Willie Mays
| Willie Mays | |
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| - No. 24 | |
| Center Fielder | |
| Born: May 6, 1931 Westfield , United States 
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| Strikes: Right | Throws: Right |
| Debut in Major League Baseball | |
| May 25, 1951 with the New York Giants | |
| Last MLB assignment | |
| September 9, 1973 for the New York Mets | |
| MLB statistics (until end of career) |
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| Batting average | , 302 |
| Home runs | 660 |
| Hits | 3.283 |
| Teams | |
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| Awards | |
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| member of | |
 Baseball Hall of Fame
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| Recorded | 1979 |
| Quota | 95% |
Willie Howard Mays junior (born May 6, 1931 in Westfield , Jefferson County , Alabama ) is an American former baseball player of the New York Giants , San Francisco Giants and New York Mets in Major League Baseball . Mays played the position of Center Fielder and won the World Series (1954), 21 calls to the All-Star Team, 12 Gold Gloves and two titles of " Most Valuable Player " of the National League . In 1979 he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee with 95% of the vote , and his jersey number 24 is no longer awarded by the Giants. The extroverted Mays, known for his childlike joy in playing, was nicknamed "Say Hey Kid".
Life
Mays was considered one of the best all-rounders of all time. On the offensive he was both a good "power hitter" who hit 660 career home runs , and a reliable "base hitter" who could either bring himself into play (3,283 hits) or a teammate in "scoring position" (i.e. second or third base) could beat home (1,903 runs batted in ). Mays is fourth on the all-time MLB list in home runs, tenth in RBI and number eleven in hits. Beyond batting, the sprinting strong Mays was also the season record holder four times in a row in steals (40, 38, 31 and 27 respectively).
Mays was also world class on the defensive. With 12 Gold Gloves won, he is one of the most successful defensive players in MLB history. Mays was particularly outstanding because of his fast legs and his strong throwing arm, with which he could catch extremely long balls and quickly throw them back into the infield. Mays became legendary through Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, in which Larry Doby of the Cleveland Indians was on 2nd base in the 10th inning and his teammate Vic Wertz hit a long flyball. Mays ran almost to the home run wall and caught the ball blindly with his back to the ball. With this action, which went down in MLB history as "The Catch", Mays prevented a safe (and decisive) point. The glove he used to make this catch is on display in the Baseball Hall of Fame .
Also in 1954, Mays was honored with the Associated Press Athlete of the Year award . In 2015, President Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom .
Private life
Mays missed the 1953 MLB season because he was signed up for the Korean War in the US Army . On his return he married Margherite Wendell Chapman in 1956 and adopted a child with her. In 1961 he got divorced.
Trivia
Mays recorded the song "Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)" in a duet with the vocal group The Treniers for the Okeh label . Mays advertised the Chesterfield cigarette brand.
In the hit film The Indians of Cleveland , the character "Willie Mays Hayes" is modeled on Mays' personality.
A trading card from Mays plays a central role in the episode 5x24 "In the Cards" of the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .
Web links
- Player information and statistics from MLB or ESPN or Baseball Reference or Fangraphs or The Baseball Cube or Baseball Reference (Minor League) (English)
- Willie Mays in the Baseball Hall of Fame (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mays, Willie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Mays, Willie Howard Junior (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American baseball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 6, 1931 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Westfield , Jefferson County , Alabama |