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Willie Mays

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Willie Mays
File:Willie-mays.jpg
Center fielder
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
debut
May 25, 1951, for the New York Giants
Last appearance
September 9, 1973, for the New York Mets
Career statistics
Batting average.302
Home runs660
Hits3,283
Teams
Career highlights and awards
[[{{{hoflink}}}|Member of the {{{hoftype}}}]]
[[{{{hoflink}}}|Baseball Hall of Fame]]
Induction1979
Vote94.7% (first ballot)

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama) is a retired American baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Many consider him to be the greatest all-around player of all time.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Mays won two MVP awards and tied a record with twenty-four appearances in the All-Star Game. He ended his career with 660 career home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. Other career milestones include: in 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mays is the only Major League player to have hit a home run in every inning from the 1st through the 16th. He finished his career with a record 22 extra-inning home runs. Mays is one of four NL players to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along with Mel Ott, Sammy Sosa and Albert Pujols.

Mays' first Major League manager, Leo Durocher, said of Mays: "He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw, and field. And he had that other ingredient that turns a superstar into a super superstar. He lit up the room when he came in. He was a joy to be around."[8]

Upon his Hall of Fame induction, Mays was asked to name the best player that he had seen during his career. Mays replied, "I don't mean to be bashful, but I was."[9] Ted Williams once said "They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays."[10]

Professional career

Early years

Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama, outside of Birmingham. His professional baseball career began in 1947, when he played briefly with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos in Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, Mays returned to his home state and joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. Over the next several years, a number of Major League baseball franchises sent scouts to watch him play. The first was the Boston Braves. The scout that found him, Bud Maughn, referred him to the Braves but they declined. He then tipped a scout for the New York Giants. Finally, in 1950 Mays signed with the Giants and went to their Class-B affiliate in Trenton, New Jersey.[11]

After Mays hit .353 in Trenton, he began the 1951 season at AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. With the Millers, Mays displayed his offensive skills and defensive ability. After he hit .477 in 35 games, Mays was called up to the Majors on May 25, 1951. During his brief tenure in Minneapolis, he played with two other eventual Hall of Famers Hoyt Wilhelm and Ray Dandridge.

Major leagues

New York Giants (1951–57)

Mays began his career with zero hits in his first twelve at bats. On his thirteenth at bat, he hit a homer over the left field fence of the Polo Grounds off Warren Spahn.[12] Mays' average improved steadily throughout the rest of the season. Although his .274 average, 68 RBI and 20 homers (in 121 games) were among the lowest of his career, he still won the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award. During the Giants' comeback in August and September 1951 to overtake the Dodgers in the 1951 pennant race, Mays' fielding, and great arm were often instrumental to several important Giant victories.[13] Mays ended the regular season in the on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World against the Brooklyn Dodgers.

The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertz's drive at the warning track in the 1954 World Series.

The Giants went on to meet the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series. This, his first World Series Game, October 4, 1951, was Mickey Mantle's as well. The first inning was unique as it was the only time that these two men batted back-to-back in the major leagues. Willie Mays flied out to right field (Mickey Mantle) for the third out in the top of the first; Mickey Mantle then took his at-bat for the Yankees in the bottom of the first, flying out to right field as well. Mays hit poorly and the Giants lost the series four games to two games. The six-game set was the only time that Mays and the aging Joe DiMaggio would play on the same field.[14]Mays was part of the first all-black outfield in major league history, along with Hall of Famer Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, in Game One of the 1951 World Series.[15]

The United States Army drafted Mays in 1952 and he subsequently missed part of the 1952 season and all of the 1953 season. Despite the conflict in Korea, Mays spent most of his time in the army playing baseball at Fort Eustis.[16] Mays missed about 266 games due to military service.

Mays returned to the Giants in 1954, hitting for a league-leading .345 batting average and also slugging 41 home runs. Mays won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year. In addition, the Giants won the National League pennant and the 1954 World Series, sweeping the Cleveland Indians in four games. The 1954 series is perhaps best remembered for "The Catch," an over-the-shoulder running grab by Mays in deep center field of the Polo Grounds of a long drive off the bat of Vic Wertz during the eighth inning of Game 1. The catch prevented two Indians runners from scoring, and preserved a tied score that the Giants went on to break in the 10th inning for the victory.

