Willie Mays

Guide Note:

Hall of Famer Willie Mays is a former Major League baseball player, and one of the best center fielders to ever play the game.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: May 6, 1931
2. Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
3. 1979: Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
4. Nickname: The "Say Hey" Kid
5. 24 All-Star Game Appearances

A black man born in severely segregated Alabama in 1931, Mays began his baseball career playing with the Chattanooga Choo-Choos and the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues, before signing with the New York Giants in 1950. Soon, Mays was tearing up the minor leagues, and made his debut with the Giants in 1951, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award, and competed in the 1951 World Series against the New York Yankees. In 1952 and 1953, Mays was drafted into the U.S. Army and he missed nearly all of both seasons.

Upon his return from service in 1954, Mays wasted no time in establishing himself as the best hitting and fielding centerfielder in the game. He won the National League Most Valuable Player Award, hitting 41 homers, driving in 110, and hitting .345. He also helped lead the Giants to a victory over the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series, and in dramatic fashion in Game 1 of the Series, made an over-the-shoulder catch in the deepest part of the vast centerfield of the Polo Grounds. "The Catch", as it is referred to today, is considered by many to be the best defensive play ever made in the history of baseball.

Mays followed the Giants when they moved to San Francisco in 1958, and continued to excel. Most of his last two seasons, in 1972 and 1973, were spent playing for the New York Mets. Mays finished his career with 660 home runs, currently fourth on the all-time list behind Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth. Many experts feel he would have surpassed Babe Ruth's career total before Hank Aaron had he not served in the Army in 1952 and 1953. He led the National League in home runs four times, triples three times, won the Most Valuable Player Award again in 1965, and competed in 24 All-Star Games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.