Willie mays

He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw and field, willie mays.

The New York Giants purchased his contract in , and he was in center field at the Polo Grounds by the next season. Mays started off slowly, but got untracked and won the NL Rookie of the Year award, helping the Giants erase a game deficit to tie the Dodgers at the end of the regular season. He spent most of and all of in the Army, but in , Mays showed his all-around ability, leading the league with a. With Game 1 tied in the top of the eighth, runners on first and second, and no outs, Vic Wertz hit a towering drive that would have been a home run in most parks. Mays, playing shallow, took off and ran with his back to the ball, caught it over the shoulder an estimated feet from the plate, turned, and fired. Larry Doby, who had to turn back and tag up at second base, was forced to stop at third.

Willie mays

Mays, Willi Willie Mays is one of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game. Only his excellence at hitting, hitting for power, running, fielding, and throwing exceeded his love for the game. In addition, he was awarded 12 Gold Glove awards for his fielding, honored with 24 All-Star Game appearances, won a National League batting title in with a. Willie Howard Mays Jr. From the time Mays was a toddler, he was an athletic prodigy. Mays lacked the size to be a power hitter in his early teens, but he did display extraordinary skills in running, fielding, and throwing—skills for which Mays is best remembered by major league fans. At the all-black Fairfield Industrial High School, Mays was also a star quarterback and basketball player but concentrated his talents on baseball. With the Fairfield Stars, Mays quickly made the starting lineup as shortstop before moving up to professional baseball in , as a year-old outfielder briefly playing for the New York Cubans. While in high school, Mays played professional baseball on weekends and attended classes during the week. Mays, Willie Like Robinson, Mays encountered segregation and racism.

Luis Willie mays Shortstop Class of He went 3-for-5, including a double and a home run, but Ashburn finished 3-for-4 and wound up at.

Willie Howard Mays Jr. Born in Westfield, Alabama , Mays was an all-around athlete. He joined the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League in , playing with them until the Giants signed him upon his graduation from high school in He proceeded to win the Rookie of the Year Award in after hitting 20 home runs to help the Giants win their first pennant in 14 years. His over-the-shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz fly ball in Game 1 of the World Series is one of the most famous baseball plays of all time.

He could do the five things you have to do to be a superstar: hit, hit with power, run, throw and field. And he had the other magic ingredient that turns a superstar into a super Superstar. He lit up a room when he came in. He was a joy to be around. With Mays it is not merely what he did — but how he did it. He scored more than 2, runs, nearly all of them, it would seem, after losing his cap flying around third base. He is credited with more than 7, outfield putouts, many exciting, some spectacular, a few breathtaking. How do you measure that? An artist and a genius, for most of his 23 seasons in the big leagues, you simply could not keep your eyes off Willie Mays. The elder Mays worked in the steel mills of Westfield, Alabama, outside Birmingham.

Willie mays

Celebrated for his superb all-around play, he was twice named MVP and finished among the all-time leaders in home runs and hits. Mays was elected to the Hall of Fame in and later became a special assistant to the Giants organization. Willie Howard Mays Jr. The only child of Willie Sr. He starred on the football and basketball teams at Fairfield Industrial High School, and at 16, he began playing for the Birmingham Black Barons of the professional Negro Leagues on weekends. Mays signed with the New York Giants after graduating from high school in and was sent to the minors. He played well despite enduring segregated living conditions and racial taunts from fans, and after hitting. Mays got off to a slow start with the Giants, collecting a home run off Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn as his lone hit in his first seven games. But the speedy center fielder made an immediate impression with his breathtaking defensive ability, and eventually, he proved a capable hitter as well.

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In the arranged match, Mays hit a double and a long home run. While in high school, Mays played professional baseball on weekends and attended classes during the week. Ruben Amaro, Sr. At age 36, he finished with a. Hirsch, James S. The Giants won 6—5 in 10 innings. Willie Mays Center Fielder Class of Nolan Ryan Pitcher Class of He garnered of the ballots cast Before a game in Houston on May 6, , Astros owner Roy Hofheinz presented Mays with a pound birthday cake for his 37th birthday—the pounds represented every home run Mays had hit in his career. Johnny Bench Catcher Class of On August 30, , Mays hit two home runs in one game against the Pirates at the Polo Grounds, and then homered in a stickball game later that day. Mays missed about games because of his military service.

Mays was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 25, , with the New York Giants.

Jimmy Collins 3rd Baseman Class of Brown R. Links to related articles. Mays was named special assistant to the president and general manager of the Giants in In July he was hospitalized again for five days after leaving a game with fever and the shakes. Paul Molitor 3rd Baseman Class of Barry Bonds Mark McGwire. After his induction into the Army on May 29, Mays reported to Fort Eustis in Virginia, where he spent much of his time playing on military baseball teams with other major leaguers. April 26, The batting stance Mays employed showed the influence of one of his childhood favorites, Joe DiMaggio. His biographical data, year-by-year hitting stats, fielding stats, pitching stats where applicable , career totals, uniform numbers, salary data and miscellaneous items-of-interest are presented by Baseball Almanac on this comprehensive Willie Mays baseball stats page. In Leo Durocher died, and in Piper Davis died. Joe Cronin Shortstop Class of Italics denote members who have been elected, but not yet inducted. February 9,