Willie Mays will all the time be often known as one of many GOATs in baseball. Generally known as the “Say Hey Child” within the MLB, the late San Francisco Large died on the age of 93 in June 2024. The staff confirmed the information of his dying in a press release shared to social media.
“It’s with nice disappointment that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Corridor of Famer Willie Mays handed away peacefully this afternoon on the age of 93,” the Giants tweeted on June 18.
Former president Barack Obama — who awarded Mays with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 — additionally paid tribute to the late baseball participant.
“Willie Mays wasn’t only a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched mixture of grace, ability and energy,” Obama tweeted. “He was additionally a splendidly heat and beneficiant individual — and an inspiration to a whole technology. I’m fortunate to have hung out with him through the years, and Michelle and I ship our deepest condolences to his household.”
Be taught extra about Mays, his life and profession beneath.
Mays Performed for the Giants for 20+ Years
From 1951 via 1972, Mays performed for the Giants, who had been first often known as the New York Giants earlier than they relocated to San Francisco. For many of his distinguished profession, the Alabama native was a middle fielder.
He Was a NY Met
After leaving the Giants in 1972, Mays performed for the New York Mets from 1972 to 1973.
Mays Made ‘The Catch’ in 1954
In recreation 1 of the 1954 World Sequence, Mays made what’s thought-about probably the most iconic catch — dubbed “the catch” — in baseball historical past. Through the eighth inning, Mays made an over-the-shoulder catch within the outfield, then threw the ball again to the infield quick sufficient to forestall Cleveland from scoring. After taking part in further innings, the Giants gained the sport.
His Actual Identify Was Willie, Not William
Regardless of how Willie is a well-liked nickname and abbreviation for William, Mays’ actual title was, the truth is, Willie. All through his baseball profession, Mays earned the nickname, “The Say Hey Child.”
Mays Was Married Twice
In 1956, Mays married Marghuerite Wendell Chapman, and the previous spouses adopted a son named Michael. Mays and Chapman divorced in 1963.
Lower than a decade later, Mays married second spouse Mae Louise Allen. In 1997, she was recognized with Alzheimer’s Illness, and she or he died in 2013.
