Ted Williams allegedly said that they invented the All Star Game for Willie Mays. He was right.
Willie Mays was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on this day in 1979. Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants, and finished up with the Mets in 1972-73. He hit over .300 10 times and retired with a career .302 average, won the NL MVP twice (1954 & 1965) and was selected 20 times as an NL All-Star. On top of that, Mays led the league in home runs four times and hit 660, or the second highest ever at the time he retired.
Willie Mays was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on this day in 1979. Mays played 21 seasons with the Giants, and finished up with the Mets in 1972-73. He hit over .300 10 times and retired with a career .302 average, won the NL MVP twice (1954 & 1965) and was selected 20 times as an NL All-Star. On top of that, Mays led the league in home runs four times and hit 660, or the second highest ever at the time he retired.
Some of us are old enough to remember watching Mays in the NBC Saturday afternoon game of the week. Finally, I had a chance to watch Mays in 1972 when he finished his career with the New York Mets. He wasn't Willie Mays anymore but it was a huge thrill to see him in person!
For my money, Mays was the greatest player of the 20th century!
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