Willie Mays
Willie Mays | ||
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Center fielder | ||
Born: May 6, 1931 | ||
Batted: Right | Threw: Right | |
MLB debut | ||
May 25, 1951 for the New York Giants |
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Final game | ||
September 8, 1973 for the New York Mets |
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Career statistics | ||
Batting average | .302 | |
Home runs | 660 | |
Hits | 3,283 | |
Teams | ||
Career highlights and awards | ||
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Member of the National | ||
Baseball Hall of Fame | ||
Elected | 1979 | |
Vote | 94.7% (first ballot) |
Willie Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931 in Westfield, Alabama outside Birmingham) is a retired American baseball player who played the majority of his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing his career with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Mays won two MVP awards and tied a record with twenty-four appearances in the All-Star Game. He ended his career with 660 career home runs, third at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-time. Many consider him to be the greatest all-around player of all-time.
Mays' first Major League manager, Leo Durocher, described his abundance of talent, saying: "He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw, and field. And he had that other ingredient that turns a superstar into a super superstar. He lit up the room when he came in. He was a joy to be around."[2]
Upon his Hall of Fame induction, Mays was asked to name the best player that he had seen during his career. Mays replied, "I don't mean to be bashful, but I was."[3]
Contents |
Professional career
Early years
Mays' professional baseball career began in 1947, when he played briefly with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos in Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, Mays returned to his home state and joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League. Over the next several years, a number of Major League baseball franchises sent scouts to watch him play.The first was the Milwaukee Braves. The scout that found him, Bud Maughn, referred him to the Braves but they declined. He then tipped a scout for the New York Giants. Finally, in 1950 Mays signed with the Giants and went to their Class-B affiliate in Trenton, New Jersey.[4]
After Mays hit .353 in Trenton, he began the 1951 season at AAA Minneapolis Millers of the American Association. With the Millers, Mays displayed his offensive skills and defensive ability. After he hit .477 in 35 games, Mays was called up to the Majors in May 1951. During his brief tenure in Minneapolis AA, he played with two other eventual Hall of Famers Hoyt Wilhelm and Ray Dandridge.
Major Leagues
New York Giants (1951-1957)
Mays began his career with zero hits in his first twelve at bats. On his 13th at bat, he hit a homer over the left field fence of the Polo Grounds off of Warren Spahn. [5] Mays' average improved steadily throughout the rest of the season. Although his .274 average, 68 RBI and 20 homers (in 121 games) were among the lowest of his career, he still won the 1951 Rookie of the Year Award. During the Giants' amazing comeback in August and September 1951 to overtake the Dodgers in the 1951 pennant race, Mays' fielding, and great arm were often instrumental to several important Giant victories.[6] Mays ended the regular season in the on-deck circle when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard 'Round the World against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The Giants went on to meet the New York Yankees in the 1951 World Series. This, his first World Series Game, October 4, 1951, was also Mickey Mantle's first World Series Game as well. The first inning was unique as it was the only time that these two men batted back-to-back in the major leagues. Willie Mays flied out to right field (Mickey Mantle) for the third out in the top of the first; Mickey Mantle then took his at-bat for the Yankees in the bottom of the first, flying out to right field as well. Mays hit poorly and the Giants lost the series four games to two games. The six-game set was the only time that Mays and the aging Joe DiMaggio would play on the same field.[7]Mays was part of the first all-black outfield in major league history, along with Hall of Famer Monte Irvin and Hank Thompson, in Game One of the 1951 World Series.[8]
The United States Army drafted Mays in 1952 and he subsequently missed part of the 1952 season and all of the 1953 season. Despite the conflict in Korea, Mays spent most of his time in the army playing baseball at Fort Eustis.[9]
Mays returned to organized baseball in 1954. Mays hit for a .345 batting average with 41 home runs and he won his only batting title that season. The race for the title was so close that Mays did not secure the crown until the last day of the season.[10]. Meanwhile, the Giants won the National League pennant and the 1954 World Series. Although the Giants swept the Cleveland Indians, the series is often remembered for the Catch.
After the 1954 season, Mays won the National League Most Valuable Player Award and the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year.
