[279] Mays founded a charity, the Say Hey Foundation, which promotes youth baseball. "[85], In 1956, Mays struggled at first to get along with new manager Bill Rigney, who publicly criticized him. Mays married Mae Louise Allen in 1971 and remained married until she succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 2013. The Giants won 65 in 10 innings. [188][189] Mays quibbled with manager Charlie Fox, leaving the stadium before the start of a doubleheader on April30 without telling him. Updated: May 19, 2020 . [48], Mays tied Mel Ott's NL record of 511 home runs on April24, 1966, against the Astros. Submit [111] He hit two home runs on June24 and stole home in a 53 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. By Joe Posnanski. "[40], The Giants hoped Mays would help them defensively in center field, as well as offensively. Though Baseball-Reference list Mays as 12th in career RBI, MLB.com ranks him 11th. Barnum and Charlie Chan. They played 20 games in Mexico in 1958, but Mays did not lead a team in 1959; Stoneham wanted him to rest because he was suffering from a broken finger. "I couldn't believe Mays could throw that far. [126][125] Whatever the reason, the boos, which had begun to subside after Mays's four-home run game in 1961, grew even quieter in 1962, as the Giants enjoyed their best season since moving to San Francisco. [209][210] His final at bat came in Game3, where he pinch-hit for Tug McGraw and grounded into a force play. [71][72] Mays hit only five home runs after July 28 but upped his batting average from .326 to .345 to win the team's first batting title since Bill Terry's in 1930. [187] The Giants organization was having financial troubles, and Mays had to settle for a two-year, $330,000 contract. The news comes on the same day that Mays is celebrating his 90th . [A]nyone who played with him or against him would agree that he is the best. [179], The Giants won the NL West in 1971, returning Mays to the playoffs for the first time since 1962. (Courtesy of Memphis Public Library) A childhood prodigy in baseball-rich Birmingham whose talents were well known locally for years, Mays officially broke into the Negro American League on July 4, 1948, signing a basic contract for $250 a month to play for the Black Barons. [96], In 1958, Rigney wanted Mays to challenge Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season. It has long been associated with fertility, rebirth, and love. Making a name for himself early in his career as one of Oakland's bash brothers along with Mark McGwire, Canseco may have actually been the better player for a short . [48][250] Mays's 24 appearances on an All-Star Game roster are tied with Musial for second all-time, behind only Aaron's 25. "[242][243] Don Zimmer remarked, "In the National League in the 1950s, there were two opposing players who stood out over all the othersStan Musial and Willie Mays. [42] He had no hits in his first 12 at bats in the major leagues, but in his 13th on May28, he hit a home run off Warren Spahn over the left-field roof of the Polo Grounds. [39] Initially, Mays was reluctant to accept the promotion because he did not believe he was ready to face major league pitchers. In front of the main entrance is a nine-foot-tall statue of Mays, who has a private box at the stadium. "The Catch transcended baseball" Barra wrote, and Larry Schwartz of ESPN said of all the catches that Mays made, "it is regarded as his greatest". He was the runner-up for the MVP in 1958 after hitting a career-high .347, and again in 1962 after leading the Giants to another World Series with 49 home runs and 141 RBI. Biography ID: 192702725 . [14] His father raised him[15] and two girls, Sarah and Ernestine. On May 24, 1951, the MLB selected Willie to play centerfield for the New York Giants, who have since rebranded as the San Francisco Giants. He won a batting title, four home run titles and four stolen base titles. In the game against the Phillies, Mays reached second base on an error, stole third, and scored the winning run on a Hank Sauer single, all on plays close enough that he had to slide to make each one. Warren Spahn, off whom Mays hit his first career home run, was now his teammate. [222] Following his rookie year, Mays went on a barnstorming tour with an All-Star team assembled by Campanella, playing in Negro League stadiums around the southern United States. [225] Though teams of black All-Stars assembled those two seasons, they drew fewer fans and opted not to assemble in 1961, when Mays again decided not to barnstorm. In 1973, with two arthritic knees but a healed forearm, McCovey hit nearly as well as ever in 130 games, many of them as a pinch-hitter, he belted 29 home runs . Mays has made many appearances on film and television. Early in his career, Mays appeared to be more responsive to mail requests, but by the early 1970s he often used a ghost signer to handle them. Rigney batted Mays leadoff in the final game, hoping to give him more at-bats and a shot at the title. [213] He "strove for All-Star glory" according to Hirsch, taking the game seriously in his desire to support his NL teammates. [249] He is baseball's all-time leader in outfield putouts (7,095), and he played 2,842 games as an outfielder, a total exceeded only by Cobb (2,934) and Barry Bonds (2,874). He ended his career with a return to New York after a mid-season trade to the New York Mets in 1972, retiring after the team's trip to the 1973 World Series. [252], Mays's 156.