Mays went on to perform at a high level each of the last three years the Giants were in New York City. In 1957, he won the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards. At the same time, Mays continued to finish in the NL's top five in a variety of offensive categories. Mays, Roberto Clemente, also with twelve, and Ken Griffey, Jr. are the only outfielders to have more than ten career Gold Gloves. 1957 also saw Mays become the fourth player in Major League history to join the 20–20–20 club (2B,3B,HR). No player had joined the "club" since 1941, and another would not join until 1979 when George Brett did it; and in 2007 both Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins also joined the club.

San Francisco Giants (1958–72)

The Giants were not one of the top teams in the National League between 1955 and 1960; they never finished higher than third place or won more than 83 games in a season. After the 1957 season, the Giants franchise and Mays relocated to San Francisco, California. Mays bought two homes in San Francisco, then lived in nearby Atherton.[17][18] 1958 found Mays vying for the NL batting title, down to the final game of season, just as in 1954. Mays collected three hits in the game, but Philadelphia Phillies' Richie Ashburn won the title.

Alvin Dark was hired to manage the Giants before the start of the 1961 season, and named Mays team captain. The improving Giants finished '61 in third place and won 85 games, more than any of the previous six campaigns. Mays had one of his best games on April 30, 1961, hitting 4 home runs against the Milwaukee Braves.[19] Mays is also the only Major Leaguer to have both a 3 triple game and a 4 home run game.[20][21]

The Giants won the National League pennant in 1962, with Mays leading the team in eight offensive categories. The team finished the regular season in a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and went on to win a three-game playoff series versus the Dodgers, advancing to play in the World Series. The Giants lost to the Yankees in seven games, and Mays hit just .250 with only two extra-base hits. It was his last World Series appearance as a member of the Giants.

In both the 1963 and 1964 seasons Mays batted in over 100 runs each year, and hit 85 total home runs. On July 2, 1963, Mays played in a game when future Hall of Fame members Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal each threw fifteen scoreless innings. In the bottom of the sixteenth inning, Mays hit a home run off Spahn and the Giants won the game 1-0.[22]

Mays won his second MVP award in 1965 behind a career-high 52 home runs. He also hit career home run number 500 on September 13, 1965 off Don Nottebart. Warren Spahn, off whom Mays hit his first career home run, was his teammate at the time. After the home run, Spahn greeted Mays in the dugout, asking "Was it anything like the same feeling?" Mays replied "It was exactly the same feeling [and the] same pitch, too."[23] On August 22, 1965 Mays and Sandy Koufax acted as peacemakers during a 14-minute brawl between the Giants and Dodgers after an incident between San Francisco pitcher Juan Marichal and Dodgers catcher John Roseboro.[24]

Mays played in over 150 games for thirteen consecutive years (a major-league record) from 1954 to 1966. In 1966, his last with 100 RBIs, Mays finished third in the NL MVP voting. It was the ninth and final time he finished in the top five in the voting for the award.[25] In 1970, the Sporting News named Mays as the "Player of the Decade" for the 1960s.

Willie hit career home run number 600 off San Diego's Mike Corkins in September 1969. Plagued by injuries that season, he managed only thirteen home runs. Mays enjoyed a resurgence in 1970, hitting twenty-eight homers and got off to a fast start in 1971, the year he turned 40. He had fifteen home runs at the All Star break, but faded down the stretch and finished with eighteen.

During his time on the Giants, Mays was friends with fellow player Bobby Bonds. When Bobby's son, Barry Bonds, was born, Bobby asked Willie Mays to be Barry's godfather. Mays and the younger Bonds have maintained a close relationship ever since.

