Willie Mays

Willie Mays. . , Once upon a time, there were three baseball teams in New York , the New York Yankees, the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. During the 1950s, these teams had three great center fielders: Mickey Mantle of the Yankees, Willie Mays of the Giants and Duke Snyder of the Dodgers. This was a golden age of baseball in New York. Led by these slugging outfielders, each of these teams became Pennant winners and World Series Champions., New Rochelle can be proud to claim an association with part of this baseball history, as Willie Mays, the "Say Hey Kid," lived in a 15 room Normandy style mansion at 90 Croft Terrace in the early 1960s., Born William Howard Mays, Jr. on May 6, 1931, in Westfield, Alabama, Willie Mays was the son of a steelworker who played center field for a local professional baseball team. Mays' mother, Ann, had been a high school track star, and it was clear from a very early age that Willie had inherited his parents' athletic talents. According to his father, young Willie learned to walk at the age of six months. Soon the two center fielders were playing catch with each other , father instructing son in the basics of the game that would one day make him famous., Willie Mays excelled in all phases of the game , hitting for average and power, fielding, throwing and base running. His career statistics include 3,283 hits and 660 home runs. He earned National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1951 and two MVP Awards. Willie accumulated 12 Gold Gloves, played in 24 All-Star games and participated in four World Series. His catch in the 1954 World Series lives on as one of baseball's most memorable moments., During his career, Willie Mays played for the Birmingham Black Barons (1948-1950), the New York Giants (1951-1957), the San Francisco Giants (1958-1972) and the New York Mets (1972-1973). In 1979, he was inducted into the national Baseball Hall of Fame.