Legendary baseball player Willie Mays has died at the age of 93.
Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday evening that he “passed away peacefully” Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by his loved ones.
Mr. Mays, nicknamed “ Say Hey Kid » was considered the greatest living baseball player. He won the World Series with the Giants in 1954 and appeared in 24 All-Star Games during his career, tied for second with Stan Musial, one fewer than Hank Aaron. He won the batting championship in 1954, in addition to the MVP title. He added another in 1965.
He made one of the most spectacular and iconic catches in baseball history during the 1954 World Series when he caught a ball with his back to home plate.
Mr. Mays announced Monday that he would not be able to attend the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals at Rickwood Field on Thursday, during the game played to pay tribute to him and the Negro Leagues.
In his 22 seasons, virtually all with the New York/San Francisco Giants, Mays hit for a .302 batting average, hit 660 home runs, totaled 3,283 hits, scored more than 2,000 runs and won 12 Golden Gloves.
He was named rookie of the year in 1951.
Mays was twice named Most Valuable Player; he has also finished in the top-10 of this poll on ten other occasions.
Joined by RDS, former Major League Baseball player Claude Raymond said he was saddened to learn of the death of this baseball legend whom he knew well. “He was the most electrifying player. I played with Hank Aaron for seven years and he and Hank Aaron were the two best players in baseball at that time. »
According to Monieur Raymond, Willie Mays was capable of beating the opponent in many ways. “He could do anything on a ball field. He could beat you with his legs, with his arm, his glove and his stick. If he needed a single, he tried for a single. If he needed a home run, he tried for a home run. »
The former Montreal Expos pitcher has not forgotten any of the four moments when he was the victim of Mr. Mays’ home runs. “When people asked me which of the two was better, out of favoritism, I said Hank Aaron, but deep down, I would have preferred to face Hank Aaron rather than Willie Mays. »
In his own way, Claude Raymond marked Willie Mays to the point where the Quebecer’s name appears in a biography written by the former Giants glory. “He talked about it in his book when in a game at the Astrodome in 1965 or 1966, I had a three-ball count against him. I then threw him 13 fastballs in a row and he threw 13 foul balls. On my 14th attempt, he punched it out for the win, which gave the San Francisco Giants first place that day. »
It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93. pic.twitter.com/Qk4NySCFZQ