New York Mets (1972–73)

In May 1972, the 41-year-old Mays was traded to the New York Mets for Charlie Williams and $50,000.[26] At the time, the Giants franchise was losing money. Owner Horace Stoneham could not guarantee Mays an income after retirement and the Mets offered Mays a position as a coach upon his retirement.[27]

Mays remained popular in New York long after the Giants had left for San Francisco, and the trade was seen as a public relations coup for the Mets. In his Mets debut, Mays hit a game-winning home run in the 5th inning against his former team, the Giants. Mays' played part of the 1972 season and all of the 1973 season before he retired. He only played in 133 games with the Mets, but was on the roster for the Mets in the 1973 World Series. Mays got the first hit of the series, which the Mets lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games. Mays registered only seven at-bats (with two hits), and fell down in the outfield during a play where he was hindered by the glare of the sun; he later said "growing old is just a helpless hurt." In 1972 and 1973 Mays was the oldest regular position player in baseball. Mays retired after the 1973 season with a lifetime batting average of .302 and 660 home runs.

Statistics

Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB K BA OBP SLG TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
1951 20 NYG NL 121 464 59 127 22 5 20 68 7 4 57 60 .274 .356 .472 219 1 2 11
1952 21 NYG NL 34 127 17 30 2 4 4 23 4 1 16 17 .236 .326 .409 52 0 1 2
1954 23 NYG NL 151 565 119 195 33 13 41 110 8 5 66 57 .345 .411 .667 377 0 7 2 12
1955 24 NYG NL 152 580 123 185 18 13 51 127 24 4 79 60 .319 .400 .659 382 0 7 13 4 12
1956 25 NYG NL 152 578 101 171 27 8 36 84 40 10 68 65 .296 .369 .557 322 0 3 20 1 16
1957 26 NYG NL 152 585 112 195 26 20 35 97 38 19 76 62 .333 .407 .626 366 0 6 15 1 14
1958 27 SF NL 152 600 121 208 33 11 29 96 31 6 78 56 .347 .419 .583 350 0 6 12 1 11
1959 28 SF NL 151 575 125 180 43 5 34 104 27 4 65 58 .313 .381 .583 335 0 6 9 2 11
1960 29 SF NL 153 595 107 190 29 12 29 103 25 10 61 70 .319 .381 .555 330 0 9 11 4 15
1961 30 SF NL 154 572 129 176 32 3 40 123 18 9 81 77 .308 .393 .584 334 0 4 15 2 14
1962 31 SF NL 162 621 130 189 36 5 49 141 18 2 78 85 .304 .384 .615 382 0 3 11 4 11
1963 32 SF NL 157 596 115 187 32 7 38 103 8 3 66 83 .314 .380 .582 347 0 7 5 2 15
1964 33 SF NL 157 578 121 171 21 9 47 111 19 5 82 72 .296 .383 .607 351 1 3 13 1 11
1965 34 SF NL 157 558 118 177 21 3 52 112 9 4 76 71 .317 .398 .645 360 2 2 16 0 11
1966 35 SF NL 152 552 99 159 29 4 37 103 5 1 70 81 .288 .368 .556 307 1 4 11 2 13
1967 36 SF NL 141 486 83 128 22 2 22 70 6 0 51 92 .263 .334 .453 220 2 3 7 2 12
1968 37 SF NL 148 498 84 144 20 5 23 79 12 6 67 81 .289 .372 .488 243 0 6 7 2 13
1969 38 SF NL 117 403 64 114 17 3 13 58 6 2 49 71 .283 .362 .437 176 0 4 7 3 8
1970 39 SF NL 139 478 94 139 15 2 28 83 5 0 79 90 .291 .390 .506 242 0 6 3 3 7
1971 40 SF NL 136 417 82 113 24 5 18 61 23 3 112 123 .271 .425 .482 201 1 4 11 3 8
1972 41 SF NL 19 49 8 9 2 0 0 3 3 0 17 5 .184 .394 .224 11 1 0 1 0 4
NYM NL 69 195 27 52 9 1 8 19 1 5 43 43 .267 .402 .446 87 3 0 5 1 5
1973 42 NYM NL 66 209 24 44 10 0 6 25 1 0 27 47 .211 .303 .344 72 1 1 0 1 7
Totals: 2,992 10,881 2,062 3,283 523 140 660 1,903 338 103 1,464 1,526 .302 .384 .557 6,066 13 91 192 44 251
  •   Led NL
  •   Led MLB
  •   Won NL MVP
    [28]

