Biography:Spent the majority of his MLB career as a center fielder with the New York and San Francisco Giants. He won two MVP awards and played in 24 All-Star Games.
Growing opinion states that he was possibly the greatest all-around baseball player of all-time. Mays was the only player to top his league in all 10 of the following offensive categories: hits, runs, home runs, triples, stolen bases, batting average, on base percentage, slugging percentage total bases and walks. He was also the only player to reach or surpass the milestones of 300 home runs, 300 stolen bases, 3,000 hits and a lifetime .300 batting average.
Born:May 6, 1931 Birthplace:Westfield, Alabama, USA
1956-02-14 MLB center fielder Willie Mays (24) weds Margherite Wendell Chapman in NYC, New York
1971-11-27 MLB center fielder Willie Mays (40) weds Mae Louise Allen in Mexico City
Historical Events
1951-05-25 New York Giants outfielder Willie Mays (20) plays 1st major league game, an 8-5 win over the Phillies at Shibe Park in Philadelphia; he bats 0 for 5
1951-05-28 After starting MLB career going 0-for-12, New York Giants Willie Mays connects for his 1st major league home run in a 4-1 loss to the Boston Braves at the Polo Grounds, NYC
1954-09-14 New York Giants Willie Mays gets 82nd extra-base hit, breaks Mel Ott's record
1954-09-29 New York Giants Willie Mays makes famous over-the-shoulder catch of Cleveland Indians Vic Wertz' 460' drive during Game One of the World Series, at the Polo Grounds in NYC
1955-09-18 Willie Mays hits record tying 9th HR at Ebbets Field (ties Joe Adcock)
1955-09-20 Willie Mays (Giants) homers off Vern Law (Pirates) in both games of a doubleheader
1955-09-20 Willie Mays is 7th player to reach 50 HRs in a season
1957-06-28 MLB Commissioner Ford Frick overrules fan voting, due to ballot stuffing in Cincinnati, and names Stan Musial, Willie Mays, & Hank Aaron to the All-Star team
1958-05-13 MLB San Francisco Giants teammates Willie Mays & Darryl Spencer each hit 2 HRs & a triple, and combine for 10 RBI in a 16-9 win over the Dodgers at Los Angeles
1961-04-30 MLB San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays becomes just the 9th player in MLB history to hit 4 homers in one game in 14-4 win against the Braves in Milwaukee
1961-06-29 MLB San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays becomes the 4th player in MLB history with 3 or more home runs twice in one season with a 10th inning blast in Giants 8-7 win over the Phillies in Philadelphia
1962-10-04 Willie Mays scores in the 2nd inning for the Giants ending Whitey Ford's record Baseball World Series consecutive scoreless inning streak at 33 2⁄3; Yankees beat Giants, 6-2 in Game 1 and 4-3 in the series
1963-02-20 Future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays becomes the highest-paid player in MLB, signing a record $100,000 contract with the San Francisco Giants
1963-07-02 SF Giants legend Willie Mays breaks up classic Juan Marichal vs Warren Spahn pitching dual, homering in 16th inning off Spahn for 1-0 win vs Milwaukee Braves
1963-07-09 All-Star game MVP: Willie Mays (SF Giants)
1964-01-15 San Francisco Giants make champion outfielder Willie Mays the highest-paid player in baseball when they sign him to a new $105,000 per season contract
1965-05-04 San Francisco Giants Willie Mays hit 512th career home run breaking Mel Ott's 29 year-old National League record, off of Los Angeles Dodgers Claude Osteen at Candlestick Park
1965-08-29 San Francisco GiantsWillie Mays sets NL record for HRs in a month with his 17th of August
1965-11-09 San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays named NL MVP
1966-02-11 San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays signs highest contract, $130,000 per year
1966-08-17 San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays takes 2nd place on all-time HR list
1968-07-09 39th MLB All Star Game, Astrodome, Houston, TX: NL beats AL, 1-0; MVP: Willie Mays, SF Giants, CF
1969-09-22 San Francisco Giant Willie Mays, becomes second player to hit 600 home runs
1970-01-17 Sporting News names Willie Mays as Player of the Decade for the 1960s
1970-07-18 San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays becomes 10th baseball player to get 3,000 hits
1971-05-30 Willie Mays hits his 638th HR, sets NL record of 1,950 runs scored
1971-06-06 Willie Mays hits record 22nd (& last) extra inning HR
1972-05-11 Giants trade Willie Mays to Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams & cash
1972-05-14 In Willie Mays' 1st game as New York Met, his homer beats San Francisco Giants, 5-4 (his former team of over 20 years), at Shea Stadium, New York
1972-06-10Hank Aaron's grandslammer (14) ties him for NL lead with Gil Hodges & moves him ahead of Willie Mays as #2 HR hitter (649)
1973-07-19 NY Mets future Baseball Hall of Fame outfielder Willie Mays is named to NL All Star team for 24th time (ties Stan Musial)
1973-08-17 Mets first baseman Willie Mays hits 660th & last career home run. off Don Gullett of Cincinnati Reds, in 2-1 loss at Shea Stadium, in New York
1973-09-20 Willie Mays announces retirement at end of 1973 season
1973-09-25 New York Mets beat Montreal Expos, 2-1 on 'Willie Mays Night' at Shea Stadium, NYC
1973-10-14 42-year-old future Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays' last MLB career hit, as NY Mets beat A's, 10-7 in World Series Game 2 in Oakland
1979-01-23 NY/SF Giants / New York Mets center fielder Willie Mays elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
1979-08-05 Willie Mays, Warren Giles, and Hack Wilson inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY
Billy Martin
Denny McLain
Dwight Gooden
Eddie Collins
Ken Griffey Jr.
Tim Raines