He was, quite simply, the best baseball player I ever saw, better than Mantle, DiMaggio, Aaron, Musial, Griffey, and Williams. They were all terrific players, Hall of Famers who dominated the sport, but Mays was better. He was the original “five-tool” player. He could hit, hit with power, run, field and throw. I would add a sixth tool for his uncanny ability to hit in the “clutch.” As a Dodgers fan, he was the last player I wanted to see at the plate with the game on the line. More on this later.
Willie Howard Mays, AKA “The Say Hey Kid,” was born on May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama. Westfield was a poor, predominately black, company town dominated by the local ironworks plant. Both of Willie’s parents were superb athletes. His father, Cat Mays, was a star baseball player for the plant’s baseball team. His mother had been a star on the local high school basketball and track teams. Willie’s childhood nickname was “Buck.”
Willie’s parents never married, and they separated when Willie was three. Thereafter, Willie was raised by Cat and two of his aunts. Growing up, his favorite ballplayers were Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and Joe DiMaggio, no surprise as they were three of the best ballplayers at that time.
As you can surmise Willie was an outstanding all-around athlete in high school. In addition to baseball Willie starred on the basketball team, and he was the quarterback, fullback and punter on the football team. In addition, while still in high school he played minor league baseball for the Chattanooga Choo-Choos.
Mays did not graduate from high school until 1950 when he was 19. Various major league teams were vying for his services. In 1951 he signed with the NY Giants who beat out the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Braves. His signing bonus was the grand sum of $4,000. I would say the Giants got themselves a bargain. By the way, can you imagine Mays on the Dodgers with Duke Snider, Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Gil Hodges and the rest of the Boys of Summer? Wow!
Mays blew through the Giants minor league system and joined the Giants on May 24, 1951. It was then that he became known as the “Say Hey Kid.” Supposedly, the famous moniker was given to him by famed NY sportswriter Barney Kremenko based on his habit of greeting teammates with that phrase (e. g. “say, hey, how [are] you doing?”)
Mays’ debut was far from sterling, at least offensively. He went hitless in his first 12 at bats. His confidence was so shaken that he was convinced he didn’t belong in the ML. He tearfully begged Leo Durocher, his manager, to send him down. Durocher told him to relax and stop trying to “pull” everything. He added that Willie was the best centerfielder he had ever seen, and he would play the position as long as Leo was managing the team. After that pep talk Willie took off. He batted .290 the rest of the season with 20 homeruns and 68 RBIs and won the Rookie of the Year Award. Furthermore, the Giants won 40 of their last 58 games to catch the Dodgers who had had a seemingly insurmountable 13 1/2 game lead and beat the Dodgers in a three-game playoff to win the pennant on Bobby Thomson’s famous “shot heard ’round the world.”
Willie was now a big star, but Uncle Sam didn’t care. Like many other ballplayers Willie was drafted and spent the better part of two years in the army. Luckily, he did not see combat. He spent his time playing baseball on military teams. It was during this time that he adopted the famous basket catch that became his signature way of catching flyballs.
Willie was discharged in 1954, and he returned with a vengeance. He made the first of his 24 all-star teams, won the batting title with a .345 average, hit 41 homers, won the MVP award and led the Giants to the world championship. Oh, and by the way in game 1 of the WS he made “the catch.” I’m sure you’ve all seen it. Cleveland had runners on first and second in the eighth inning of a 2-2 tie. The Indians’ batter, Vic Wertz, belted one deep toward the centerfield wall, which was 483 feet away. It looked like a sure extra base hit that would score two runs. Even if the ball were caught it was very likely that the runner on second base would tag up and score. Willie sprinted all-out with his back to home plate like a wide receiver going for a touchdown. He made the catch, and in one motion whirled and threw a bullet to the infield. Not only did he rob Wertz, but also, he prevented the runner on second base from scoring. Eventually, the Giants won the game, which provided the impetus for a four-game sweep. It is generally regarded as his greatest catch, but Willie often said he made many other catches like that. He stated “I don’t compare ’em. I just catch ’em.” He was more impressed with the subsequent throw.
In his spare time, Mays would often play stickball with kids in Harlem. Can you imagine what a thrill that was for those kids?
Early in his career Willie participated in post-season barnstorming tours in which MLB players would travel throughout the country and internationally to play exhibition games. This was a real treat to fans in cities without teams as it was their only chance to see MLB players. Unfortunately, with the advent of television this practice died out in the mid-1950s.
The late 1940’s and 1950s was the golden age of NY baseball. During that time, it seemed the NY teams were in the WS every year. The Yankees were in it nine out of ten years and won five championships in a row. The Boys of Summer Dodgers were in it six out of ten years and won it in 1955; and the Giants were in it twice and won once. This gave rise to the term “subway series.” During this period each team was lucky to have a future HOFer patrolling centerfield – the Yankees’ Mickey Mantle, the Dodgers’ Duke Snider, and Mays. Fans would argue incessantly over who was the best. This rivalry gave rise to a popular song in 1981 by Terry Cashman, “Talkin Baseball.”
