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California Announces Special Tribute to San Francisco Giants Legend Willie Mays

The state is officially honoring the late San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays.

Tyler Maher

Jun 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Flowers are laid at the statue of San Francisco Giants former center fielder Willie Mays.
Jun 26, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Flowers are laid at the statue of San Francisco Giants former center fielder Willie Mays. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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It's been a tough year for the San Francisco Giants. Not only have they struggled on the field, but they've also lost several legends off of it, including Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.

Mays, who passed away at age 93 on June 18, 2024, was arguably the greatest baseball player of all time. He spent 21 wonderful seasons with the Giants, including their first 15 after they moved from New York to San Francisco in 1958.

Fittingly, the state of California is planning a special tribute to Mays in honor of everything he accomplished during his storied career, which included over 3,000 hits and 600 home runs.

State legislators have approved a plan to name a portion of Interstate 80 after Mays, specifically the portion of the Bay Bridge that enters San Francisco and leads to Oracle Park. It will be called "Willie Mays Highway," and the new signs will be paid for with private funding.

Although Mays never played at Oracle Park, which opened in 2000, he visited plenty of times to watch his godson, Barry Bonds, and has a statue outside the park's main entrance.

While Mays first rose to superstardom in New York, the captivating center fielder quickly lived up to the hype in the Bay Area. "The Say Hey Kid" helped the Giants win their first pennant after moving west in 1962 and won his second NL MVP award in 1965. He was also a perennial All-Star and 12-time Gold Glove winner.

One of the best all-around players who ever lived, Mays routinely dazzled San Franciscans with his amazing catches, daring baserunning, impressive throws and titanic home runs. Between his patented basket catches and his hat constantly flying off, he was always worth the price of admission.

Mays is gone now, but his immeasurable impact on the game he loved and the cities he played in will always remain.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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