On Tuesday, June 18, the baseball world lost a true legend of the game. Willie Howard Mays, Jr., who earned the moniker “The Say Hey Kid,” passed away at the age of 93. Mays began his baseball career at the age of 16, when he played in the old Negro League. Then, in 1951, Mays made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Giants. That year, Mays won Rookie of the Year honors after helping the Giants to a playoff berth. While he played in New York, it was not uncommon to see him playing stickball in the streets with children.
While some players are known for individual skills, such as hitting or fielding, Mays could do it all. As an outfielder, he would catch fly balls with almost nonchalant ease. Once, during a playoff game he caught a deep fly ball over his shoulder while on the run toward the fence. That catch became one of the most iconic images in baseball history. He was always a threat at the plate and could steal bases with lightning speed. “If he could cook, I’d marry him,” Leo Durocher, Mays’ first Major League Manager, famously said.