In 1958 the team moved to San Francisco. Willie became the highest paid player in the sport with a salary of $75,000. In 1963 he was bumped up to $105,000. That was a lot back in the pre-free agency days. Can you imagine what stars like him would command today?! The new stadium, Candlestick Park, was often windy and cold and not conducive to hitting homeruns. Nevertheless, Willie ended his career with 660 homeruns, which was the third highest at the time behind Henry Aaron and Babe Ruth.
At first, the SF fans did not warm up to Willie. They preferred homegrown stars such as Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey. Various theories were put forth for this. (1) In their minds he did not measure up to hometown hero, Joe DiMaggio. (2) Good as he was, he did not meet their unrealistic expectations as a fantastic player. (3) Willie had a reserved personality and tended to keep to himself. My guess is it was a combination of the three, but eventually Willie won them over.
Earlier, I mentioned Willie’s exceptional athleticism and versatility. He was one of the few members of the so-called “30-30 club” (homers and stolen bases). Remember, he played in an era when stolen bases were not popular or else he would likely have joined the “40-40 club.” Also, he became only the fourth player in the “20-20-20 club” (doubles, triples and homers). Quiz question #1: How many of the others can you name. If you can name all three you are truly a baseball savant. Hint: it’s not who you would think.
Later in his career Willie played some at first base, and at least one game at shortstop. It was the second game of the Memorial Day doubleheader in 1964. Yes, teams did play doubleheaders back then. Anyway, the second game went 23 innings and the Giants had run out of infielders. So, Mays played shortstop. (I was there. I saw it.)
In 1972 Mays was traded to the NY Mets. He was near the end and a mere shadow of his former self. He could no longer play an effective centerfield. It was almost embarrassing to watch him out there. Like most athletes he stayed in the game longer than he should have. But he did help the Mets win the 1973 pennant.
CONCLUSION
As I said, in my opinion Mays was the best ballplayer I ever saw. He played in a very competitive era – the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970s. For most of his career there were only 16 teams, so each one had numerous star players, many of which were Hall of Famers. Yet he was the best.
It is difficult to name all of Willie’s accolades and accomplishments, but I will list some of them.
- He won two MVP awards and finished in the top five nine other times.
- He played in 24 All-Star games the second most behind Aaron’s 25. He holds All-Star game records for most at bats (75), hits (23), runs (20), and stolen bases (six). Also, he is tied for the lead in triples. He was so outstanding in those games and holds so many All-Star game records that Ted Williams once observed, “they invented the All-Star game for Willie Mays.”
- Mays’ WAR of 156.2 ranks fifth all-time, third among position players behind only Barry Bonds’s 162.8, whose numbers are suspect due to steroids, and Babe Ruth’s 162.1.
- In 1999 The Sporting News, the longtime bible of baseball, published its list of the 100 greatest players. Willie placed second to Babe Ruth. That same year baseball fans voted him to the “All Century Team.”
- Many believe that Mays was the best defensive outfielder ever (and not just because of his famous catch in the 1954 WS). As evidence of his defensive prowess, he is the career leader in putouts with 7,095. His defensive skills were almost legendary, so much so that if a centerfielder failed to catch a ball people would say “Mays would have had it.”
- He won 12 consecutive “gold gloves,” which is given to the best fielder at his position. He probably would have had more, but the award did not exist before 1957. Moreover, he led NL centerfielders in double plays five times and assists three times.
- In 1962 he became the first African American to be named team captain.
- In 2017 MLB renamed the WS MVP award the “Willie Mays World Series MVP Award.”
- Mays was inducted into the HOF in 1979, which was his first year of eligibility with 94.7% of the vote, the fourth highest at the time. Quiz question #2: Can you name the three players ahead of him
- Mays retired with 660 homeruns, the third highest at the time. That was astounding when you consider he played his home games in two ballparks that were not homer-friendly, and he spent two of his prime years in the military. If not, one can only speculate how many more he would have hit.
- Mays received honorary degrees from several colleges, among them were Yale and Dartmouth.
- His number was retired by both the Giants and the Mets, only the 15th player to have his number retired by multiple teams.
Upon his death Willie received many testimonials, too many to name all of them. Perhaps, the best one is from his longtime manager, Leo Durocher. Leo had a long career as both a player and a manager. He had played on the same team as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and many others on those renowned Yankees teams. Also, he managed many great players, including the Dodgers Boys of Summer teams. He called Mays not just the best centerfielder he had ever seen, but “the best ballplayer I have ever seen.” I would agree except for Ruth and perhaps Ohtani if his career continues along its current arc, but he’s certainly in the conversation. Durocher also pointed out that Mays “could beat you in more ways than any [other] ballplayer who ever lived.” I agree. I saw him win games with a homer, a clutch hit, a great catch, a great throw, a stolen base, whatever.
Willie Mays passed away on June 18, 2024, of heart failure at the age of 93, two days before MLB paid tribute to Willie and Negro league baseball by playing a game at historic Rickman Field in Birmingham, Ala the same field on which he had played as a teenager. He is survived by a son from his first marriage. He was the godfather of Barry Bonds. His second wife, Mae, had died in 2013.
Rest in peace Willie. You gave us baseball fans a lot of pleasure (and pain), and you will be sorely missed.
Quiz answers: (1) Two of the three are familiar names – Jimmy Rollins and Curtis Granderson. The other is Frank (“Wildfire” Schulte who did it in 1911. (2) Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner.
We Built It Blog by Larry Jacob 