Mays, Willie (1931-2024), was one of the most exciting players in baseball history. He electrified crowds with his sensational fielding, explosive hitting, and daring base running. In his major league career, he hit 660 home runs.
Mays played center field for the New York (later San Francisco) Giants during most of his major league career. He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1954 and 1965. He led the league in home runs four times and in stolen bases four times. Mays won the league batting championship in 1954 and had a career batting average of .301. During the 1954 World Series, Mays had a spectacular running, over-the-shoulder catch of a long fly hit by Vic Wertz of the Cleveland Indians (now called the Cleveland Guardians). The catch ranks among the most memorable plays in series history.
Willie Howard Mays was born on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama, a town near Fairfield. He joined the Giants in 1951. In 1972, he was traded to the New York Mets. He retired as a baseball player in 1973. Mays was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. Say Hey: The Autobiography of Willie Mays was published in 1988. Mays died on June 18, 2024.