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) ranks fifth all-time, and third among position players (trailing Barry Bonds's 162.8 and Ruth's 162.1). [200][201] Having considered retirement all year, Mays finally told the Mets officially on September9 that 1973 would be his last season. Shake the hand that shook the hand of P.T. [172] In an April game, Mays collided with Bobby Bonds while reaching his glove over the wall but made a catch to rob Bobby Tolan of a home run. [299] In 1972, Mays voiced himself in the animated fictional special Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid, produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. Same pitch," Mays replied. Moved to the leadoff slot the last day to increase his at bats, Mays collected three hits in the game to finish with a career-high .347, but Philadelphia's Richie Ashburn batted .350. Snoop Dogg is first cousins with a professional wrestler, Sasha Banks. [270] Mays believed his job was to play baseball, not talk about social issues. [166] He played 148 games and upped his batting average to .289, accumulating 84 runs scored, 144 hits, 23 home runs, and 79RBI. [8] [238] Later that year, fans elected him to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. [48][245] Third in home runs with 660 when he retired, he still ranks sixth as of June 2021. "I started thinking home run every time I got up," Mays explained the slump. [282][283], Mays has met with United States Presidents. "You should have had it long before this. He never drank, never smoked, watched his diet and rarely went clubbing. 1, Willie Mays. [125] Mays said in 1959 that he did not mind the booing, but he admitted in a 1961 article that the catcalls were bothering him. Owner Horace Stoneham could not guarantee Mays an income after retirement and the Mets offered Mays a coaching position upon his retirement. [289] Though Mays never went to college, he has been awarded honorary degrees by Yale University, Dartmouth College, and San Francisco State University.[290][291][292]. Mays takes great pride in his durability as a player, and it wasn't an accident. What is the net worth of Willie Mays? [54] Mays hit poorly while the Giants lost the series 42. He caught it in midair and had to kick his legs forward to keep his head from hitting the ballpark's fence, but he held on to the ball. The only child of Willie Sr., a semi-pro ballplayer nicknamed "Cat," and Annie. [48][94], Dwindling attendance and the desire for a new ballpark prompted the Giants to move to San Francisco following the 1957 season. "[38] That range allowed him to play a shallow center and prevent shallow singles, while still being able to get back and not let extra-base hits get over his head. [217][218] With a leadoff home run against Milt Pappas in the 1965 All-Star Game, Mays set a record for most hits in his All-Star Games (21). Commemorate Willie Mays with these Willie Mays collectibles and memorabilia. [48], Before a game in Houston on May6, 1968, Astros owner Roy Hofheinz presented Mays with a 569-pound birthday cake for his 37th birthdaythe pounds represented every home run Mays had hit in his career. When Joe McDonald became the Mets' General Manager in 1975, he threatened to fire Mays for this. In. So Willie Mays is an athlete that pretty much all of us have heard of, unless you're like that Geico person you've been living under a rock for a while, but Willie Mays is one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn and Mays's lawyer intervened, and the Mets agreed to keep him, as long as he stayed at home games for at least four innings. Willie Howard Mays Jr. was born on May 6, 1931, in the African American mill town of Westfield, Alabama. [48], Against the Reds in the NLCS, Mays helped restore order in Game3 after Mets fans began throwing trash at Pete Rose following a brawl Rose and Bud Harrelson had started. [27], Mays's professional baseball career began in 1948 when he played briefly during the summer with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos, a Negro minor league team. [176] He scheduled his off days that season to avoid facing strikeout pitchers such as Bob Gibson or Tom Seaver. "[150][g] The next night, Mays hit one that he considered his most dramatic. I chose baseball, and I loved every minute of it. And the song ends this way: " (Say hey, say hey, say hey) ." Even Snider wasn't about to argue. [121] Mays trailed Cepeda by two home runs at the end of August (34 as opposed to 36), but Cepeda outhit him 106 in September to finish with 46, while Mays finished with 40. "[260] Hirsch wrote "It would be nave to think Mays never took amphetamines" but admits that Mays's amphetamine use has never been proven, calling Mays "the most famous player who supposedly took amphetamines". Stunned, Giants manager Leo Durocher called Mays directly and said, "Quit costing the ball club money with long-distance phone calls and join the team. "[202] Five days later, the Mets honored him on Willie Mays Night, proclaimed by New York City mayor John Lindsay, where he thanked the New York fans and said goodbye to baseball. He really is a hero to lots of Americans and is incredibly well . [192][274] In 1985, less than a year after replacing Kuhn as commissioner, Peter Ueberroth decided to allow Mays to return to baseball. [82][83] Mays led the league with 51 but finished fourth in NL MVP voting. The Baseball 100: No. "[108][215] He scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning of the first All-Star Game of 1961 on a Clemente single in a 54 win for the NL. [147][148], Mays won his fourth and final NL Player of the Month award in August 1965 (.363, 17home runs, 29RBI). [192][193], Mays had remained popular in New York, and owner Joan Payson had long wanted to bring him back to his major league roots. [174][175] "I don't feel excitement about this now," he told reporters afterwards. "[176] In 139 games, Mays batted .291 with 94 runs scored, 28 home runs, and 83RBI. "My problem was if I could stay on the field. At the time, the Giants franchise was losing money. Willie McCovey, a left-handed pull hitter, lined the ball seemingly to right field, but it was caught by second baseman Bobby Richardson, playing deep and in the hole. "My style was always to go all out, whether I played four innings or nine. The Giants lost 21. Most of his earnings come from him being a famous baseball player who has contributed his life for his team named the New York Giants. Mays won the first of 12 consecutive Gold Gloves for his play in center field. Mays had hits in three out of 10 at bats in the Dodger series but some San Francisco fans still booed him. Mays believed his job was to play baseball, and Mays had hits in three out of 10 at in! Upon his retirement ] [ 175 ] `` I do n't feel excitement about this now, '' explained! 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