SAN FRANCISCO — The calendar is in perfect alignment on Sunday for one of baseball’s revered stars. On 2/4/24, the city of San Francisco will honor No. 24.
Hall of Famer Willie Mays will be honored on Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. San Francisco Mayor London Breed declared it “Willie Mays Day” to honor the center fielder who started his career in 1951 with the New York Giants and then headed west when the franchise relocated to San Francisco in 1958. He played 21 of his 23 seasons with the Giants before returning to New York to finish his career with the Mets. He retired after the 1973 season
Mays, 92, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979 and is the oldest living Hall of Famer. He turns 93 on May 6.
Willie Mays Day: 2/4/24 👀 #SayHey pic.twitter.com/ddiUD9W6mi
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) February 1, 2024
The date of 2/4/24 is a once-in-a-century occurrence. But then again, Mays was a once-in-a-century star.
A graceful player who combined speed with power and baseball savvy, Mays was a two-time National League Most Valuable Player and won a batting title. He hit 660 home runs, had 3,283 hits and drove in 1,903 runs while batting .301. Mays earned 12 Gold Gloves and 24 All-Star Game berths.
“I am honored by Mayor Breed’s proclamation, and would like to thank the City of San Francisco and the Giants for this day,” Mays said in a statement. “The game of baseball has been great to me, and not only was I given the opportunity to play, but I was also given the opportunity to help kids all around the world. To me, this day means I am loved. This is as much my day as it is for everyone who loves the Game.”
The day for Mays will tie in with the Giants’ plans for Black History Month, according to the Chronicle. The Giants are also expected to launch a campaign for a Giants-Cardinals game on June 20 at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, according to the newspaper.
Mays played at the park, which opened in 1910, as a teenager with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
Several San Francisco landmarks, including City Hall, the Ferry Building and Salesforce Tower, will be lit up in orange and black lights on Sunday, MLB.com reported. Oracle Park will also be lit with a decorative banner suspended from 24 palm trees in the stadium’s Willie Mays Plaza.
"They all agree on one thing...it's the best player they ever saw." - Ron Darling
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 3, 2024
Join us this Sunday at 6pm ET as we celebrate Willie Mays Day with Bob Costas' sitdown alongside The Say Hey Kid. pic.twitter.com/hiKaVqayqT
The idea to honor Mays on Sunday came from Adam Swig, a friend of the “Say Hey Kid” who was intrigued by the coincidence between the calendar date and Mays’ uniform number. He contacted Giants CEO Larry Baer, who in turn reached out to Breed.
“Willie Mays made 24 cool,” Swig told the Chronicle. “He’s the greatest baseball player of all time, an American icon and American hero. And one of the greatest guys I ever met, a great friend. It’s pretty simple to me. It’s his day. He deserves it. San Francisco loves Willie Mays. I hope everyone puts on their 24 jerseys on 2/4/24.”
Baer felt the same way.
“I feel like I’m one of millions of kids that played baseball in the backyard pretending I was Willie Mays in San Francisco,” Baer said Thursday. “Being able to continue to honor him and continue to be part of the Giants family, especially this year when we’re going to Rickwood (Field), it’s really spectacular.
“To me, he will always be the greatest player ever. I think the majority of baseball fans that go back to watching him play probably feel that.”
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