Willie Mays: Baseball legend who played for San Francisco Giants dies aged 93

The sad news was confirmed by his former team, the San Francisco Giants. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the team said: "It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93.” Mays, who was nicknamed ‘The Say Hey Kid’, spent most of his MLB career at the Giants. He was highly regarded by fans, with Mays ranking only second behind another all-time great, Babe Ruth, in many lists of baseball’s greatest players.

The Alabama-born athlete began his career in the sport playing in the Negro American League in 1948 for the Birmingham Black Barons, but swiftly moved to the then New York-based Giants after he graduated from high school. Following his debut at the Giants, which later moved to San Francisco, he won Rookie Of The Year after hitting an impressive 20 home runs, which would help massively in their bid to win their first pennant in 14 years.

In 1954, he made one of baseball’s most famous plays of all time, with an over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the World Series. After 19 years with the Giants, Mays moved to the New York Mets for one season before retiring to take up coaching duties at the Mets. The 24-time All-Star later rejoined the Giants as a special assistant to the president and a general manager.

Tributes have poured in for the respected sportsman. Major League Baseball (MBL) posted a touching tributes, which read: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport.

“Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In commemoration of "The Catch" as perhaps the most famous play in the history of the Fall Classic, the World Series MVP Award was named in his honor in 2017.”

League commissioner Rob Manfred added: "His incredible achievements and statistics do not begin to describe the awe that came with watching Willie Mays dominate the game in every way imaginable,” he wrote. “We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field."