#Shortstops: Mays a hero on and off the field

Widely known as the “Say Hey Kid”, Willie Mays’ career with the Birmingham Black Barons, New York/San Francisco Giants and New York Mets was filled with honors.

A 24-time All-Star (tied for second-most all time), a 12-time Gold Glove Award Winner and the possessor of the third-greatest WAR (Wins Above Replacement) ever among position players at 156.2, Mays is considered one of the best players to grace a baseball diamond.

Toward the end of his career, the milestones came often for Mays. On Sept. 22, 1969, Mays became the second player to hit 600 career home runs, joining Babe Ruth. His 391-foot shot exalted the crowd at San Diego Stadium and led to the creation of a commemorative bat honoring and memorializing the historic event, which is now a part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection.

While he will be forever remembered for what he’s done on the baseball diamond, Mays also championed equal rights for the Black population within baseball and within his community.

“There was a steady climb for us, and it was literally on the backs of players like Willie,” said Tony Clark, the first Black executive director of the MLB Players Association.

While Jackie Robinson famously reintegrated the National League, Willie Mays’ job was nearly as impactful: to win over fans of all races. And he did it with a flair all his own.

“He never succumbed to the weight of carrying his race,” said Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

Upon his arrival in San Francisco after the Giants moved from New York, Mays was set on purchasing a home in the city’s Sherwood Forest neighborhood. But the contractor who built the home would not sell it to him. He had been besieged by complaints from neighbors angered by the impending desegregation of their neighborhood. However, after intervention from the city’s mayor, Mays was allowed to purchase the home (at an increased price) – illustrating how Mays’ transcendent endeavors helped build a better future for Black Americans within his community, and why the former Giants’ star earned the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

While his historic story completed its final chapter upon his passing on June 18, 2024, Mays’ impact and legacy will be forever felt.

Tynan Weathers was a 2024 programming intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development