Mays went on to perform at a high level each of the last three years the Giants were in New York City. In 1957, he won the first of twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards. At the same time, Mays continued to finish in the NL's top 5 in a variety of offensive categories. Mays, Roberto Clemente, also with 12, and Ken Griffey, Jr. are the only outfielders to have more than 10 career Gold Gloves. 1957 also saw Mays become the fourth player in Major League history to join the 20-20-20 Club (2B,3B,HR). No player had joined the "club" since 1941, and another would not join until 1979.
San Francisco Giants (1958-1972)
After the 1957 season, the Giants franchise relocated to San Francisco, California. Shortly thereafter, Mays bought a palatial home in nearby Atherton.[citation needed]
Mays' quest for the NL batting title came down to the final game of the 1958 season, just as it had in 1954. In his final regular season game, Mays collected three hits. Unfortunately for Mays, the Philadelphia Phillies' Richie Ashburn won the title.
The Giants were not one of the top teams in the National League between the years 1955 and 1960. During that span, the team never finished higher than 3rd place or won more than 83 games in an individual season. In an attempt to improve the team, the Giants hired former Giant player Alvin Dark before the start of the 1961 season. Dark promptly named Mays the team captain and the team showed improvement on the field. They finished the '61 season in third place and won 85 games, more than they had in any of the previous six campaigns. Mays would have one of his best games on April 30, 1961, hitting 4 home runs against the Milwaukee Braves (Hank Aaron also hit 2 that day).[11] In fact Mays is the only Major Leaguer to have both a 3 triple game and a 4 home run game. [13] [14]
The Giants won the National League pennant in 1962. That year, Mays played in 162 games, batted .304, and led the team in eight major offensive categories. The season was not without turmoil or noteworthy moments. The team actually finished the 162-game regular season in a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Giants went on to win a three-game playoff series versus the Dodgers and advanced to play in the World Series. Unfortunately for them, the Giants lost to the Yankees in seven games. Mays hit just .250 with only two extra-base hits. It was his last World Series appearance as a member of the Giants.
In both the 1963 and 1964 seasons Mays scored over 100 runs, batted in over 100 runs, and hit 85 total home runs. On July 2, 1963, Mays played in a game when future Hall of Fame members Warren Spahn and Juan Marichal each threw 15 scoreless innings. In the bottom of the 16th inning, Mays hit a home run off of Spahn and the Giants won the game 1-0. [12] 1964 marked the end of Alvin Dark's tenure as the Giants manager. The Giants hired Herman Franks after Dark left.
Mays won his second MVP award in 1965 behind a career-high 52 home runs. In fact, Mays hit career home run number 500 on September 13, 1965 off Don Nottebart. Warren Spahn, who Mays hit his first career home run off of, was on the Giants at the time. After the home run, Spahn greeted Mays in the dugout. Spahn asked: "Was it anything like the same feeling?" Mays replied "It was exactly the same feeling [and the] same pitch, too."[13]
On August 22, 1965 Willie and Sandy Koufax acted as peacemakers during a 14-minute brawl between the Giants and Dodgers. The brawl broke out after an incident between San Francisco pitcher Juan Marichal and Dodgers catcher John Roseboro.[14]
Mays played in over 150 games for 13 consecutive years, (a major-league record) from 1954 to 1966, his last 100-RBI season. That season, he finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting. It was the ninth and final time he finished in the top 5 in the voting for the award.[15] In 1970, the Sporting News named Mays as the "Player of the Decade" for the 1960s. Other career milestones include: in 1999, Mays placed second on The Sporting News list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, making him the highest-ranking living player. Later that year, he was also elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. Mays is the only Major League player to have hit a home run in every inning from the 1st through the 16th. He finished his career with a record 22 extra-inning home runs. Mays is one of three NL players to have eight consecutive 100-RBI seasons, along with Mel Ott and Sammy Sosa.
"They invented the All-Star Game for Willie Mays." - Ted Williams [16]
Willie hit career home run number 600 off San Diego's Mike Corkins in September of 1969. Plagued by injuries that season, he managed only 13 home runs. Mays enjoyed a resurgence in 1970, hitting 28 homers and got off to a fast start in 1971, when he turned 40. He had 15 home runs at the All Star break, but faded down the stretch and finished with 18.
