President Joe Biden pays tribute to ‘original’ Willie Mays after MLB great’s death
CNN — President Joe Biden was among those to pay tribute to Willie Mays after the baseball icon’s death aged 93 earlier this week.
2024-06-20 20:50:15 - VI News Staff
Hall of Famer Mays, who played across 23 Major League Baseball seasons, mostly with the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants, died on Tuesday, leaving behind a formidable legacy. He finished his career with 660 home runs – then the second most behind Babe Ruth – and was just as dominant in the field as he was on the plate, winning 12 Gold Gloves and making “The Catch” in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.
“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,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.