Willie Mays to Be Honored Ahead of Dodgers-Giants Series Opener on Monday

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers will honor New York and San Francisco Giants’ legend Willie Mays ahead of the series opener against the Giants on Monday, July 22, before the 7:10 p.m. start. Mays’ son Michael will be in attendance.

Mays, who passed away on June 18 at the age of 93, began his storied career in the Negro Leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948 before playing 23 seasons in the Majors. He debuted with the New York Giants on May 25, 1951, going onto winning the NL Rookie of the Year award that year. Over his Hall of Fame career, he was a World Series champion (1954), two-time National League MVP, 12-time Gold Glove winner, Roberto Clemente Award winner (1971), and four-time home run leader and stolen base leader, while earning selections for 24 All-Star Games. His number 24 is retired with the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets, whom he was traded to in 1972. He ended his career with a .301/.384/.557/.940 slashline – including 3,293 hits, 660 home runs and 1,909 RBI – in 3,005 games. Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1979.

Dodgers’ Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully remarked that Mays was “the greatest player he ever called” and “his favorite player, even though you wore the wrong uniform.” Mays was in the broadcast booth when Scully called his final game, a road game in San Francisco, where Mays revealed a plaque honoring Scully in that box.

Mays played more than two seasons worth of games (383) against the Dodgers in his career, hitting 98 home runs – the most he walloped against any opposing franchise and the most by a single player against the Dodgers in history.

“As beautiful as the outpouring of love for my father has been, frankly, I’m not surprised,” said Michael Mays. “But for his team’s forever rival to make it their business to pay tribute to him may be the greatest testament of all to his impact.”