Stone gets personal following Mays' passing

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin’s White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO – Baseball royalty surrounded Steve Stone during his Major League mound debut for the Giants at San Diego on April 8, 1971.

Willie McCovey, a future Hall of Famer, was at first base and hitting fourth for the Giants. Bobby Bonds, the author of five seasons with at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases, was in right and leading off, and Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, future Hall of Famers in their own right, were top-notch members of the starting rotation watching the rookie in action.

At the literal center of this lineup was Willie Mays, one of the most talented and influential figures in baseball history, who passed away on June 18 at the age of 93. “I was standing on the mound in San Diego, ready to make my first Major League start, but then I looked out and there was Willie Mays in center field,” the long-time White Sox television analyst told MLB.com on Wednesday night. “He’s there to run down my mistakes.

“I’m this little kid from Cleveland, and that’s Willie Mays? Wow! I didn’t feel that way about Willie McCovey, although Willie McCovey turned out to be a wonderful man. But it wasn’t that awe-inspiring feeling you got that you were in the presence of greatness. Marichal was great, Perry was great. They all made the Hall of Fame. But Mays was the epitome of what baseball is all about.”

Mays, who hit 660 home runs and was a 24-time All-Star among his myriad accolades, and Stone played two seasons together in San Francisco before Stone was traded with Ken Henderson to the White Sox for Tom Bradley on Nov. 29, 1972. Stone couldn’t truly describe Mays’ influence on younger players, not being a hitter, and Stone played at a time when there was a bit of a social hierarchy between the established veterans and the rookies.

As far as his personality, Stone described Mays as a bit guarded.

“He didn’t have Willie McCovey’s type of personality,” Stone said. “McCovey was one of those guys that had a big smile on his face, and it was almost a welcoming thing. He would talk to you about anything.

“You could sit by him at the locker and that was fine, but Mays was not like that. He was a different kind of guy … But I mean, you watched him run around in the outfield and the most amazing thing for me was that at 39 years old, he was still the best center fielder in baseball. It was astonishing. His skills were just astonishing.”

That big league debut for Stone lasted three innings and ended in a no-decision. Mays hit a grand slam and drove in five during a 7-6 setback.

There was a chance for Stone to play with and against numerous baseball legends over a stellar 11-year career, ranging from Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Ron Santo with the Cubs to Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Joe Torre and even Steve Carlton in St. Louis. But playing as a teammate in front of Mays, even for a kid who grew up as an American League fan in Cleveland, felt like something different.

“His skills, I felt it’s like God made a guy for this game,” Stone said. “Every one of Willie’s skills was tailored for the game of baseball.”

“It’s an incredible career, a testament to his talent, his personality, his makeup, his character,” added White Sox manager Pedro Grifol of Mays. “I believe this game is where it is today because a few people in the game, like him, did what he did and others that were just strong-minded, strong-willed guys that put the game on the platform that it is right now.”