Willie Mays Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
(CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays.
Personal
Birth date: May 6, 1931
Death date: June 18, 2024
Birth place: Westfield, Alabama
Birth name: William Howard Mays Jr.
Father: William Mays
Mother: Ann (Satterwhite) Mays
Marriages: Mae Louise Allen (1971-2013, her death); Margherite Wendell Chapman (1956-1961, divorced)
Children: adopted with Margherite Wendell Chapman: Michael
Military Service: US Army, 1952-1954
Other Facts
Career statistics include 3,293 hits, 660 home runs and a batting average of .301.
At the time of his death, only five other players in baseball history had hit more home runs than Mays: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols and Alex Rodriguez.
Won 12 consecutive Gold Gloves.
Played in 24 All-Star Games and four World Series.
Godfather to baseball player Barry Bonds.
His nickname was the “Say Hey Kid.”
Timeline
1948-1950 – Plays for the Birmingham Black Barons, part of the Negro League.
1950 – Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent.
1951-1957 – Plays for the New York Giants.
1951 – Is named National League Rookie of The Year.
1952–1954 – Serves in the US Army.
1954 – During the World Series, Mays makes an over-the-shoulder catch that is considered one of the most memorable moments in baseball history.
1954 – National League Most Valuable Player (MVP).
1955, 1962, 1964, 1965 – Leads the National League in home runs.
1957 – Wins the first-ever Gold Glove for center field.
1958 – The New York Giants become the San Francisco Giants.
1958-1972 – Plays for the San Francisco Giants.
August 30, 1961 – Hits four home runs in one game.
1963 – MLB All-Star Game MVP.
1964 – Becomes the first Black team captain in the major leagues.
1965 – National League MVP.
1968 – MLB All-Star Game MVP.
1972 – Is traded to the New York Mets.
1972 – Mays’ No. 24 jersey is retired by the San Francisco Giants.
1972-1973 – Plays for the New York Mets.
1973-1979 – New York Mets hitting instructor.
1979 – Is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving 409 out of 432 votes.
1986 – Assistant to the president of the Giants Organization. The position is extended for his lifetime in 1993.
2000 – Founds the Say Hey Foundation, which serves underprivileged children.
March 31, 2000 – A 23-ton bronze statue of Mays is unveiled at the new Major League ballpark in San Francisco.
December 2007 – Is inducted into the California Hall of Fame.
November 24, 2015 – Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama.
September 29, 2017 – MLB announces that the World Series MVP Award will be renamed after Mays.
May 12, 2020 – “24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid” is published, co-authored by Mays and John Shea.
August 27, 2022 – The New York Mets retire Mays’ No. 24 jersey during an Old-Timers’ Day celebration at Citi Field, New York.
February 4, 2024 – The city of San Francisco and the Giants recognize 2/4/24 as “Willie Mays Day.”
June 5, 2024 – After MLB integrates Negro League statistics into its record books and Mays is credited with 10 more career hits five decades after his last game, he tells CNN that “it must be some kind of record for a 93-year-old.”
June 18, 2024 – Passes away at the age of 93.
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