Baseball Great Willie Mays Dead at 93 — See Announcers Pay Tribute to ‘The Greatest Player I Ever Saw’

Baseball legend Willie Mays, a Hall of Famer considered one of the greatest to ever play the game, has died at the age of 93.

Major League Baseball released a statement confirming the news: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the most exciting all-around players in the history of our sport. Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In commemoration of ‘The Catch’ as perhaps the most famous play in the history of the Fall Classic, the World Series MVP Award was named in his honor in 2017.”

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Mays played the majority of his career for the San Francisco Giants (formerly the New York Giants), leading them to victory in the 1954 World Series with the help of “The Catch,” the aforementioned defensive play where he made an incredible over-the-shoulder catch of a deep fly ball hit by Indians batter Vic Wertz — a play now regarded as one of the best in MLB history. After a brief stint with the New York Mets, Mays retired with 660 home runs and 1,903 runs batted in, which both ranked third all-time at the time. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.

The news of Mays’ passing hit the baseball world hard, with Mets announcer (and former MVP himself) Keith Hernandez getting emotional as he recalled spending time with Mays: “He was the ‘Say Hey Kid.’ He had that ebullient personality, infectious and genuine. And I got to tell him that he was the greatest player I ever saw.”

Giants announcer Jon Miller also passed along the news during the broadcast of Tuesday’s Giants game: “We are very sad now to relay this information that has just been released by the Giants, that the great Willie Mays has passed away… He passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93.”

On Wednesday, all 15 MLB games will begin with a moment of silence in memory of Mays:

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