San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays passes away at 93

San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays has passed away, the franchise announced on Tuesday night. Mays is considered one of the best baseball players of all time as he won two MVPs and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 on his first ballot.

“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,” the Giants said via X.

Mays spent one year — 1948 — in the Negro League with the Birmingham Black Barrons, playing close to his hometown of Westfield, Alabama. Three years later, Mays moved over to the MLB and began his career with the New York Giants before the franchise moved out West to San Francisco. He was then traded back to New York in 1972, playing his final two years with the Mets.

There are countless stats to discuss when looking at the career of Mays. He was an all-star for 20 consecutive seasons for a total of 24 appearances and was named the Mid-Summer Classic MVP on two different occasions.

Mays finished with 3,293 career hits, good enough for second in baseball history. His 660 home runs are also sixth on the all-time leaderboard, leading MLB in the category in five seasons. An incredible hitter who consistently got on base with a ton of power.

Arguably even more impressive was how good of a fielder Mays was. He won 14 Gold Gloves, with 12 of them coming in center field — the most for anybody at the position. Everyone will remember the catch he made in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians. Mays made an over-the-shoulder grab while sprinting backward before turning around and throwing the ball back into the infield.

Truly an iconic moment in baseball.

Major League Baseball is less than 48 hours away from a game being played at Rickwood Field, with the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals playing in Birmingham. Mays was expected to be a huge presence at the event but on Monday, a statement was released saying he would not be able to attend.

Thursday’s game will now be played with heavy hearts after Mays’ passing. You have to assume San Francisco will find a way to honor arguably the franchise’s greatest-ever players. His No. 24 jersey is already retired by the team and will never be worn again.