Had Mays not lost two years to military service, he might have beaten Aaron to Ruth’s record.
And when comparing Mays’ offensive stats to players before and after him, it’s important to remember that the PTB deliberately changed things to favor the defense, supposedly in response to the Mantle/Maris slugfest in 1961. His .301 lifetime batting average may seem low, but recall that Yaz won the American League batting title with that same average in 1968.
I don’t give a monkey’s fuck about his stats. As a kid I used to walk through a fucked up neighborhood out to the Stick just to watch that beautiful man carry the lineup out to the home plate ump before the start of the game. He was, and will ever be, my hero.
Remember when Bobby Thompson hit the “shot heard round the world”, a homer off Ralph Branca of the Dodgers, to win the pennant for the Giants in’51?
Willie Mays, a rookie, was on deck.
(One of my favorite bits of trivia).
Godspeed Willie.
My brother was at Rickwood Field 2 days ago for a game. The day Willie passed. Willie was supposed to be there today. When Willie knew he wasn’t going to make the trip he released this statement. Probably his last public statement ever.
sob And Willie will be watching from his home, which, of course, is not of this world.
He hit 18 homers in his career off Spahn, his most against anyone and almost the all time record for most bombs hit against one man.
The record for one guy off one other batter was a surprise to me - it’s Duke Snider, who lit up Robin Roberts 19 times.
Spahn said about this,
He was something like 0 for 21 the first time I saw him. His first major league hit was a home run off me—and I’ll never forgive myself. We might have gotten rid of Willie forever if I’d only struck him out.`
Willie Mays was a top-tier player, certainly one of the best to ever play the game. That’s not all that made him special. He conveyed an intense joy in his performance, and he was friendly and kind to just about everyone he met. He was not just admired, but loved.
Fans in San Francisco didn’t greet him kindly when the team moved west in 1958. They wanted a home-grown hero, and many San Franciscans preferred Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda. Mays won them over, with his play and his personality.
Barry Bonds was probably a greater player at his peak, but he’s always been an asshole, and not just because of his PED use. Ruth was loved by many, and was a nicer person than Bonds (which isn’t saying much), but he lived a profligate lifestyle, and could be a real jerk sometimes. Mays combined great ability with great character.
My God, as if they weren’t great enough! How many titles would that have added to their stash?
Who knows? I would guess the 60s would have looked very different. As it was the Yanks took 6 of 10 in the 50s. Probably could have won 2 more of those with Mays honestly.
Imagine, as a pitcher, having to face Mays, Mantle and Maris in an inning. Plus, Mays was a great and speedy defensive player and, if my history is correct, Yankee Stadium at that time was cavernous in left center, center, and right center fields.
Maris was a really good right fielder, Mantle would have been a great Left Fielder and we already know Mays is on the short list for best center fielder.
Oracle Park is open today for fans to visit, pay their respects and watch the Giants vs Cardinals game being held at Rickwood Field.
Wow! Hmmm, don’t know if we’ll make it up there. But thanks for passing the word. Are you going?
Not going, but I think it’s a nice way for the team to honor Willie and provide a place for fans to gather. Looking at the webcam overlooking Oracle Park, it looks like they have a nice day for it (probably much better weather than Candlestick Point! 
)
Candlestick was something else. I used to live across 101 from there, so it was nearby. The weather where I lived, off of Mansell St, was nice and usually sunny, but less than a mile away as the crow flies, at the park it could be awful.
In 2000 when the new park opened we attended the very first night game, an exhibition game against the Yankees. The weather was great. On our way home down the peninsula where I now live, we stopped by Candlestick Point, and it was very cold and windy. The difference was dramatic.