Willie Mays dead at 93: San Francisco Giants announce death of one of baseball’s all-time greats

San Francisco Giants have announced the death of Willie Mays at the age of 93.

In a statement on X Tuesday, the Giants 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.” A cause of death was not given.

One of the best to ever play the game, Mays hit 660 home runs, scored 2,068 runs and had 3,293 hits while winning one World Series with the Giants (1954). He was a 24-time All-Star and earned National League MVP titles in 1954 and 1965.

The center fielder was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. His signature basket catch and his sprints around the bases with his cap flying off personified the joy of the game. His over-the-shoulder catch on a long drive in the 1954 World Series is baseball’s most celebrated defensive performance.

Mays had said in a statement Monday that he will not attend Thursday’s game between the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals, which will honor him and the Negro Leagues, at Rickwood Field, Alabama.

The former Giants great began his career with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues before joining the Giants in 1951 in an iconic Major League career that lasted more than two decades.

“I won’t be able to make it to Birmingham this year, but I will be watching the game here in the Bay Area,” Mays said in the statement. “My heart will go out to all of you who honor the Negro League baseball players who should always be remembered, including all my teammates on the Black Barons.

“I wanted to thank Major League Baseball, the Giants, the Cardinals and all the fans who will be in Rickwood or watching the game. It will be a special day and I hope the children will enjoy it and be inspired by it.”

The game will now inevitably take on even more significance with the news of his death.

Michael Mays, Willie’s son, was quoted by the Giants as saying, “My father passed away peacefully and among loved ones. I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his lifeblood.”

The announcement of his death came while his Giants team was playing the Cubs in Chicago.

To many, Mays is considered the greatest player to ever play baseball. In 2020, he was ranked as the best by The Athletic.

“I can’t believe Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays,” said Sandy Koufax, an all-time great pitcher. “Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf.

‘He got the game moving. But I can’t believe he could run as well as Mays, and I can’t believe he was a better outfielder.”

In 2015, Mays was honored by President Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

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