Post-playing days

After Mays stopped playing baseball, he remained an active person. Just as he had during his playing days, Mays continued to appear on various TV shows, in films, and in other forms of non-sports related media. He remained in the New York Mets organization as their hitting instructor until the end of the 1979 season.[29]

On January 23, 1979, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was his first year of eligibility and he had appeared on 409 of the 432 ballots cast (roughly 95 percent).[30] Shortly after, he took a job at the Park Place (now Bally's Atlantic City) casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While there, he served as a Special Assistant to the President and as a greeter. Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was also a greeter during that time. When he heard of this, Bowie Kuhn, Baseball Commissioner, suspended both men from involvement in organized baseball. Peter Ueberroth, Kuhn's successor, lifted the suspension in 1985.

John Milner, a key witness during the Pittsburgh drug trials testified that Mays had introduced and provided him with amphetamines.[31][32]

Since 1986, Willie Mays has served as Special Assistant to the President of the San Francisco Giants. Mays' number 24 is retired by the San Francisco Giants. AT&T Park, the Giants stadium, is located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. In front of the main entrance to the stadium is a larger-than-life statue of Mays.

Special honors and tributes

When Mays' godson Barry Bonds tied him for third on the all-time home run list, Mays greeted and presented him with a diamond-studded Olympic torch (given to Mays for his role in carrying the Olympic Torch during its tour through the U.S.). In 1992, when Bonds signed a free agent contract with the Giants, Mays personally offered Bonds his retired #24 (the number Bonds wore in Pittsburgh) but Bonds declined, electing to wear #25 instead, honoring his father Bobby Bonds who wore #25 with the Giants.[33]

Willie Mays Day was proclaimed by former mayor Willie Brown and reaffirmed by mayor Gavin Newsom to be every May 24 in San Francisco, paying tribute to both his birth in the month (May 6), and his number (24).

On May 24, 2004, during the fifty-year anniversary of The Catch, Willie Mays received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University.[34]

On December 6, 2005, he was recognized for his accomplishments on and off the field when he received the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.

Willie Mays received an honorary doctorate from Dartmouth College on June 10, 2007.

At the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, Mays received a special tribute for his legendary contributions to the game, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

On December 5, 2007, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Mays into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.[35]

On June 4, 2008, Community Board 10 in Harlem NYC, voted unanimously to name an 8 block service Road that connects to the Harlem River Drive from 155th Street to 163rd Street running adjacent to his beloved Polo Grounds - Willie Mays Drive.[36]

Personal life

Willie Mays, Jr. was born to Ann and Willie Howard Mays, Sr., who divorced when he was 3 years old. He learned the game from his father and his father's Industrial League teammates.

Mays was married to the former Margherite Wendell Chapman in 1956. They adopted a son, Michael, in 1958. They divorced in 1962 or 1963, varying by source. In November 1971, Mays married Mae Louise Allen.

Origin of "Say Hey Kid" nickname

It is not clear how Mays became known as the "Say Hey Kid". One story is that in 1951, Barney Kremenko, a New York Journal writer, having overheard Mays blurt "'Say who,' 'Say what,' 'Say where,' 'Say hey,'" proceeded to refer to Mays as the 'Say Hey Kid'.[37]

The other story is that Jimmy Cannon created the nickname because, when Mays arrived in the majors, he did not know everyone's name. "You see a guy, you say, 'Hey, man. Say hey, man,' " Mays said. "Ted was the 'Splinter'. Joe was 'Joltin' Joe'. Stan was 'The Man'. I guess I hit a few home runs, and they said there goes the 'Say Hey Kid.'"[38]

While known as "The Say Hey Kid" to the public, Mays's nickname to friends, close acquaintances and teammates is "Buck."[39]

