By Saul Sugarman
Everywhere you look now, Willie Mays is being remembered in a grainy black-and-white clip of him sprinting into deepest center field at the Polo Grounds in 1954. Just as the ball is about to descend, Mays stretched out his glove and made an over-the-shoulder catch.
That was New York, and it was iconic, but Mays’ star shone brightly on San Francisco, too. He became the heart of the Giants when the team moved here three years later, with Mays hitting 587 home runs for us in a tenure that lasted 14 years in San Francisco. Mays loved engaging with the community, playing stickball with kids in the streets and mentoring young players. He earned the nickname “Say Hey Kid” due to his cheerful, informal way of greeting people, and he inspired so many today.
“Like so many others in our City, we stand on his shoulders,” Mayor London Breed said. “It was the honor of my life to know him and to have Willie Mays provide support and advice over the years.”
Mays died on Tuesday at his home in Palo Alto at the age of 93. He’d been battling a long illness, and his passing was peaceful, surrounded by family and close friends. His death marks the end of an era.
“Willie left an indelible imprint on the lives of generations of Americans,” said Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Mays’ career was defined by remarkable achievements. Over 22 seasons, he hit 660 home runs and collected 3,283 hits. He was a two-time MVP and a 24-time All-Star, earning 12 Gold Glove Awards. His over-the-shoulder catch during remains one of the greatest defensive plays in baseball history.
He made important strides for Black rights, too. Mays could not buy a home in San Francisco when he moved here in 1957. A seller rejected his offer due to local complaints about a Black family entering the neighborhood. At the time, he sought to purchase a house on Miraloma Drive, near the exclusive St. Francis Wood community in the city’s western hills.
George Christopher, the mayor at the time, stepped in and pressured the seller politically to proceed with the sale. The Mays family eventually settled into their new home.
“Not only did he get a house, but I did as well because of the change of conduct of the city at that time,” Willie Brown — San Francisco’s first Black mayor — told the Chronicle.
Oracle Park opened its gates today for fans to honor Mays, and tonight, the Giants will televise their game against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight from Rickwood Field, Birmingham. It is the oldest pro ballpark and Mays’ former team, the Birmingham Black Barons, before he joined the Giants in 1950.
There is a condolence book available for all to sign, with Mayor Breed noting that she did so this morning. “Willie Mays was more than a baseball player. He was the greatest to ever play the game on and off the field,” she said, adding:
“The obstacles he had to endure just to play — at a time of significant racial divide — was extraordinary. He used his platform and success to bridge that divide and bring people together.”
Saul Sugarman is editor in chief of The Bold Italic.
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