What is willie mays famous for

Who Was Willie Mays?

Willie Mays was one of the great baseball players in history. The Alabama native began his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues before joining the New York Giants in Celebrated for his superb all-around play, the center fielder was twice named MVP and remains among the all-time leaders in home runs and hits.

Mays, whose nickname was the “Say Hey Kid,” was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in and later became a special assistant to the Giants organization. He died in June at age

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Willie Howard Mays Jr.
BORN: May 6,
DIED: June 18,
BIRTHPLACE: Westfield, Alabama
SPOUSES: Margherite Wendall Chapman () and Mae Louise Allen Mays ()
CHILD: Michael
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Taurus

Early Life of a Baseball Prodigy

Willie Howard Mays Jr.

was born on May 6, , in the African American mill town of Westfield, Alabama. The only child of Willie Sr., a semi-pro ballplayer nicknamed “Cat,” and Annie Satterwhite, a champion high school sprinter, Willie Jr. grew up under the close watch of two aunts after his parents’ relationship dissolved.

After moving to nearby Fairfield with his father, Willie Jr.

became a bat boy and occasional player for the Fairfield Stars in the Birmingham Industrial League alongside Willie Sr. In addition to his baseball prowess, the gifted teenage athlete starred on the football and basketball teams at Fairfield Industrial High School.

In , the same year Jackie Robinsonbroke the MLB’s color barrier, year-old Mays began playing for the Birmingham Black Barons of the professional Negro Leagues on weekends.

His part-time schedule with the team allowed him to remain in school.

Watch the documentary Say Hey, Willie Mays! on Max

Baseball Stardom

National League Rookie of the Year

Mays signed with the New York Giants after graduating from high school in and was sent to the minors.

He played well despite enduring segregated living conditions and racial taunts from fans (experiences that continued into his MLB career), and after hitting through 35 games with the Minneapolis Millers, he joined the big leagues in May

Mays got off to a slow start with the Giants, collecting a home run off Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn as his lone hit in his first seven games.

But the speedy center fielder made an immediate impression with his breathtaking defensive ability, and eventually, he proved a capable hitter as well.

Hank aaron

Michael mays

Mickey mantle

After helping the Giants reach the World Series, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

“The Catch”

Called to serve in the U.S. Army early in the season, Mays continued honing his skills on a military team in Virginia. He returned to the MLB in to hit a league-leading with 41 home runs en route to National League MVP honors.

He capped the season with one of the most famous defensive plays in history, running down a mammoth drive to deep center field in Game 1 of the World Series against the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Mays caught the ball over his shoulder while still on the move before spinning around and throwing it back to the infield to prevent a run.

Willie mays baseball reference Johnny Bench Yogi Berra. Center fielder. Adrienne Donica Deputy Editor. He played well despite enduring segregated living conditions and racial taunts from fans experiences that continued into his MLB career , and after hitting.

“The Catch” helped the Giants beat their favored opponent for the championship.

“Say Hey” Hall of Famer

Mays blasted a league-leading 51 home runs in , and the following year, he won his first of four consecutive stolen base titles.

In addition to being arguably the top all-around player in the game, he was a hero in his Harlem community and famously played stickball with the local kids. Throughout New York City, baseball fans debated whether Mays, Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees, or Duke Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers was the best slugger.

The community ties were severed when the Giants moved to San Francisco after the season, but Mays remained a top draw in his new ballpark.

In , he became the ninth player to hit four home runs in a single game, and the following year, he pushed the Giants to the brink of a World Series triumph before a close loss to the New York Yankees. He collected his second MVP award after socking a career-best 52 home runs in

Beyond his indisputable stats, Mays was an entertaining athlete who knew how to play up drama on the baseball diamond.

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He requested a baseball cap that could easily be caught by the wind and fly off as he ran around the outfield. His cheerful exuberance and frequent turn of phrase “say, hey” earned him the nickname the “Say Hey Kid.” Still, he was serious about the game and became known for his trademark basket catch, with his glove near his waist, that allowed him to more quickly throw the ball to the infield.

Traded to the New York Mets during the season, Mays helped the team advance to the World Series in before announcing his retirement that September.

His age had caught up with him in his final seasons, and he saw a noticeable drop-off in his batting ability as he dealt with nagging injuries. Mays was 42 years old when he retired.

The former center fielder was easily inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame just six years later, during his first year of eligibility.

He continued to collect honors for decades to come.

Stats

Mays recorded 23 seasons as a professional baseball player, including his first season in the Negro Leagues. Partway through his 21^st season with the Giants, he was traded to the New York Mets were he spend the remainder of his career.

Hank aaron: Archived from the original on October 26, In other projects. The famous center fielder also had a close relationship with his godson, Barry Bonds. The pair married in and adopted a son, Michael, in

To this day, the former center fielder is among the all-time leaders for home runs, runs scored, and hits.

