President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama paid tribute to baseball legend Willie Mays after the Corridor of Fame middle fielder died Tuesday on the age of 93.
Mays, recognized by many followers because the “Say Hey Kid,” was extensively thought-about the perfect all-around baseball participant within the historical past of the sport. He spent the majority of his 22-season profession with the Giants in New York and San Francisco, amassing 660 residence runs, 3,293 hits, 338 stolen bases, two MVP titles within the Nationwide League, 12 Gold Gloves and one World Sequence victory.
Biden acknowledged that exceptional versatility in a Wednesday assertion, noting his “one of a kind legacy.”
“Like so many others in my neighborhood and around the country, when I played Little League, I wanted to play centerfield because of Willie Mays. It was a rite of passage to practice his basket catches, daring steals, and command at the plate – only to be told by coaches to cut it out because no one can do what Willie Mays could do,” Biden wrote. “He was an original in so many ways.”
Biden additionally famous Mays’ vital function as a trailblazer for Black athletes. Mays began his profession within the Negro Leagues, and was among the many first Black gamers to maneuver over to Main League Baseball within the Nineteen Fifties.
“He not only entertained, above all, he inspired millions of people of all races to help break through the color line of sports, and to break through the conscience of the Nation,” Biden wrote. “On this day, we remember Willie Mays as part of the long-line of Black patriots who have helped us see a better version of ourselves as Americans and as a Nation.”
Kris Connor through Getty Photos
Obama, who awarded Mays the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, additionally paid tribute to the baseball nice.
“Willie Mays wasn’t just a singular athlete, blessed with an unmatched combination of grace, skill and power,” Obama wrote on X, previously often known as Twitter. “He was also a wonderfully warm and generous person – and an inspiration to an entire generation. I’m lucky to have spent time with him over the years, and Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to his family.”
