President Joe Biden pays tribute to ‘original’ Willie Mays after MLB great’s death
By Wayne Sterling and George Ramsay, CNN
(CNN) — President Joe Biden was among those to pay tribute to Willie Mays after the baseball icon’s death aged 93 earlier this week.
Hall of Famer Mays, who played across 23 Major League Baseball seasons, mostly with the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants, died on Tuesday, leaving behind a formidable legacy.
He finished his career with 660 home runs – then the second most behind Babe Ruth – and was just as dominant in the field as he was on the plate, winning 12 Gold Gloves and making “The Catch” in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
“Like so many others in my neighborhood and around the country, when I played Little League, I wanted to play centerfield because of Willie Mays,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday.
“It was a rite of passage to practice his basket catches, daring steals and command at the plate – only to be told by coaches to cut it out because no one can do what Willie Mays could do.
“He was an original in so many ways.”
Mays was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, with his plaque celebrating “one of baseball’s most colorful and exciting stars” who “excelled in all phases of the game.”
Then-President Barack Obama bestowed him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, in 2015, and at the time acknowledged Mays’ “quiet example” of serving in the US Army and advancing civil rights.
“Born and raised in Jim Crow-era Alabama, he was part of the initial wave of Black players from the Negro Leagues to integrate Major League Baseball,” said Biden.
“With his distinct style of play – in constant motion, with individual freedom, with power and grace – the world stopped to watch him play. He not only entertained, above all, he inspired millions of people of all races to help break through the color line of sports, and to break through the conscience of the Nation.”
A moment of silence was held before each MLB game on Wednesday to pay tribute to Mays, while a mural depicting “The Say Hey Kid” by artist Chuck Styles was also unveiled in May’s hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.
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CNN’s Kevin Dotson contributed to reporting.
