Giants star Willie Mays dies at the age of 93

News of Willie May’s death came late Tuesday afternoon in a statement previously released by the Giants.

Mays’ son Michael said his father died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones, adding that the love of his loyal fans was his father’s lifeblood.

Mays, a 24-time All-Star, was born in Birmingham, Alabama, at the height of Jim Crow laws. As a 17-year-old in 1948, Mays began playing professional baseball with the Birmingham Black Barons of the old Negro Leagues. The New York Giants purchased his contract two years later. He made his major league debut in 1951 and became an instant star.

Mays played six seasons in New York and moved with the team to San Francisco in 1958. He played first at the old Seals Stadium and then at Candlestick Park.

Longtime local sports reporter Rich Walcoff had this to say about Mays.

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Mays played 21 of his 22 seasons with the Giants before ending his career in New York with the Mets in 1973.

Mays was known for his crowd-pleasing style of play and became the first Major League Baseball player with five skills: he could hit for power, hit for average, defend his position, throw and run the basepaths.

He is also remembered as the originator of perhaps the most legendary moment in baseball, when he caught a ball over his shoulder while running in center field at the Polo Grounds in New York during the 1954 World Series.

Mays finished his career as one of the greatest home run hitters of all time. He also won two Most Valuable Player awards and a dozen Golden Glove Awards. After his retirement, Mays remained a fixture with the Giants, watching games from his box at Oracle Park and in the clubhouse.