During his time on the Giants, Mays was friends with fellow player Bobby Bonds. When Bobby's son, Barry Bonds, was born, Bobby asked Willie Mays to be Barry's godfather. Mays and the younger Bonds have maintained a close familial relatonship over the years.
New York Mets (1972-1973)
In May 1972, Mays was traded to the New York Mets for Charlie Williams and $50,000.[17] At the time, the Giants franchise was losing money. Owner Horace Stoneham could not guarantee Mays an income after retirement and the Mets offered Mays a position as a coach upon his retirement.[citation needed]
In his Mets debut, Mays hit a game-winning home run in the 5th inning against his former team, the Giants. Mays' tenure with the Mets was relatively short. He played part of the 1972 season and all of the 1973 season before he retired. However, he only played in 133 games with the team. Even though he only played sparingly in 1973, Mays was on the roster for the Mets when the team appeared in the 1973 World Series and, fittingly, got the first hit of the series. The Mets lost the series to the Oakland Athletics in 7 games. Mays only registered seven at-bats in the series and got two hits. During the 1973 Series he fell down in the outfield; he later said "growing old is just a helpless hurt." In 1972 and 1973 Mays was the oldest regular position player in baseball. When he retired after the 1973 season Mays had a lifetime batting average of .302 and 660 home runs.
In an article in Esquire magazine in 1976, sportswriter Harry Stein published an article called the "All Time All-Star Argument Starter," a list of five ethnic baseball teams. Mays was the center fielder on Stein's black team.
After he retired as a player, Mays coached for the New York Mets until 1979. During this time, he also served the Mets in a public relations capacity. While the Mets have not formally retired number 24, only two players have worn it since Mays left the organization (it is currently worn by coach Rickey Henderson). The question of whether or not the Mets should retire number 24 has been an ongoing debate. Those in favor say the fact that Mays was and still is considered the greatest all-around baseball player of all time speaks for itself. Those opposed to the idea feel that Mays had nothing left by the time he joined the Mets and that his contributions while in a Met uniform were minimal. There is speculation that former Mets owner Joan Whitney Payson, a longtime admirer of Mays, wanted to have number 24 retired once he hung up his spikes, but never got around to issuing an official order.
Statistics
Year | Ag | Tm | Lg | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | K | BA | OBP | SLG | TB | SH | SF | IBB | HBP | GDP |
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1951 | 20 | NYG | NL | 121 | 464 | 59 | 127 | 22 | 5 | 20 | 68 | 7 | 4 | 57 | 60 | .274 | .356 | .472 | 219 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||
1952 | 21 | NYG | NL | 34 | 127 | 17 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 17 | .236 | .326 | .409 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
1954 | 23 | NYG | NL | 151 | 565 | 119 | 195 | 33 | 13 | 41 | 110 | 8 | 5 | 66 | 57 | .345 | .411 | .667 | 377 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 12 | |
1955 | 24 | NYG | NL | 152 | 580 | 123 | 185 | 18 | 13 | 51 | 127 | 24 | 4 | 79 | 60 | .319 | .400 | .659 | 382 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 4 | 12 |
1956 | 25 | NYG | NL | 152 | 578 | 101 | 171 | 27 | 8 | 36 | 84 | 40 | 10 | 68 | 65 | .296 | .369 | .557 | 322 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 16 |
1957 | 26 | NYG | NL | 152 | 585 | 112 | 195 | 26 | 20 | 35 | 97 | 38 | 19 | 76 | 62 | .333 | .407 | .626 | 366 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 14 |
1958 | 27 | SF | NL | 152 | 600 | 121 | 208 | 33 | 11 | 29 | 96 | 31 | 6 | 78 | 56 | .347 | .419 | .583 | 350 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 1 | 11 |
