Posted on 05/06/2021 2:33:06 PM PDT by Impala64ssa
n an unfortunate age where baseball has lost legends left and right, one man stands alone: Willie Mays. I
Since the start of 2020, 10 Baseball Hall of Famers, including Hank Aaron and many others from Mays' playing days, have passed away. Mays remains, as the oldest living Hall of Famer after turning 90 years old on Thursday.
Mays being the oldest living Hall of Famer is just another example of his greatness at any age. His unmatched baseball career began in 1948 for the Birmingham Black Barons before joining the New York Giants at 20 years old in 1951, where he hit 20 home runs as the NL Rookie of the Year.
His career then was halted by serving two years for the United States Army in the Korean War before returning to the Giants in 1954. He won his first NL MVP that season at 23 years old, hitting .345 with 45 home runs, 13 triples, 33 doubles, 110 RBI and 119 runs scored.
Mays hit .315 and averaged 39 home runs, 25 stolen bases, 109 RBI and 118 runs scored between 1955 and 1964 for the Giants, but didn't win a single MVP in that span. He won his second MVP at 34 years old in 1965 when he hit .317 with a career-high 52 home runs, 112 RBI and 118 runs scored.
On Thursday morning, MLB tweeted out a happy birthday message from a long list of current stars, as well as Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr. and Joe Torre. The video began with Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts and ended with Giants icon Buster Posey.
TRENDING
I saw a double header at Candlestick Park with the legends:
Willie Mays
Willie McCovey
Senior Bonds
Juan Marichal
Hank Aaron
Eddie Mathews
Phil Niekro
Bob Euker (?)
A couple of Alous
Joe Torre
The coldest July day I’ve ever experienced. But, wow!
Happy birthday to a great player and a great American.
And that was it. No politics. Everybody stood for the national anthem and then sat down with a program and a five cent pencil to keep score. Hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks and beer flowed freely in the stands - and at reasonable prices too.
Say hey, Happy Birthday, Willie!
“Willie Mays’ glove is where triples go to die.”
Oh, and Gaylord Perry...
Did you know that Bob Uecker hit fourteen career home runs of which three were off future hall of fame pitchers - Gaylord Perry on May 5, 1965, Sandy Koufax on July 24, 1965, and Fergie Jenkins on April 29, 1966? Uecker often joked on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, where he made nearly 100 guest appearances, that he always thought the Koufax homer would keep Sandy from getting into the Hall of Fame. Uecker also hit one career grand slam on June 21, 1967, off pitcher Ron Herbel. Uecker’s quipped that after he hit the slam the manager of the Giants came out to the mound to take Herbel out and with him was Herbel’s suitcase.
https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=ueckebo01
May the Lord bless Willie with abundance.
5.56mm
And the one he hit off Perry was wet
WOW! Thanks for posting. I didn’t know that I shared the same birthday with Willie Mays.
My uncle played HS football with a guy named Jim Davenport who played with Willie Mays for years. Davenport coached in the Giants organization many years, also, in the minors and at SF major level.
Back to Willie . . . what a fabulous, fabulous player. I was lucky to be a kid when great players like him came along. Nothing like a Sunday afternoon game on TV with the contemporary greats like Mays playing, and Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese calling the game. . . awesome memories!!!!
Happy birthday Willie! I made it to college ball and then discovered something I liked more than baseball. ; )
Wow, Happy 90th Birthday, PGalt! 😎
And my older brother always wore Willie’s #24. He also played on the small college level.
Willie Mays missed one entire year of baseball and the vast majority of another year because of military service...
The first year back he won the NL MVP, he finished with 660 home runs and would have passed Babe Ruth had he not missed all those games......
He is arguably the best all around position player of all time, certainly he’s up there in the discussion at the very least...
OOPS! C’mon man...I’m just a baby 71 today. (thanks)
Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player ever. All the rest are in a second tier.
Of the others May is arguably the best. Ted Williams is the other.
My dad served in the Army with Mays.
(gotta go...daughter just called and is taking me out for dinner with her family)
yum
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