Willie Mays, who played 21 of his 23 major-league seasons with the Giants, making the iconic over-the-shoulder bucket catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, kept strong ties to the organization until his death Tuesday at age 93.
The “Say Hey Kid” made his professional debut at 16 years old in 1948 for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League, where he played for three seasons before the Giants purchased his contract in 1950. He went on to win Rookie of the Year in 1951 and Most Valuable Player in 1954 and 1965 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Running at top speed with his back to the plate, New York Giants center fielder Willie Mays gets under a 450-foot blast off the bat of Cleveland first baseman Vic Wertz to pull the ball down in front of the bleachers wall in the eighth inning of the World Series opener at the Polo Grounds in New York on Sept. 29, 1954. In making the miraculous catch with two runners on base, Willie came within a step of crashing into the wall. The Giants won 5-2. (AP Photo)
Former San Francisco Giants legend Willie is remembered before the Oakland Athletics MLB game against the Kansas City Royals at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Mays passed away today at the age of 93. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
** FOR RELEASE WEEKEND, JULY 7-9, OR THEREAFTER** FILE** San Francisco Giants’ Willie Mays shows his batting form in the eighth inning against the American League during the All Star baseball game in Pittsburgh, in this July 7, 1959 file photo. Mays walloped a triple to the right center that won the game. Baltimore Orioles’ catcher Gus Triandos is seen at left. (AP Photo)
Former San Francisco Giants player Willie Mays attends his godson’s Barry Bonds uniform number retirement ceremony before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at AT&T Park in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
FILE – In this Aptil 30, 1961, file photo, San Francisco Giants star outfielder, Willie Mays, proudly displays the four baseballs in the clubhouse representing the four homers which he hit against the Milwaukee Braves in Milwaukee. The four homers tied the record of four homers in a single game held by nine other major league players at the time. The Giants won 14-4. Willie’s homers accounted for eight runs batted in.(AP Photo/File)
New York Giants’ Willie Mays, takes a batting practice swing on June 24, 1954, in New York. Major League Baseball said Tuesday, May 28, 2024, that it has incorporated records for more than 2,300 Negro Leagues players following a three-year research project. Mays was credited with 10 hits for the 1948 Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League, raising his total to 3,293. (AP Photo/John Lent)
San Franciso Giants Hall of Fame Willie Mays helps dedicate his statue in front of Pacific Bell Park, the new home of the …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
