Baseball Legend Willie Mays Passes Away at 93

Willie Mays, whose extraordinary talent and exuberance for the game made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has passed away at the age of 93. Mays’ family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced his passing on Tuesday night, stating that he had died earlier in the afternoon in the Bay Area.

In a statement released by the club, Michael Mays, Willie’s son, said, “My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.”

The center fielder, who was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility. Mays’ illustrious career spanned 23 major league seasons, predominantly with the New York/San Francisco Giants, and included a season in the Negro Leagues. He batted .301, hit 660 home runs, accumulated 3,293 hits, scored over 2,000 runs, and won 12 Gold Glove awards. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1951, earned the Most Valuable Player award twice, and finished in the top 10 for MVP voting ten additional times.

Mays’ death comes just two days before a game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Reflecting on his legacy, the Giants stated, “Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise. From coast to coast in New York and San Francisco, Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime. His grab of an apparent extra base hit in the 1954 World Series remains the most celebrated defensive play in baseball history.”

In San Francisco, Mays’ legacy is immortalized with a 9-foot-tall bronze statue that has greeted fans for more than two decades in front of Oracle Park at 24 Willie Mays Plaza.