\n\n”,”providerName”:”Twitter”,”providerUrl”:”https://twitter.com”,”thumbnail_url”:null,”type”:”oembed”,”width”:550,”contentType “:”rich”},{“__typename”:”Markdown”,”content”:”With the score tied at 6 in the top of the 12th inning of Game 2 of the World Series against the Athletics, Mays singled in the middle closes in on Rollie Fingers, tackles Bud Harrelson and gives New York a 7-6 lead. It was the last success of Mays’ career.”,”type”:”text”},{“__typename”:”OEmbed”,”html”:”
Remembering the icon, Willie Mays. 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/2eb1yFHJ5X
– New York Mets (@Mets) June 25, 2024
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June 26, 2024
NEW YORK — Willie Mays passed away last week, but his life and legacy lives on at Citi Field. On Wednesday night, the Mets asked his son, Michael, to throw out the first pitch before the team faced the Yankees.
Willie Mays was a member of the Mets for over a year and his impact was felt in Flushing, Queens starting in 1972. In fact, the team went all the way to the World Series the following season. The Mets haven’t forgotten what he did over the last two years of his career and retired his number 24 on August 27, 2022.
Fifty years ago, there was reason to be excited at Shea Stadium on May 11, 1972. The Mets made news by acquiring Mays from the Giants in a trade for right-hander Charlie Williams and $50,000. This was Mays’ second visit to New York. He was the king of the Big Apple for seven years in the 1950s, when the Giants played at the Polo Grounds. Mays had millions of fans in the tri-state area, but none bigger than the Mets’ principal owner, Joan Payson, who was a minority owner of the Giants in the 1950s.
According to Michael, playing for the Mets was full circle for Willie because of his legendary status in the Big Apple.
“It was very hard to leave San Francisco,” Michael remembers. “I understand that as a franchise player, it didn’t make any sense (to his San Francisco teammates), like, ‘What’s going on? So, for Mrs. Payson to step in and make the promise…that he would come home (it was awesome).
When he joined the Mets, Mays was past his prime at age 41. Gone are the power numbers and high batting average. During his two years with the Mets, Mays was hampered by a left knee injury. But to his teammates, Mays was a great addition to the ballclub, despite a combined .238 average with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 135 games. Mays looked out for everyone on the team. If the team went out to dinner and left-hander Jon Matlack was pitching the next day, Mays would tell him, “Go home and get some sleep.” You launch tomorrow.
This was during Mays’ final season in which he helped the Mets reach the playoffs. The Say Hey Kid managed to score some big hits in October. In the deciding game against the Reds in the National League Championship Series, Mays entered the game in the fifth inning as a pinch hitter for Ed Kranepool and hit an infield single that scored Felix Millan to give in New York a 4-2 lead. The Mets ended up winning the game, 7-2, and advanced to the World Series.
With the score tied at 6 in the top of the 12th inning of Game 2 of the World Series against the Athletics, Mays singled to closer Rollie Fingers, setting up Bud Harrelson and giving New York a 7-6 lead. It was the last hit of Mays’ career.
Michael watched his father play his last matches closely. He was one of the team’s batboys and sometimes worked in the clubhouse.
“It was a cool time,” Michael said. “In my own way, I was able to be on the field with him because he was coming back and going home. I remember we were together. It was the Mets era.
The only thing Michael wanted was to see his father get one last at-bat in Game 7 of the 1973 World Series.
Down 5-2 in the ninth inning, the Mets had runners on first and second base, with two outs. Wayne Garrett came to the plate as the tying run against left-hander Darold Knowles. Michael wished manager Yogi Berra would call Willie to hit as a backup hitter. That never happened, however, as Garrett, a left-handed hitter, hit a fly ball to shortstop Bert Campaneris to end the series.
“If I was Yogi, I would have (Willie) been swinging – at least walking there or something,” Michael said. “I can’t understand this part of the story. I would say stranger things have happened, but this is the strangest thing (that has happened).