Have you visited our store? Click here.Just yesterday, Tuesday June 18, I was organizing some baseball cards and in doing so, I filed some of the 1997 Topps Mays Finest Refractors. I recently completed that set and had a few doubles sitting around that needed to be archived. While sorting, I was reminded of Willie Mays’ age and remembered that he was still with us. Coincidentally, it just so happened that I had this thought on the day he died.
Willie Mays was one of baseball’s greatest all-time players. He’s known for some of baseball’s best moments.1 One of the most notable of which is the famous catch he made on September 29, 1954 during the World Series against the Cleveland Indians when he caught a ball while running toward the center-field wall.
His fielding abilities were as majestic as his heavy list of accolades, which includes Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year, Batting Title, 2x MVP, 2x All-Star Game MVP, 12x Gold Glove, 24x All-Star, and he collected 3293 hits and 660 home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.2
Willie Mays spent the majority of his professional career with the New York and San Francisco Giants (1951-1971) then closed it out with the New York Mets, and retired in 1973. His jersey number, 24, has been retired by both the Giants and the Mets.3
References:
- Willie Mays’ most memorable moments. www.mlb.com ↩︎
- Willie Mays. www.baseball-reference.com ↩︎
- Willie Mays: Should MLB Retire #24? A Number Many Legends Have Worn. coyotecountrylv.com ↩︎
