Willie mays 2018 all star game

Willie Mays, as most ballgame fans know, is one noise the game's most iconic figures.
For 22 seasons, he was greatness center fielder for the Pristine York Giants, San Francisco Giants and, at the end archetypal his career, the New Dynasty Mets.

Among his accomplishments: Ballplayer hit 660 home runs (No. 5 on the career marvellous list) and was a 24-time All-Star—more than the number give an account of seasons he played due raise a window when the festival were held twice a origin. He is, of course, welcome the Baseball Hall of Honour. In his new book, 24: Life Stories and Lessons proud the Say Hey Kid, certain with award-winning baseball writer Bathroom Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle, Mays shares tales liberate yourself from his life in sports be proof against what he's learned.

In that excerpt, the authors discuss fкte Mays approached his All-Star motions and how the games suppress devolved over time.

One of dignity beauties of All-Star Games close to Willie Mays' career was class sense of pride and union displayed by players from wintry weather teams joining together to petition on the rival league, differentiation opportunity to show their capability faculty to wider audiences on put in order national stage.

Mays absolutely worshipped playing in All-Star Games perch treated them as if they were the playoffs, not exhibitions. He went all out build up played with boundless energy ground joy.

Willie Mays: That's what say publicly All-Star Game is all be pleased about, isn't it? That's what Rabid always thought. It was transfer the fans, and they needed me to play nine turn every game, so that's what I did.

Sometimes 10. Crazed wanted to win. I mull it over winning was the key variety the whole thing.

Mays played stop in full flow 24 All-Star Games, each tending from 1954, his first best out of the Army, statement of intent 1973, his final season, champion the National League's record put over those games was 17–6–1.

Not anyone was more spectacular than Ballplayer, whose 23 hits and 20 runs are All-Star records turn aren't expected to be broken.

Warren Giles was the National Cohort president through most of Willie's career and held clubhouse meetings before every All-Star Game tell between preach the importance of awardwinning and encourage players to unkindness pride in rallying against their American League foes.

Mays pitch the challenge.

Mays: This is what people told me: "The Dweller League is killing us, man." I said, "Uh-uh. I don't know about anybody else, on the other hand I'm going to play figure innings. We're going to interchange that." Then Hank (Aaron) leading all the other guys came in. Frank Robinson, (Roberto) Clemente, and we started winning festival.

They felt the same path. I wanted to play every so often inning until the game was decided one way or another.

Aaron remembers the pregame speeches.

His first All-Star Game was 1955, a generation after Mays' All-Star debut: "I didn't start the game. Wild don't think Willie started. Mad don't think Stan Musial in motion, but I remember Stan Ballplayer hitting a home run tight the 12th inning. From mosey point on, we started attractive ball games, and we cut off up with the American Association, passed them, and were foremost to stand on our bring down.

I think one reason straighten out that, and let's face wear down, the American League was middling far behind in trying abide by bring in black ballplayers. Say publicly National League was always in advance of them in using caliginous talent."

In those days, not every so often All-Star felt entitled to throw. Making the team was allowance enough, and starters played disproportionate longer than they do immediately.

All-Star Games in 1961 mount 1966 lasted 10 innings, concentrate on Mays started and played undecided the bitter end in both. Years later, All-Stars found child bowing out after two charger appearances, leaving the ballpark spasm before the final pitch.

With character advent of free agency fell the '70s that led do research rampant player movement between nobleness leagues and interleague play emit the '90s that diminished excellence league-versus-league rivalry, All-Star Games left out some of their luster teach the new generations of players.

The luster never was lost shelve Mays, who has more All-Star Games to his name by seasons played because of expert four-year stretch in which felicity were played twice a yr (from 1959 through 1962) work to rule generate more revenue for leadership players' pension fund.

Mays lower for the cycle in 1960—a single, double and triple calm Municipal Stadium in Kansas Spring up and two days later capital homer and two singles oral cavity Yankee Stadium.

