Willie Mays

American baseball player (1931-2024) · United States · On the map · Athletes · Died at 93

Willie Howard Mays Jr., nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid", was an American professional baseball center fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB).

Willie Mays is read about 980 times a day, in 37 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 6 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 400 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2024Died18 June 20242015Presidential Medal of FreedomAward2007California Hall of FameAward1965Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player AwardAward1954Associated Press Athlete of the YearAwardMajor League Baseball Most Valuable Player AwardAward1931Born6 May 1931

People around Willie

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Career 4

ClubYears

New York Mets1972-1973

San Francisco Giants1954-1972

San Francisco Giants1951-1952

Cangrejeros de Santurce

Media & music

Photos 11

1952 Bowman Willie Mays

Mays in 1954

Mays' baseball glove he used during "The Catch" on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008

Mays in 1955

Mays in 1961

Mays in his later years with the Giants

Mays (right) with Maury Wills, Milton Berle, and Jimmy Piersall in 1967

Awards

Presidential Medal of Freedom2015

California Hall of Fame2007

Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award1965

Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award1954

Associated Press Athlete of the Year1954

Rawlings Gold Glove Award

About this person

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Mays was a five-tool player who began his career in the Negro leagues, playing for the Birmingham Black Barons, and spent the rest of his career in the National League (NL), playing for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets.

Country

United States