The Say Hey Kid

Willie Mays

1931-2024

Willie Mays was a true legend in every sense of the word.  He started his career in the big leagues by winning the NL Rookie Of The Year in 1951.  Following his rookie season, he served in the US Army during the Korean War and returned full-time to professional baseball in 1954.  He won his first of his two NL MVP awards and a World Series Championship that season.  The 24 time All-Star was incredible at the plate and in the field, winning 12 Gold Glove awards and finished with a lifetime .301 batting average with 3,293 hits and 660 home runs, which is the fourth highest legitimate home run total in the history of MLB.  He passed away yesterday at 93 years old.

Mr. Mays retired from baseball after the end of the 1973 season.  This was seven years before I was born, so most of my exposure to his incredible career has come in the form of highlight reels, stories from older fans, and from his autobiography, which my dad bought for me when I was 11 years old.  I've read it several times over the years, and I think it's a good time to crack it open again.