MLB world reacts to Willie Maysâ death: âHe is a true giant, on and off the fieldâ
Major League Baseball and San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays died Tuesday at age 93.
The âSay Hey Kidâ performed with a showmanâs flair, making basket catches in center field, taking daring chances on the base paths, winning four home run crowns, 12 Gold Glove Awards and laughing with a gleeful high-pitched voice.
Mays spent 21 of his 23 major-league seasons with the Giants organization in New York and San Francisco. He batted .301 with 660 home runs, 339 stolen bases and 3,293 hits and won two National League MVP awards.
Mays left an indelible mark on baseball, sparking many members of the MLB community to pay tribute to him at Tuesday nightâs games and on social media.
He leaves us with a lasting reminder: to work hard and find joy in this great game, and this extraordinary life. Say Hey, Willie Mays. The best there ever was. đ pic.twitter.com/9QnpsDZM9B
â SFGiants (@SFGiants) June 19, 2024
Iâll never forget this day when I walked in and heard, âthatâs that boy who wears his hat like this.â
RIP Willie Mays. You changed the game forever and inspired kids like me to chase our dream. Thank you for everything that you did on and off the field. Always in our hearts⌠pic.twitter.com/Xv2ZHbKFvt
â CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) June 19, 2024
âI got to tell him he was the greatest player I ever sawâ
Keith Hernandez recalls his meetings with Willie Mays pic.twitter.com/j6BEI063fk
â SNY (@SNYtv) June 19, 2024
An in-game tribute to Willie Mays at the MiLB at Rickwood game. đ§Ąđ¤ pic.twitter.com/roKgNF3gQd
â MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2024
One of the best to ever play the game and even a better person. Thoughts and prayers are with Willieâs family and loved ones.
â Derek Jeter (@derekjeter) June 19, 2024
Willie Mays #24 was a legend amongst legends. I am blessed to have spent a few weeks around Willie and I can tell you this, baseball lived deep inside of his heart and he could trash talk with the best of them! Thank you Willie đđžđď¸ #restinparadise
â JIMMY ROLLINS (@JimmyRollins11) June 19, 2024
Say Hey, you were truly my idol, Willie.
You will be missedâ Paul OâNeill (@PaulONeillYES) June 19, 2024
The @Cubs held a moment of silence at Wrigley Field for the passing of Willie Mays. pic.twitter.com/tlYm6sAARl
â Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 19, 2024
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⌠pic.twitter.com/kOqxNnetg7
â MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2024
We deeply mourn the loss of the great Willie Mays. Not only was he a phenomenal player, but he was also a tremendous human being. Hereâs to you, Willie. Say Hey to Yogi for us. pic.twitter.com/H79GgpYMb8
â Yogi Berra Museum (@YogiBerraMuseum) June 19, 2024
Statement from Executive Director Tony Clark on the passing of Willie Mays pic.twitter.com/71vJaWhAPq
â MLBPA (@MLBPA) June 19, 2024
Iâm devastated to hear about the passing of the legendary Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the main reasons I fell in love with baseball. Cookie and I are praying for his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time. đđž
â Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 19, 2024
He was a 24-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glover, a 2-time MVP, World Series champion, and a Hall of Famer.
The great Willie Mays has passed away. It was a privilege to know him. We were both honored by @MLB in 2010 with the Beacon Award, given to civil rights pioneers.
He was⌠pic.twitter.com/wdTTNUiEmt
â Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) June 19, 2024
Willie Mays wasnât just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power. He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person â and an inspiration to an entire generation. Iâm lucky to have spent time with him over the years, and Michelle and I⌠pic.twitter.com/tpO3O9B9yc
â Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 19, 2024
Quotes and anecdotes around MLB:
Ken Griffey Jr.: âMy heart is on the floor,â the Hall of Famer told MLB Network. âIâm just grateful and thankful that I was able to spend the time I had with (Mays) because he is a true giant, on and off the field.â
Aaron Judge: The New York Yankees star outfielder and a California native reflected on meeting Mays.
