SI’s Best Stories About Willie Mays

Mays, baseball’s ultimate five-tool player who was affectionately known as The Say Hey Kid, died at the age of 93 on Tuesday.

Willie Mays stands on deck as a photographer crouches in front of him. / Mark Kauffman/Sports Illustrated

Willie Mays, baseball’s ultimate five-tool player who was affectionately known as The Say Hey Kid, died at the age of 93 on Tuesday.

Mays left an outsized legacy due to his unmatched combination of talent and flair, and retired with the third-most home runs in baseball history. He was also godfather to Barry Bonds, the man who surpassed Mays, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron on the all-time home run leaderboard.

As such, Mays graced the inside of Sports Illustrated many times, as well as its cover seven times.

Here’s a curated selection of the best articles written about Mays, in chronological order, both during and after his playing career.

“Wondrous Willie” by Willie Mays: (August 5, 1957)
A blur on the base paths, Willie Mays stole 40 bases last year. This season, just past the halfway point, he has already stolen 27. Here, for the fans who love to watch him, is how it's done.

“Giants: A Smash Hit in San Francisco” by Robert Creamer (June 16, 1958)
The melodramatic masterpieces the Giants are staging have won the heart of San Francisco. Win or lose, Willie Mays and company are playing thrilling baseball.

“A Happy Start for a Happy New Willie” by Frank Deford (April 27, 1964)
Free at last of off-the-field worries, San Francisco’s magnificent Willie Mays hit six home runs in his first six games as the leader of the most powerful attack in the National League.

“Leading Man: Wondrous Willie” by Roy Blount Jr. (April 21, 1969)
At 37, baseball’s greatest practicing slugger is running through his new repertoire—as a latter-day Eddie Stanky—with predictable aplomb. But keep a star performer in a supporting role? Not likely, not for long.

“Yea, Mr. Mays” by Roy Blount Jr. (July 27, 1970)
Willie Howard Mays Jr., 39, made his 3,000th safe hit last week, playing baseball with the same enthusiasm—and effectiveness—he first brought to the Giants in 1951.

“Mantle & Mays” by Ron Fimrite (March 25, 1985)
Once they were baseballl’s biggest heroes, and after too many years in exile, they’re now back where they belong.

“An American Giant” by Phil Taylor (July 14, 2008)
It’s been half a century since The Say Hey Kid led the national pastime on its move to the West Coast. He’s still a baseball mamn at heart, as monumental—and enigmatic—a legend as American sport has ever seen.

“The Last Giant: The Cultural Clout of Willie Mays” by Steve Rushin (July 9, 2021)
Groucho and Grant, Sinatra and Dylan—Mays left stars starstruck. At age 90, he remains famous to the world-famous and envied by the enviable.

“Willie Mays Brought Unrivaled Style to America’s Stuffy Pastime” by Tom Verducci (June 18, 2024)
Mays, 93, died Tuesday. The Say Hey Kid ushered in a new era for baseball with a mixture of talent and flair that made him the most well-rounded player to walk the Earth.