1959 | 28 | SF | NL | 151 | 575 | 125 | 180 | 43 | 5 | 34 | 104 | 27 | 4 | 65 | 58 | .313 | .381 | .583 | 335 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
1960 | 29 | SF | NL | 153 | 595 | 107 | 190 | 29 | 12 | 29 | 103 | 25 | 10 | 61 | 70 | .319 | .381 | .555 | 330 | 0 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
1961 | 30 | SF | NL | 154 | 572 | 129 | 176 | 32 | 3 | 40 | 123 | 18 | 9 | 81 | 77 | .308 | .393 | .584 | 334 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 2 | 14 |
1962 | 31 | SF | NL | 162 | 621 | 130 | 189 | 36 | 5 | 49 | 141 | 18 | 2 | 78 | 85 | .304 | .384 | .615 | 382 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 4 | 11 |
1963 | 32 | SF | NL | 157 | 596 | 115 | 187 | 32 | 7 | 38 | 103 | 8 | 3 | 66 | 83 | .314 | .380 | .582 | 347 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 15 |
1964 | 33 | SF | NL | 157 | 578 | 121 | 171 | 21 | 9 | 47 | 111 | 19 | 5 | 82 | 72 | .296 | .383 | .607 | 351 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 11 |
1965 | 34 | SF | NL | 157 | 558 | 118 | 177 | 21 | 3 | 52 | 112 | 9 | 4 | 76 | 71 | .317 | .398 | .645 | 360 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
1966 | 35 | SF | NL | 152 | 552 | 99 | 159 | 29 | 4 | 37 | 103 | 5 | 1 | 70 | 81 | .288 | .368 | .556 | 307 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 13 |
1967 | 36 | SF | NL | 141 | 486 | 83 | 128 | 22 | 2 | 22 | 70 | 6 | 0 | 51 | 92 | .263 | .334 | .453 | 220 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 12 |
1968 | 37 | SF | NL | 148 | 498 | 84 | 144 | 20 | 5 | 23 | 79 | 12 | 6 | 67 | 81 | .289 | .372 | .488 | 243 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
1969 | 38 | SF | NL | 117 | 403 | 64 | 114 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 58 | 6 | 2 | 49 | 71 | .283 | .362 | .437 | 176 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 8 |
1970 | 39 | SF | NL | 139 | 478 | 94 | 139 | 15 | 2 | 28 | 83 | 5 | 0 | 79 | 90 | .291 | .390 | .506 | 242 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
1971 | 40 | SF | NL | 136 | 417 | 82 | 113 | 24 | 5 | 18 | 61 | 23 | 3 | 112 | 123 | .271 | .425 | .482 | 201 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 8 |
1972 | 41 | SF | NL | 19 | 49 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 5 | .184 | .394 | .224 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
NYM | NL | 69 | 195 | 27 | 52 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 43 | 43 | .267 | .402 | .446 | 87 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | ||
1973 | 42 | NYM | NL | 66 | 209 | 24 | 44 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 47 | .211 | .303 | .344 | 72 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
Totals: | 2,992 | 10,881 | 2,062 | 3,283 | 523 | 140 | 660 | 1,903 | 338 | 103 | 1,464 | 1,526 | .302 | .384 | .557 | 6,066 | 13 | 91 | 192 | 44 | 251 |
Post-playing days
After Mays stopped playing baseball, he remained an active person. Just as he had during his playing days, Mays continued to appear on various TV shows, in films, and in other forms of non-sports related media.[19]
On January 23, 1979, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It was his first year of eligibility and he had appeared on 409 of the 432 ballots cast (roughly 95 percent) [20]. Shortly after, he took a job at the Park Place (now Bally's Atlantic City) casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While there, he served as a Special Assistant to the President and as a greeter. Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle was also a greeter during that time. When he heard of this, Bowie Kuhn, Baseball Commissioner, suspended both men from involvement in organized baseball. Peter Ueberroth, Kuhn's successor, lifted the suspension in 1985.
Since 1986, Willie Mays has served as Special Assistant to the President of the San Francisco Giants. Mays' number 24 is retired by the San Francisco Giants. AT&T Park, the Giants stadium, is located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. In front of the main entrance to the stadium is a larger-than-life statue of Mays, (see image).
