Willie Mays, the iconic Hall of Famer often hailed as the greatest player in baseball history has died at 93. The news broke during a Mets and Rangers game in Arlington, evoking emotional tributes from the baseball community. \u201cHe was the greatest I had ever seen on the field,\u201d said Keith Hernandez, a New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals legend, tearfully during the broadcast. Hernandez, who now serves as a color commentator for the Mets, reflected on Mays\u2019 remarkable skills. \u201cWillie would play a shallow centerfield, making it all the more amazing how he\u2019d catch fly balls against the wall,\u201d added Mets broadcaster Gary Cohen. \u201cHe was the greatest ever to play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just a day prior, it was announced that Mays would not attend a special game honoring him and the Negro Leagues. Scheduled for Thursday, June 20, at Rickwood Field, the game features the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. Mays, who began his career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, had shared his plans to enjoy the event from home. \u201cI\u2019m not able to get to Birmingham this year but will follow the game back here in the Bay Area,\u201d he told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier in the week. \u201cMy heart will be with all of you who are honoring the Negro League ballplayers, who should always be remembered, including all my teammates on the Black Barons.\u201d Mays\u2019 career spanned from 1951 to 1972 with the Giants, where he won a World Series in 1954, was a 24-time All-Star, and was a two-time National League MVP. Among many other accomplishments, his 660 home runs and 12 Gold Gloves highlight his legendary status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The home run total came despite having taken a two-year hiatus from baseball to serve in the military and having played in the three toughest stadiums to hit home runs \u2014 The Polo Grounds, Candlestick Park, and Shea Stadium. Major League Baseball, the city of Birmingham, and the Friends of Rickwood nonprofit group have collaborated to renovate Rickwood Field, the oldest professional ballpark in the United States, to honor Mays and the Negro Leagues. Despite his absence, Mays will be celebrated throughout the week\u2019s festivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,\u201d Mays\u2019 son, Michael Mays, announced. \u201cI want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life\u2019s blood.\u201d Mays was not only a baseball legend but also a cherished figure in San Francisco. His 9-foot bronze statue stands proudly at Oracle Park\u2019s 24 Willie Mays Plaza. He was eager to see MLB\u2019s tribute at Rickwood Field, where he began his career. Known for his exceptional five-tool abilities\u2014hitting, power hitting, fielding, throwing, and baserunning\u2014Mays also possessed an unmatched strategic acumen. In 2015, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, who acknowledged Mays\u2019 impact on sports and society. \u201cIt\u2019s because of giants like Willie that someone like me could even think about running for president,\u201d Obama remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mays was dedicated to helping others throughout his life, notably through his Say Hey Foundation, which supports underprivileged youth. \u201cI do what I can for people, man,\u201d Mays said in a 2021 interview. \u201cWhen the kids ask me for something, I give it to them. Let them have it because they\u2019re going to be here after I\u2019m gone, and I want the kids to enjoy what they can enjoy.\u201d Mays\u2019 legacy is marked by a career batting average of .302, 3,283 hits, and numerous accolades. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, cementing his place as one of the sport\u2019s all-time greats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Willie Mays, the iconic Hall of Famer often hailed as the greatest player in baseball history has died at 93. The news broke during a Mets and Rangers game in Arlington, evoking emotional tributes from the baseball community. \u201cHe was the greatest I had ever seen on the field,\u201d said Keith Hernandez, a New York […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[1460,1459,1458],"class_list":["post-2373","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-birmingham-black-barons","tag-san-francisco-giants","tag-willie-mays","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2373"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2374,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2373\/revisions\/2374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apexsamplework.com\/insightnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}