For his pro baseball career, Mays slapped 660 baseballs over the fence while knocking in 1,909 runs. 21) Split proofFor Mays, it didn't matter where he was playing or who he was facing -- he was going to produce. 24 amazing Willie Mays stats and facts. Perhaps most amazingly, Mays' numbers would have been even more remarkable had he not missed nearly two full seasons in the prime of his career while serving in the military. Willie Mays Rookie Card | 1951 Bowman Baseball Card (#305 | Checklist)Baseball Almanac Collection. document.write(update); Copyright 1999- It took 41 years for another player to repeat that type of production, and only three others -- Brady Anderson (1996), Ken Griffey Jr. ('98) and Alex Rodriguez (2007) -- have accomplished the feat to this day. The following season, Mays won his first home run championship (his first of four), led the league in total bases (which he did three times) and extra base hits (which he did two times). Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. 4 - Willie Mays hit four home runs in a game on April 30, 1961, only the sixth instance in National League history and a record for Most Home Runs in a Game Record that still stands to this day. The World Series label/link in the final section only shows whether or not Willie Mays was in the World Series during the season where he appeared in the All-Star Game (Dash=Not in the Series | Stats=In the Series and the link leads to the World Series Game). Willie Mays All-Star Stats by Baseball Almanac. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1979. A feat not duplicated until the 2009 World Series. For most, the 73 playoffs are bitterly remembered. Stats. Incredibly, Mays' four-homer effort came opposite fellow Hall of Famer Henry Aaron, who hit two long balls of his own in one of the best head-to-head slugging showdowns of all-time. . Willie Mays Aikens; Nacido: 10/14/1954 . Mays steps out. Willie Mays had 660 home runs over his career. Advanced Stats; More Willie Aikens Pages at Baseball Reference. The Say Hey Kid is currently the oldest living Hall of Fame player! He is one of just 30 players all-time to hit at least 50 homers in a single season and he's one of 86 players to rack up at least 20 triples in a season. Mays logged only 10 at-bats over 12 games. 1,967 singles across 23 seasons and on every one of them Mays burst from the box thinking he could maybe stretch it into a double. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Willie Mays hit 660 home runs during his career, 335 while playing at home, 325 while on the road. On April 30, 1961, Mays went 4-for-5 with four homers and eight RBIs in a 14-4 win against the Braves at Milwaukee's County Stadium. Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, the professional center fielder has received many . Aikens was 22 years old when he broke into the big leagues on May 17, 1977, with the California Angels. The Catch!Don't forget to subscribe! update=copyright.getFullYear(); Even when removing the outfield qualifier, Mays' three such seasons are tied with Honus Wagner for the most in big league history -- and Mays and Wagner are the only players with more than one such season. 7 - Willie Mays was the seventh team captain in Giants franchise history, serving from 1961 through 1972. - Sportswriter Harry Jupiter in The San Francisco Chronicle [Willie Mays Quotes], Willie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | Checklist), Willie Mays Miscellaneous Items of Interest. American - Athlete Born: May 6, 1931 See also: Quotes about Willie Mays. 2nd inning (46), An iconic moment in World Series history where Mays made an over-the-shoulder running grab in deep center of the Polo Grounds of a long drive off the bat of Vic Wertz during the eighth inning of Game 1. Associated Press 1970 Show More Show Less 2 of 11. MLB Comparisons is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB, MLB.com or any teams . He welcomes Thomson home, elated, relieved, knowing that hed get his turns at-bat with a promising future ahead of him. Notes: The Date / Box field has a link document.write(update); Mays also had at least a .300 average and .925 OPS in every month except July (.280 BA, .870 OPS). Mayss last professional at-bat came in Game 3 as a pinch hitter for Tug McGraw in the 10th in a 2-2 tie. If you find this type of "free" data useful please consider Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. Willie Mays' 11 . The All-Star label/link in the final section only shows whether or not Willie Mays was an All-Star during the season where he appeared in the World Series (Dash=Not an All-Star | Stats=An All-Star and the link leads to the All-Star Game). - Sportswriter Harry Jupiter in The San Francisco Chronicle [Willie Mays Quotes], Willie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | Checklist), Willie Mays League Championship Series Pitching Stats, Willie Mays League Championship Series Hitting Stats, Willie Mays League Championship Series Fielding Stats, Willie Mays League Championship Series Miscellaneous Stats, Willie Mays League Championship Series Miscellaneous Items of Interest. Mays also ranks second within the 500-homer club in stolen bases (338), trailing only Barry Bonds (514). Keep in mind that upon his return to the Majors in '54, Mays accounted for at least 7.0 WAR every season from 1954-66. Willie Howard Mays, Jr. was a Major League Baseball player with the Birmingham Black Barons (1948-1950), New York Giants (1951-1957), San Francisco Giants (1958-1972), and New York Mets (1972-1973). Denial comes before acceptance and the 1972/73 seasons in New York were necessary for Mays to come to terms with his age. He found massive success in playing with the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants. Willie Mays had a .301 average over his career. Why did we choose a Willie Mays quotation instead of a Babe Ruth quote? Or write about sports? from the SABR BioProject, More Willie Mays Pages at Baseball Reference. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. This player does not have game logs available for some years. Best Known For: One of the greatest baseball . Javascript is required for the selection of a player. 10) Best vs. best: Mays tees off vs. HOFersThe two pitchers Mays faced the most (by far) in his career were a pair of Hall of Famers: Warren Spahn (253 plate appearances) and Don Drysdale (243 PAs). - Sportswriter Harry Jupiter in The San Francisco Chronicle [Willie Mays Quotes], Willie Mays Career Home Runs | Research by Baseball Almanac. Copyright 1999- Please consider purchasing this great coffee table book through our Amazon links. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. copyright=new Date(); Birth City: Westfield. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. From his remarkable combination of speed and power at the plate to his iconic defense in center field, Willie Mays is undoubtedly one of the best all-around players in Major League history. Willie Aikens Stats. - Sportswriter Harry Jupiter in The San Francisco Chronicle [Willie Mays Quotes], Willie 'The Say Hey Kid' Mays Autograph on a 1986 Topps Baseball Card (#403 | Checklist), Willie Mays All-Star Miscellaneous Items of Interest. February 27, 2023 new bill passed in nj for inmates 2022 No Comments . Skip to content. He was just 1-for-10 at the plate, while fellow Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry earned the win after tossing 10 scoreless innings in relief. Mays won 2 MVP Awards and was selected to play in 24 All-Star Games. They throw the ball, I hit it. Stats Awards Fabulous Feats Famous Firsts Hall of Fame Hitting Charts . He had a .302 batting average with 3,283 hits, 660 home runs, 1,903 runs batted in, and 2,062 runs scored. He could hit, hit with power, run, throw, and field. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. copyright=new Date(); Do you have a sports website? Stats. Hank Aaron was second with 96.4 WAR, followed by Mickey Mantle at 90.0. Willie Mays! Infamous stumbles while losing fly balls in the sun (though the Oakland sunshine was just as troublesome for As outfielders) during Game 2 of the World Series poisoned the well and primed reporters and historians for belletristic writings on a painful denouement to a legendary career. #1 rank is in light green. 2019 Topps Update 150 Years of Baseball Black #15077 Willie Mays - Check out your favorite player cards listed in Beckett Marketplace. Cut back to Mays standing on first with his helmet gone, somehow losing it on a guaranteed single to left. 9) Golden defenseAlong with being one of the game's most prolific hitters, Mays is widely regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders of all-time. Baseball is a game, yes. Though his tenure with the Mets have been much maligned, his first 69 games with the 72 club were actually pretty serviceable for a 41 year old. the Position(s) column. Thursday BP: Buster Posey is in favor of the new MLB rule changes. Willie Mays, born on May 6, 1931, was a professional baseball player, team captain, and instructor. 21 - Wilfred Santiago 2014-09-21 Wilfred Santiago's instant classic 21: The Story of Roberto Clemente is a human drama of courage, faith, and dignity, inspired by the life of the acclaimed Pittsburgh Pirates baseball star who died too The League Championship Series determines who wins the league pennant and advances to the World Series. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family. missouri noodling association president cnn. During his many seasons, he played for the New York Mets, the New York Giants, and the San Francisco Giants. Same stance, slightly cocked and slightly open, his fingers wringing the wooden handle of his bat. 17) All-around talentMays had three seasons in which he racked up at least 8.0 offensive bWAR and 2.0 defensive bWAR. Willie Mays was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1979. Mays not only took home 12 Gold Glove Awards (the most by any center fielder), but he is also responsible for "The Catch" -- an iconic over-the-shoulder grab in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series that is universally considered one of the greatest defensive plays in MLB history. copyright=new Date(); "I think I was the best baseball player I ever saw." Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Share your opinion with us on Baseball Fever. Negro League data is not complete. Willie Mays is the 13th player in Major League Baseball history to have his . This sounds dramatic but I believe retiring is a death for most ballplayers, and it needs to be grieved. New York Daily News columnist Dick Young wrote about the 23 votes who chose not to enshrine Mays, "If Jesus Christ were to show up with his old baseball glove, some guys wouldn't vote for him. var pfHeaderImgUrl = '';var pfHeaderTagline = '';var pfdisableClickToDel = 0;var pfHideImages = 0;var pfImageDisplayStyle = 'right';var pfDisablePDF = 0;var pfDisableEmail = 0;var pfDisablePrint = 0;var pfCustomCSS = 'https://www.baseball-almanac.com/css/print.css';var pfBtVersion='2';(function(){var js,pf;pf=document.createElement('script');pf.type='text/javascript';pf.src='//cdn.printfriendly.com/printfriendly.js';document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0].appendChild(pf)})(); Did you know that in the Willie Mays Miscellaneous All-Star Items of Interest section seen above you can click the Stats link under the All-Star label and a truly comprehensive history of that All-Star Game will appear on your screen?