Special honors and tributes
When Mays' godson Barry Bonds tied him for third on the all-time home run list, Mays greeted and presented him with a diamond-studded Olympic torch (given to Mays for his role in carrying the Olympic Torch during its tour through the U.S.). In 1992, when Bonds signed a free agent contract with the Giants, Mays personally offered Bonds his retired #24 (the number Bonds wore in Pittsburgh) but Bonds declined, electing to wear #25 instead, honoring his father Bobby Bonds who wore #25 with the Giants. [21]
Willie Mays Day was proclaimed by former mayor Willie Brown and reaffirmed by mayor Gavin Newsom to be every May 24 in San Francisco, paying tribute to both his birth in the month (May 6), and his number (24).
On 2004-05-24, during the fifty-year anniversary of The Catch, Willie Mays received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Yale University [15].
On 2005-12-06 he was recognized for his accomplishments on and off of the field when he received the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award.
Willie Mays received an honorary Ph.D. from Dartmouth College on 2007-06-10.
At the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco, Mays received a special tribute for his legendary contributions to the game, and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Personal life
Mays was married to the former Margherite Wendell Chapman in 1956. They adopted a son before divorcing in 1961.
Origin of "Say Hey Kid" nickname
It is not clear how Mays became known as the "Say Hey Kid". One story is that in 1951, Barney Kremenko, a New York Journal writer, having overheard Mays blurt "'Say who,' 'Say what,' 'Say where,' 'Say hey,'" proceeded to refer to Mays as the 'Say Hey Kid'.[22]
The other story is that Jimmy Cannon created the nickname because, when Mays arrived in the majors, he did not know everyone's name. "You see a guy, you say, 'Hey, man. Say hey, man,' " Mays said. "Ted was the 'Splinter'. Joe was 'Joltin' Joe'. Stan was 'The Man'. I guess I hit a few home runs, and they said there goes the 'Say Hey Kid.'"[23]
While known as "The Say Hey Kid" to the public, Mays's nickname to friends, close acquaintances and teammates is "Buck."[24]
Wilie Mays in popular culture
Because of his prodigious abilities and popularity, even beyond the New York and San Francisco area, Mays has been a popular topic in popular culture. Some examples include:
- Mays is mentioned in a Bob Dylan song, called : "What do you do about Willie Mays?"
- Jughead released a song called "Paging Willie Mays".
- Mays was saluted in a Peanuts comic strip story about Charlie Brown and a spelling bee. Charlie Brown reaches the finals in the school spelling bee, finally gaining the chance to be a winner for once. Charlie is given the word "maze". A baseball fanatic, Charlie Brown immediately assumes they have said the name of the baseball hero, Willie Mays, and proudly spells "M-A-Y-S" only to have the whole class laugh at him as a result, thus blowing the spelling bee. "I told you you'd make a fool of yourself," replies Violet.
- Mays is mentioned in the quintessential baseball song, "Centerfield" by John Fogerty: Say hey Willie, tell Ty Cobb and Joe DiMaggio, don't say it ain't so, you know the time is now.
- Mays is mentioned in the Baseball song "Talkin Baseball" by Terry Cashman. He is mentioned in the Chorus line "Especially Willie, Mickey and the Duke". Referring to Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider, the 3 great outfielders of the 3 NY Teams of the mid 50's.
- Mays is also mentioned in the movie Soul of the Game. He is depicted as a young boy until the end of the movie when he is being interviewed by a reporter.
- In 1972 Rankin-Bass productions made a cartoon movie titled Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid where Mays meets his guardian angel during The Catch as part of The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie show.
- In the film Major League, Wesley Snipes' character is named Willie Mays Hayes, describing himself as "batting like Mays, and running like Hayes".
- In the rap song "For Heaven's Sake" by rap group Wu-Tang Clan, Inspectah Deck raps a brief statement about Mays: "Ay yo my rap style swing like Willie Mays, My eyes purple haze."
- Mays is mentioned in the song "Our Song" by Joe Henry: "I saw Willie Mays at a Scottsdale Home Depot… But that was him, I'm almost sure- the greatest center fielder of all time."
