Search results
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed " the Say Hey Kid ", is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-time lists, including those of The Sporting News and ESPN.
Check out the latest Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More of Willie Mays. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, bats, throws, school and more on Baseball-reference.com
- May 6, 1931
- Who Is Willie Mays?
- Early Years and Baseball Career
- Major League Stardom and "The Catch"
- 'Say Hey' Hall of Famer
- Off The Field
Willie Mays began his professional baseball career in the Negro Leagues before joining the New York Giants in 1951. Celebrated for his superb all-around play, he was twice named MVP and finished among the all-time leaders in home runs and hits. Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 and later became a special assistant to the Giants organizat...
Willie Howard Mays Jr. was born on May 6, 1931, 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, Mays grew up under the close watch of two aunts after his parents separated. After moving to nearby Fairfield, Mays bega...
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. After helping the Giants reach the World Series, h...
Mays blasted a league-leading 51 home runs in 1955, 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. Mays famously played stickball with the local kids, his cheerful exuberance earning him the nickname, the "Say...
Married twice, Mays adopted a son, Michael, in 1959. In 1972, he formed the Say Hey Foundation to help underprivileged children through education and community support. Mays stayed with the Mets organization as a hitting instructor through 1979, but after he accepted a public relations job with Bally's casino in Atlantic City he was banned from bas...
At age 16, Willie Mays joined the Birmingham Barons of the Negro American League. The New York Giants purchased his contract in 1950, and he was in center field at the Polo Grounds by the next season. Mays started off slowly, but got untracked and won the NL Rookie of the Year award, helping the Giants erase a 13-game deficit to tie the Dodgers at the end of the 1951 regular season.
May 5, 2021 · On the occasion of baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer turning 90, a reflection on the conditioning that powered his greatness.
People also ask
Who was Willie Mays?
Is Willie Mays still a great baseball player?
What does Willie Mays do?
Who is Willie Howard Mays?
May 6, 2024 · Decades after his final game, Willie Mays still stands among the greatest athletes and ambassadors baseball has ever seen. Few players, if any, have looked like a more natural fit to play baseball than Mays. He doesn’t top many all-time statistical lists (though he’s darn close in so many of ...
May 2, 2024 · Willie Mays American professional baseball player who was exceptional at both batting and fielding. Mays played in major league baseball very soon after the colour bar ended, and he probably never received the respect due him based upon his skills.
Related searches