Mays’ regular season career stats, including from his one season in the Negro Leagues, totaled:

• Games: 3,
• Hits: 3, (No. 12 all-time)
• Runs: 2, (No. 7 all-time)
• Home runs: (No.

  6 all-time)

• Batting average:
• Putouts: 7,

In the postseason, Mays appeared in 25 games, during which he secured 12 runs and 1 home run off of 22 hits. He won the World Series with the Giants in and made it to the championship with the team on two other occasions, in and His fourth and final World Series appearance was in as the New York Mets lost to the Oakland Athletics.

The “Say Hey Kid” was named the National League Rookie of the Year in and earned the league’s MVP honors twice, in and He recorded 12 consecutive Gold Gloves for fielding excellence, an award that was first introduced in , three years after “The Catch.” Mays was among the inaugural class of recipients.

Additionally, he was selected for the All-Star Game a record-tying 24 times, alongside Hank Aaron and Stan Musial.

His skyrocketing fame was accompanied by equally large increases in his salary. His initial deal with the New York Giants in came with a $4, signing bonus and $ monthly salary.

Around the mids, Mays was making $25,, and in , he signed a $90, single-season contract. Mays became the highest-paid baseball player in the season, earning $, By , his salary was approximately $, per year. His trade to the New York Mets came with a $, annual salary for the rest of his playing career as well as $50, per year to coach once he retired.

Mays is one of 14 players whose number, 24, has been retired by multiple teams.

The Giants bestowed the honor in , followed by the Mets in August He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in

Life After Baseball

In , Mays formed the Say Hey Foundation to help underprivileged children through education and community support. He also penned several books, including Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays () and Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid ().

Mays stayed with the Mets organization as a hitting instructor through , but after he accepted a public relations job with Bally’s Atlantic City casino in New Jersey, he was banned from baseball-related events.

Reinstated by Commissioner Peter Ueberroth in , Mays was named a special assistant to the Giants organization the following year, a position that became a lifetime appointment in

In , the Giants dedicated a statue of the baseball icon outside the team’s new ballpark at 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

He received an array of awards in subsequent years, including honorary degrees from Yale University and Dartmouth College, and was inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame in In , he was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Barack Obama.

Toward the end of his life, Mays participated in the HBO documentary Say Hey, Willie Mays! () about his baseball career and beyond.

His son, Michael, godson Barry Bonds, and many others were also interviewed for the movie.

Mays lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for many years before moving to Palo Alto, California, in his last years.

Wives and Son

Willie was married twice, most recently to Mae Louise Allen Mays.

The couple wed in November after meeting in New York. When Willie called to ask Mae for their first date, she didn’t believe it was really him. Despite his assurance, she replied, “Yes, and I’m Martha Washington.” Willie and Mae were married for more than 41 years, until her death in from Alzheimer’s disease.

Willie’s first wife was Margherite Wendall Chapman.

The pair married in and adopted a son, Michael, in However, their relationship didn’t last, and they divorced in

The famous center fielder also had a close relationship with his godson, Barry Bonds. Mays and Bonds’ father, Bobby, played together on the Giants, the team that Barry later joined.

Babe ruth It means dedication. Here's a look at 24 facts on No. Retrieved June 18, I figured there had to be a relay.

Barry surpassed his godfather on the all-time home runs list in the season, though he was in the midst of a years-long scandal connecting him to possible performance-enhancing drug use.

Death

Mays died in California on June 18, , at age His family and the San Francisco Giants shared the news in a joint statement. His son, Michael, said Willie “passed away peacefully and among loved ones.” The cause of death was congestive heart failure, according to San Francisco Chroniclereporting.

Mays’ godson Barry Bonds, who also played for the Giants, wrote in an Instagram post that he is “beyond devastated and overcome with emotion” following Mays’ death.

“I have no words to describe what you mean to me—you helped shape me to be who I am today,” Bonds wrote. “Thank you for being my Godfather and always being there Rest in peace Willie, I love you forever.”

Quotes

• When I’m not hitting, I don’t hit nobody. But, when I’m hitting, I hit anybody.
• In the minors, I’m hitting , killing everybody.

  And I came to the majors, I couldn’t hit.

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I was playing the outfield very, very well, throwing out everybody, but I just couldn’t get a hit.

• Baseball is a game, yes. It is also a business. But what it most truly is is disguised combat. For all its gentility, its almost leisurely pace, baseball is violence under wraps.
• When I played ball, I tried to make sure everybody enjoyed what I was doing.

  I made the clubhouse guy fit me a cap that when I ran, the wind gets up in the bottom, and it flies right off. People love that kind of stuff.

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Willie mays stats Like his hero, Mays would stand with his legs spread apart, placing the same amount of weight on both while holding the bat high. He holds major league records for games as a center fielder 2, , putouts as an outfielder 7, , and ended his career behind only Ty Cobb in total games as an outfielder 2, , ranking seventh in assists and third in double plays 59 in center field. Archived from the original on November 29, Born: May 6, Westfield, Alabama , U.