âI have a family friend that is pretty close with his family,â Judge said. âI got a chance to meet him. He showed me a couple of things about throwing the baseball from the outfield, which I still remember. I have a couple of cool things that are signed in my childhood room still.â
Judge added: âTerrible, terrible news (of his death). I was a big Willie Mays fan. What he meant to the game, California, all of the Giants fans out there, especially me growing up, you wanted to play like Willie and make those catches that he did.
âThe numbers he put up on the field and what he did are impressive, but him as a person and human being was even bigger. It was bigger than baseball. He was something special. The baseball world is definitely gonna be missing a great one.â
Mike Yastrzemski: âThe things that he did, weâll never see again,â the Giants outfielder said of Maysâ career. âHe was such a talented player and he played the game as purely as anybody could. To be able to watch that on film â Iâm glad there was film for it â because itâs something thatâs going to be watched and studied for the rest of time.â
GO DEEPER
Giants react to the death of Willie Mays: âThe things he did weâll never see againâ
Sergio Romo: âEvery day he was very willing to give his time, to give his expertise, to give his advice,â Romo, a three-time World Series champion with the Giants, told NBC Sports Bay Area about Mays visiting the club. âHe made you feel visible.â
Bruce Bochy: This game allows you to meet some tremendous players and people, and I got to spend a lot of time with Willie during my tenure (in San Francisco) and itâs a sad day,â the former Giants manager and current Texas Rangers manager said. âWhat a legend he is.â
Billy Owens: The Oakland Aâs assistant general manager and a Bay Area native paid tribute to Mays in a text message to The Athleticâs Melissa Lockard.
âSay Hey was EVERYTHINGâŚâŚ.Right there with Muhammad Ali as the Greatest,â Owens said. âThe Excellence was Documented. The Style can never be duplicated. His power, speed and grace forever unique. The catch still captured the imagination almost a century later. Willie was New York(Polo Grounds) and San Francisco(Candlestick Park). Iâll watch Rickwood Field(Birmingham) this week and imagine Willie doing basket catches in Center Field and hitting homers into the Stratosphere. RIP Say Hey Willie Mays.â
Steven Kwan: The Cleveland Guardians outfielder and a Bay Area native said, â(Mays) was the face of the Giants. It was him and Barry Bonds and they would always be together. Youâd see them talking. You wished you could be a fly on the wall for those conversations.â
Stephen Vogt: Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogtâs grandfather lived in Oklahoma, and there were no MLB teams nearby. He chose the New York Giants as his team, mostly because he hated the Yankees and Dodgers. He loved watching Mays, and heâd prattle on and on about the center fielder to his son, Randy.
The Giants relocated to San Francisco in 1958 when Randy was three years old. The Giants became his team, and Mays was Randyâs hero. The family visited Candlestick Park every year.
Stephen grew up a Giants fan, too. The Vogts had season tickets in the upper deck down the left-field line. Stephen signed with San Francisco for the 2019 season. That spring, he met Mays. The two chatted in the clubhouse and took a picture together. Randy framed that photo, which sits on a shelf in his office.
âOne of the people who was a god to you,â Vogt said of Mays. âIt was just this unfathomable figure. You never really saw him on TV, (just) highlights. It was really cool to meet him and then get a chance to chat with him.â
Harold Reynolds: âWillie was like a father to all of us,â the former Seattle Mariners second baseman told MLB Network. âHe was from that generation that was passing it on. ⌠He had advice for you on every aspect of your life.â
Craig Counsell: âIâm saddened by the news about Willie Mays,â the Chicago Cubs manager said. âThis is one of the Mt. Rushmore of baseball players in my opinion. A legend in our game. I got to meet him a couple times. He was the kind of person, along with Hank Aaron, that made you nervous because of how great they were. It was sad news to hear during the game today.â
Cody Bellinger: âI saw the news (of Maysâ death) in the seventh inning and was pretty saddened by it. Wearing the number 24 is special. Heâs one of the best players in our game. Just seeing him around a few times on the field was a true blessing. An unbelievable guy and best wishes to his family right now.â
Bellinger wears No. 24 with the Cubs, the same jersey number Mays wore with the Giants and the New York Mets.
The Athleticâs Chris Kirschner, Melissa Lockard, Zack Meisel and Sahadev Sharma contributed to this story.
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(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)
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