See also
- Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame
- 500 home run club
- 600 home run club
- Top 500 home run hitters of all time
- MLB players who have hit 30 or more home runs before the All-Star break
- List of major league players with 2,000 hits
- List of Major League Baseball players with 400 doubles
- List of Major League Baseball players with 100 triples
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 runs
- List of Major League Baseball players with 1000 RBI
- 3000 hit club
- 300-300 club
- 30-30 club
- 20-20-20 Club
- 3000-300 club
- 3000-500 club
- 50 home run club
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball home run champions
- List of Major League Baseball runs scored champions
- List of Major League Baseball stolen base champions
- Batters with four home runs in one game
- Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game
- Major League Baseball titles leaders
References and notes
- ^ The other three are Hank Aaron, Eddie Murray, and Rafael Palmeiro
- ^ [1] [2]
- ^ Albuquerque Journal Online
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ Willie Mays, by Arnold Hano, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, pp. 60-75 first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
- ^ The Series, an illustrated history of Baseball's postseason showcase, 1903-1993, The Sporting News, copyright 1993, The Sporting News publishing co. pp. 144-145 ISBN 0-89204-476-4
- ^ Willie Mays, by Arnold Hano, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, p.80 first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
- ^ [5]
- ^ [6]
- ^ The Baseball Page
- ^ [7]
- ^ [8]
- ^ [9]
- ^ He also finished 6th in the balloting three times.
- ^ [10]
- ^ Mays Trade (at bottom). Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ Willie Mays Statistics. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
- ^ Mays on the IMDBb. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ [11]
- ^ [12].
- ^ Mays earns his nickname. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
- ^ Article on Mays. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
- ^ eMuseum: Willie Mays. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Retrieved on 9 Mar 2007.
Sources
- David Pietrusza, Matthew Silverman & Michael Gershman, ed. (2000). Baseball: The Biographical Encyclopedia. Total/Sports Illustrated.
- "Willie's Time: A Memoir Of Another America", by Charles Einstein
- Willie Mays, by Arnold Hano, Tempo Books, Grosset & Dunlop, Inc. NY. copyright 1966, first printing, August 1966, Library of Congress Number 66-17205
- The Series, an illustrated history of Baseball's postseason showcase, 1903-1993, The Sporting News, copyright 1993, The Sporting News publishing co. ISBN 0-89204-476-4
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
- baseballhalloffame.org – Hall of Fame biography page
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Nolan Ryan • Sandy Koufax • Cy Young • Roger Clemens • Bob Gibson • Walter Johnson • Warren Spahn • Christy Mathewson • Lefty Grove Johnny Bench • Yogi Berra • Lou Gehrig • Mark McGwire • Jackie Robinson • Rogers Hornsby • Mike Schmidt • Brooks Robinson • Cal Ripken, Jr. • Ernie Banks • Honus Wagner Babe Ruth • Hank Aaron • Ted Williams • Willie Mays • Joe DiMaggio • Mickey Mantle • Ty Cobb • Ken Griffey, Jr. • Pete Rose • Stan Musial |
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Lou Gehrig • Rogers Hornsby • Honus Wagner • Mike Schmidt (Infielders) • Johnny Bench (Catcher) • Paul Molitor (Designated hitter) Ted Williams • Willie Mays • Babe Ruth (Outfielders) • Walter Johnson • Sandy Koufax • Dennis Eckersley (Pitchers) • Casey Stengel (Manager) |
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P. Rose | T. Cobb | H. Aaron | S. Musial | T. Speaker | C. Yastrzemski | C. Anson | H. Wagner | P. Molitor | E. Collins | W. Mays | E. Murray | N. Lajoie | C. Ripken | G. Brett | P. Waner | R. Yount | T. Gwynn | D. Winfield | R. Henderson | R. Carew | C. Biggio* | L. Brock | R. Palmeiro | W. Boggs | A. Kaline | R. Clemente |
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9 Wes Westrum | 10 Davey Williams | 16 Hank Thompson | 19 Alvin Dark | 20 Monte Irvin | 22 Don Mueller | 24 Willie Mays | 25 Whitey Lockman | 26 Dusty Rhodes | 28 Ruben Gomez | 35 Sal Maglie | 37 Don Liddle | 42 Marv Grissom | 43 Johnny Antonelli | 49 Hoyt Wilhelm Manager Leo Durocher |