See also

References and notes

  1. ^ Allen, Bob; Gilbert, Bill (2000). The 500 Home Run Club: Baseball's 16 Greatest Home Run Hitters from Babe Ruth to Mark McGwire. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 145. ISBN 1582612897.
  2. ^ Lombardi, Stephen M. (2005). The Baseball Same Game: Finding Comparable Players from the National Pastime. iUniverse. p. 86. ISBN 0595354572.
  3. ^ Kalb, Elliott (2005). Who's Better, Who's Best in Baseball?: Mr. Stats Sets the Record Straight on the Top 75 Players of All Time. McGraw-Hill Professional. pp. 35–36. ISBN 0071445382.
  4. ^ Shannon, Mike (2007). Willie Mays: Art in the Outfield. University of Alabama Press. p. 89. ISBN 0817315403.
  5. ^ Markusen, Bruce (2000). Roberto Clemente: The Great One. Sports Publishing LLC. p. 140. ISBN 1582613125.
  6. ^ Hinton, Chuck (2002). My Time at Bat: A Story of Perseverance. Christian Living Books. p. 59. ISBN 1562290037.
  7. ^ Barra, Allen (2004). Brushbacks and Knockdowns: The Greatest Baseball Debates of Two Centuries. Macmillan Publishers. p. 36. ISBN 031232247X.
  8. ^ [1] [2]
  9. ^ Albuquerque Journal Online
  10. ^ National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: The Hall of Famers
  11. ^ Salon Brilliant Careers | Willie Mays
  12. ^ ESPN.com: Mays brought joy to baseball
  13. ^ Willie Mays, by Arnold Hano, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, pp. 60-75 first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
  14. ^ The Series, an illustrated history of Baseball's postseason showcase, 1903-1993, The Sporting News, copyright 1993, The Sporting News Publishing Co. pp. 144-145 ISBN 0-89204-476-4
  15. ^ Willie Mays, by Matt von Albade, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, p.80 first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
  16. ^ BIOPROJ.SABR.ORG :: The Baseball Biography Project
  17. ^ Streetwise: Willie Mays - Western Neighborhoods Project - San Francisco History
  18. ^ Mary Kay Linge, Willie Mays: A Biography (Greenwood Press, 2005), p.151.
  19. ^ The Baseball Page
  20. ^ September 15, 1960 San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com
  21. ^ April 30, 1961 San Francisco Giants at Milwaukee Braves Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com
  22. ^ July 2, 1963 Milwaukee Braves at San Francisco Giants Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com
  23. ^ The majesty of Mays
  24. ^ Letting Off Steam - confrontations between players, fans and umpires | Baseball Digest | Find Articles at BNET.com
  25. ^ He also finished sixth in the balloting three times.
  26. ^ "Mays Trade (at bottom)". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  27. ^ Shaun McCormack, Willie Mays (Rosen Publishing Group, 2003).
  28. ^ "Willie Mays Statistics". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved 2007-08-26.
  29. ^ "Mays on the IMDBb". Retrieved 2006-10-22.
  30. ^ [3]
  31. ^ [[4]]
  32. ^ [[5]]
  33. ^ [6].
  34. ^ http://www.yale.edu/opa/campus/2004_commencement/honorands.html
  35. ^ Mays inducted into California Hall of Fame, California Museum, Accessed 2007
  36. ^ [7]
  37. ^ "Mays earns his nickname". Retrieved 2006-10-21.
  38. ^ "Article on Mays". Retrieved 2006-10-21.
  39. ^ "eMuseum: Willie Mays". Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Retrieved 9 March. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

References

  • David Pietrusza, Matthew Silverman & Michael Gershman, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated.
  • "Willie's Time: A Memoir Of Another America", by Charles Einstein
  • Willie Mays, by Arnold Hano, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
  • The Series, an illustrated history of Baseball's postseason showcase, 1903-1993, The Sporting News, copyright 1993, The Sporting News publishing co. ISBN 0-89204-476-4

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Willie Mays.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by National League Rookie of the Year
1951 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Most Valuable Player
1954
1965 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Batting Champion
1954 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
1954 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Hickok Belt Winner
1954 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Home Run Champion
1955
1962
1964-1965 		Succeeded by
Preceded by National League Stolen Base Champion
1956-1959 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Major League Player of the Month
May 1958 (with Stan Musial)
September 1958
August 1963
August, 1965 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Major League Baseball All-Star Game
Most Valuable Player
1963
1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Batters with 4 home runs in one game
April 30, 1961 		Succeeded by

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| #default = 1931 births

}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}} 

|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
| #default =

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