Willie Mays will ordinarily be recognised as 1 of the GOATs in baseball. Known as the “Say Hey Kid” in the MLB, the late San Francisco Large died at the age of 93 in June 2024. The workforce confirmed the information and facts of his death in a statement shared to social media.

“It is with wonderful disappointment that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Corridor of Famer Willie Mays handed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93,” the Giants tweeted on June 18.

Previous president Barack Obama — who awarded Mays with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 — also paid out tribute to the late baseball participant.

“Willie Mays was not just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, ability and power,” Obama tweeted. “He was also a incredibly heat and generous human being — and an inspiration to an total generation. I’m blessed to have put in time with him more than the years, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family.”

Find out further about Mays, his life-style and profession underneath.

Mays Played for the Giants for 20+ A extended time

From 1951 by indicates of 1972, Mays played for the Giants, who had been initial recognized as the New York Giants in advance of they relocated to San Francisco. For most of his outstanding job, the Alabama native was a center fielder.

He Was a NY Met

After leaving the Giants in 1972, Mays performed for the New York Mets from 1972 to 1973.

Mays Produced ‘The Catch’ in 1954

In match 1 of the 1954 Planet Collection, Mays constructed what is deemed the most legendary capture — dubbed “the catch” — in baseball record. In the course of the eighth inning, Mays produced an more than-the-shoulder catch in the outfield, then threw the ball back once again to the infield fast lots of to protect against Cleveland from scoring.  After playing added innings, the Giants received the video game.

His Authentic Identify Was Willie, Not William

Even with how Willie is a effectively-identified nickname and abbreviation for William, Mays’ actual title was, in straightforward truth, Willie. Through his baseball job, Mays acquired the nickname, “The Say Hey Kid.”

Mays Was Married Two occasions

In 1956, Mays married Marghuerite Wendell Chapman, and the former spouses adopted a son named Michael. Mays and Chapman divorced in 1963.

Less than a ten years later, Mays married 2nd wife Mae Louise Allen. In 1997, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disorder, and she died in 2013.