Willie Mays dies at 93

NOW TO REMEMBERING THE MAN WHO MANY SAY WAS THE GREATEST PLAYER TO EVER GRACE A BASEBALL FIELD. WILLIE MAYS PASSING AWAY AT AGE 93. WILL REEVE JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ABOUT THIS INCREDIBLE CAREER AND LEGACY. GOOD MORNING, WILL. >> Reporter: GOOD MORNING, MIGHT BEL. HIS PEERS, BASEBALL HISTORIANS AND FANS ACROSS GENERATIONS AGREE, WILLIE MAYS WAS A SINGULAR FIGURE IN THE STORY OF BASEBALL AND THUS THE STORY OF THIS COUNTRY. THE ULTIMATE COMBINATION OF SPEED AND POWER, GRACE AND JOY, WILLIE MAYS WILL BE REMEMBERED FOREVER. OVERNIGHT, SAYING GOOD-BYE TO THE SAY HEY KID. >> IT'S GONE! IT'S A HOME RUN! >> Reporter: WILLIE MAYS, ONE OF THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS TO EVER LIVE, DIED TUESDAY. BORN IN ALABAMA HE BEGAN AS A TEEN, STARRING FOR THE BIRMINGHAM BLACK BARONS OF THE NEGRO LEAGUE. >> I HAD TO STAY IN SCHOOL. SO I PLAYED SATURDAY AND SUN WHEN SCHOOL WAS IN. WHEN SCHOOL WAS OUT, I WOULD GO ON THE ROAD WITH THEM. >> Reporter: THE DAY HE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL HE SIGNED WITH THE NEW YORK GIANTS, BECOMING JUST THE TENTH BLACK PLAYER IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL. >> WILLIE MAYS! >> Reporter: FOR THE NEXT TWO DECADES, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, STAGGERING. >> WILLIE MAYS GETS A GREAT OVATION FROM THE CROWD! >> Reporter: 24 ALL-STAR GAMES. HIS FIRST HIT, A HOME RUN. HE WOULD HIT 660 OF THEM IN HIS CAREER. >> ANOTHER ONE! IT'S GOING CENTER FIELD BLEACHERS! >> Reporter: IN 1954, HE WON A WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP, PUNCTUATED BY ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS PLAYS IN BASEBALL HISTORY. >> THERE'S A LONG BOMB, WAY BACK IN CENTER FIELD. WAY BACK, BACK! >> Reporter: KNOWN FOR ETERNITY AS THE CATCH. MAYS MISSED NEARLY TWO FULL SEASONS AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS CAREER WHEN HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY DURING THE KOREAN WAR. YEARS LATER MAYS RETURNED TO NEW YORK TO FINISH HIS CAREER WITH THE NEW YORK METS. >> IT'S DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW TO EVEN TRY TO EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW MUCH I LOVE BASEBALL AND HOW MUCH BASEBALL MEANS TO ME. I THINK WE HAVE WHAT YOU CALL A LOVE AFFAIR. >> Reporter: HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS ALL AROUND BRILLIANCE AND THE JOY HE SHOWED IN PLAYING. >> MAYS HITS IT INTO LEFT FIELD! >> Reporter: AND BROUGHT TO FANS WHO CAME TO SEE HIM. >> EVERY TIME I WENT ON THE FIELD, I ENJOYED WHAT I WAS DOING. I GAVE EVERYTHING I HAD. >> Reporter: IN 1979 MAYS WAS INDUCTED INTO THE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME. MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL LATER NAMING THE WORLD SERIES MVP AWARD AFTER MAYS. OVERNIGHT THE GIANTS CHAIRMAN SAYING MAYS HAD A PROFOUND INFLUENCE NOT ONLY ON THE GAME OF BASEBALL, BUT ON THE FABRIC OF AMERICA. >> AS WE REMEMBER WILLIE MAYS. >> Reporter: BALL PARKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY PAUSING TO PAY TRIBUTE TO MAYS, INCLUDING RICKWOOD FIELD IN BIRMINGHAM, WHERE IT ALWAYS BEGAN. >> WE WILL ALWAYS CHERISH THE MEMORY AND LIFE OF THE GREAT WILLIE MAYS! >> Reporter: WILLIE MAYS WAS 93 YEARS OLD. MAYS' DEATH COMES AMID MAJOR LEAGUE CELEBRATION OF THE NEGRO LEAGUE IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, THAT VERY PLACE WHERE MAYS' CAREER BEGAN. TONIGHT THERE'S A JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION AND TOMORROW THE ST. LOUIS CARDINALS WILL FACE MAYS' SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS. GUYS? >> Michael: I KNOW, WHIT, YOU GREW UP IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA. >> Whit: AS THE GIANTS FAN. AS THE OTHER GIANTS. AS A FAN, GROWING UP, GOING DO THE PARK. THEY NAMED ORACLE PARK GAVE IT THE ADDRESS 24 WILLIE MAYS PLAZA, THE BIG STATUE IN FRONT. HIS LEGACY JUST LOOMED OVER EVERYTHING. JUST AN ICON IN EVERY WAY. >>Michael: HE HAD JOY AND HE MADE IT LOOK EASY.

Channel: Good Morning America

Views: 9,641

Keywords: ABC, Francisco, GMA, Giants, MVP, Mays, News, San, Series, Willie, World, baseball, death, league, negro, p_cmsid=2494279, p_vid=news-111244110, willie mays, willie mays death, San Francisco Giants, Negro Leagues, Birmingham Black Barons, New York Giants, willie mays stats, willie mays catch, good morning america, abc news

Id: -UF2sg9f_cw

Length: 3min 49sec (229 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 19 2024