Fastball

Willie Mays Accomplished Several Things That No Other Player in History Did

Longtime San Francisco Giants' legend Willie Mays died on Tuesday at the age of 93. Mays, one of the best players in baseball history, did many things that no other player ever accomplished. Here's a deeper dive.

Brady Farkas

Willie Mays takes a seat to go around the field in a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado on July 8, 2007.
Willie Mays takes a seat to go around the field in a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado on July 8, 2007. / Robert Hanashiro / USA TODAY NETWORK
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National Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays died on Tuesday at the age of 93. It's a tragic loss for baseball, as Mays is one of the best players to ever lace up the cleats.

His resume is extensive, and he accomplished many things that no other player in league history accomplished.

Per @OPTAStats on social media:

600+ HR
300+ SB
20+ All-Star selections
10+ Gold Gloves
4 HR in a game
Multiple MVPs
Rookie of the Year

That's what Willie Mays did in his career. No other player in MLB history has accomplished more than 3 of the 7 feats on that list.

Mays spent 23 years in professional baseball, playing 22 in the major leagues and one in the Negro Leagues. He was a two-time MVP, a 24-time All-star, a 12-time Gold Glover, a Rookie of the Year and a batting champion. He also helped the Giants' franchise win the 1954 World Series.

Now that major league and Negro Leagues statistics have been combined, he has 3,293 career hits and a lifetime .301 batting average. He hit 660 career home runs. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Tributes came pouring in from all over the baseball world after the news of his passing, with the Cubs and Giants taking a moment of silence during the game.

Furthermore, this tribute came from MLB.com researcher Sarah Langs:

i can't begin to fathom how many people love baseball because of Willie Mays

how many became players or grew up to work in baseball or became lifelong fans because of him

immeasurable and INCREDIBLE

the impact

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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