giants were 13 games down Brooklyn connected Aug. 11 but rallied and tied nan Dodgers, past won a best-of-three playoff bid pinch 1 of baseball’s astir storied homers: Bobby Thomson’s changeable successful nan bottommost of nan ninth disconnected Ralph Branca.

Mays was nan on-deck batter.

“I was concentrating connected Branca, what he was throwing, what he mightiness propulsion me,” Mays told The New York Times successful 2010. “When he deed nan location run, I didn’t moreover move.

“I retrieve each nan guys moving by me, moving to location plate, and I’m saying, ‘What’s going connected here?’ I was thinking, ‘I sewage to hit!’”

His subject work nan adjacent 2 years stalled his profession but not his development. Mays was assigned arsenic a batting coach for his unit’s shot squad and, astatine nan proposal of 1 pupil, began catching alert balls by holding retired his mitt look up, astir his belly, for illustration a basket. Mays adopted nan caller attack successful portion because it enabled him to propulsion much quickly.

He returned afloat clip successful 1954, hitting 41 homers and a league-leading .345. He was only 34 erstwhile he deed his 500th profession homer, successful 1965, but managed conscionable 160 complete nan adjacent 8 years. Early successful nan 1972 season, pinch Mays struggling and nan Giants looking to trim costs, nan squad stunned Mays and others by trading its marquee subordinate to nan New York Mets, returning him to nan metropolis wherever he had started retired successful nan majors.

Mays’ debut pinch his caller squad could not person been amended scripted: He deed a go-ahead location tally successful nan 5th inning against nan visiting Giants, and helped nan Mets triumph 5-4. But he deteriorated severely complete nan adjacent 2 seasons, moreover falling down connected juncture successful nan field. Many cited him arsenic illustration of a prima who stayed excessively long.

In retirement, he mentored Bonds and defended him against allegations of utilizing steroids. Mays himself was successful problem erstwhile Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned him from nan game, successful 1979, for doing promotional activity astatine nan Bally’s Park Place Hotel and Casino successful Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Kuhn’s successor, Peter Ueberroth, reinstated Mays and chap casino promoter Mantle successful 1985).

But tributes were much communal and they came from everyplace — show business, sports, nan White House. In nan 1979 movie “Manhattan,” Woody Allen’s characteristic cites Mays arsenic among his reasons for living. When Obama learned he was a distant relative of governmental rival and erstwhile Vice President Dick Cheney, he lamented that he wasn’t related to personification “cool” for illustration Mays.

“Willie Mays wasn’t conscionable a singular athlete, blessed pinch an unmatched operation of grace, accomplishment and power,” Obama said Tuesday connected X. “He was besides a wonderfully lukewarm and generous personification — and an inspiration to an full generation.”

Asked astir profession highlights, Mays inevitably mentioned “The Catch,” but besides cherished hitting 4 location runs successful a crippled against nan Braves; falling complete a canvas obstruction to make a drawback successful nan minors; and moving into a obstruction successful Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field while chasing a bases-loaded drive, knocking himself out, but still holding connected to nan ball.

Most of nan time, he was happy conscionable being connected nan field, particularly erstwhile nan sun went down.

“I mean, you had nan lights retired location and each you do is spell retired there, and you’re retired location by yourself successful halfway field,” he told nan accomplishment academy. “And, I conscionable felt that it was specified a beautiful crippled that I conscionable wanted to play it forever, you know.”