Willie Mays, the transcendent “Say Hey Kid” whose unmatched talent and flair made him one of baseball’s most electrifying and iconic players, has died at age 93.
The San Francisco Giants, with whom Mays starred for nearly two decades, announced his peaceful passing.
“It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93,” the Giants said in a statement.
A true five-tool superstar, Mays could do it all – hit for average (.301 career), bash home runs (660), run the bases (338 steals), catch everything hit his way (7,095 putouts) and throw with jaw-dropping arm strength.
His 12 Gold Gloves tied the record for outfielders. Incredibly, Mays’ defensive brilliance may have outshined even his prolific offensive numbers, highlighted by “The Catch” – an over-the-shoulder grab for the ages in the 1954 World Series.
Mays spent his first 21 seasons starring for the New York and San Francisco Giants, before a swan song with the Mets in 1973. He finished with 3,283 hits, 1,903 RBIs, and is regarded among the very greatest all-around players ever. The MLB MVP award was fittingly renamed in his honor in 2017.
As one of the first African American stars following Jackie Robinson, Mays also earned reverence for his dignity and excellence amid racial barriers.
President Obama, in awarding Mays the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praised the Korean War veteran’s “quiet example” that “helped carry forward the banner of civil rights.”
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred summed up Mays’ awe-inspiring impact, saying “his incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable.”
A true giant of the game has passed away, but Willie Mays’ cool charisma and unmatchable talent will forever be enshrined in baseball lore.
