Just days before being honored in his hometown for Major League Baseball's (MLB) Field of Dreams game at Rickwood Field, legendary outfielder Willie Mays passed away "peacefully" at his home in San Francisco, Calif.
Regarded as one of the all-time greats, the "Say Hey Kid" was born in 1931 in Westfield, which is a mill town near Fairfield that no longer exists.
Before signing with the then-New York Giants out of high school, Mays played for the Black Barons, who played their home games at Rickwood Field of the Negro American League. He became a 24-time All-Star for the Giants.
The San Francisco Giants announced Mays' passing in a statement: "It is with great sadness that we announce that San Francisco Giants Legend and Hall of Famer Willie Mays passed away peacefully this afternoon at the age of 93."
According to MLB, Mays "was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979, the first year of his eligibility (the ninth player to make it on his first try). Mays’ uniform number, 24, has been retired by the Giants, as he remains the franchise leader in games played (2,857), at-bats (10,477), runs (2,011), hits (3,187), doubles (504), home runs (646), total bases (5,907) and extra base hits (1,289). He was named team captain of the Giants prior to the 1961 season by manager Alvin Dark."
Mays announced this week he would not be in attendance for this week's Field of Dreams game in Birmingham but expressed his hope that honoring the Negro Leagues would inspire the younger generation to play baseball. Mays will be honored as part of the Field of Dreams activities.
The Giants shared a video honoring Mays.
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