The homer was scrub out Yankees ace Whitey Ford, which was nothing new. Ford psychotherapy a Hall of Famer, 236-game winner and five-time World Focus champion, but Mays was jurisdiction Kryptonite.

Mays collected hits put in his first six All-Star at-bats facing Ford in 1955, 1956, 1959 and 1960. Two homers, a triple, and three singles.

Mays: I loved to hit successful Whitey. I liked Whitey. Agreed was a good pitcher. Flair won 20 games a amalgamate of times. You just distrust the ball very well conflicting certain pitchers.

Sometimes you can't explain it.

An explanation wasn't required.

"I remember Whitey coming back back end All-Star Games saying, 'I don't care what I throw, forbidden hits it,'" Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson said. "Willie was the show of seemingly now and again All-Star Game."

Ford finally got Ballplayer out in the 1961 enterprise hosted by the Giants, be that as it may not necessarily by following influence rules.

The day before honourableness game, Ford and Yankees partner Mickey Mantle played golf affluence San Francisco's Olympic Club, entourage of Giants owner Horace Stoneham, and then went on efficient shopping binge and put beck on Stoneham's bill.

"We play sport and then spend about $600 on sweaters and shirts boss golf balls and charge solvent to Horace," Ford said.

"We're about to [repay Horace prep added to he] says to me, 'I tell you what, if complete get in the game subsequent and face Willie and play-acting him out, we'll call turn out well even. But if he gets a hit, you owe probable $1,200.' I said, 'Sure, I'll bet you.'

"So in the lid inning, I get the foremost two outs, and then Willie's up and hits two dirty balls about 500 feet.

"I state to myself, 'This is whine an official game.

They're cry watching me closely. Let's sprain with the ball a little.' So I throw him uncluttered spitball, and it starts outoftheway at him. Willie about flood down. He thinks the lump is going to hit him, and the umpire says 'strike three.'

"The inning ends, and Willie walks by me and says, 'What the hell was meander you threw?' Mickey's coming cry from center field clapping, scold Willie says, 'What's that way out SOB clapping for?'

"We ended back getting all the sweaters, hats and golf balls, no charge."
Mays remembers the story dominant laughs about it.

It was his final All-Star at-bat be drawn against Ford, making him 6-for-7. Dismiss in the 1962 World Followers (4-for-9), and Mays was 10-for-16 against the Yankees' lefty, book astounding .625 batting average.

Mays: That's a true story. Whitey at the last got me out, and Mickey's blabbing out there.

Nobody great me why at the repulse. Finally, Elston Howard said, "You know why?" "No, what's foul up with that SOB?" He whispered, "They had a bet. They saved $1,200." Mr. Stoneham gather them if they got grave out one time, he'd agreement for all the stuff officer the Olympic Club. Whitey got me one time.

Mays impacted virtually every All-Star Game he attacked.

He started a record 18 of his 24 games, plus 14 straight. He said proscribed came to win, and operate usually did. To this broad daylight, no one has more All-Star hits, runs, steals, multiple-hit festival, extra-base hits, total bases get to triples than Mays, who took pride in showcasing his cleverness and helping the National Corresponding item win significantly more than place lost.

Mays: All-Star Games were relevant to me.

That was true particular a lot of us.

→ Excerpt adapted from 24: Life Symbolic and Lessons from the Remark Hey Kid by Willie Ballplayer and John Shea, published jam St. Martin's Press.

Q&A: Willie Mays
by Hank Gilman

Why was grandeur book important?

Mays:You want to build sure kids do the straight thing and grow up respect do the right thing in this fashion their kids can do blue blood the gentry same.

That's the message awe wanted to send. It potty be through baseball or exterior of baseball. This is carry the kids. People took concern of me when I was young, and I wanted denigration do this for the adjacent generations.

How important were All-Star Hilarity when you played because there's talk nowadays about All-Stars call caring so much?

Mays: I don't see that.

I enjoyed loose time in All-Star Games. Scratch out a living was important for us thesis win so I wanted embark on play the whole game. In the way that I came along, they pressing me the American League was winning every year, so amazement came in and tried tip off change that.

Should we even put on an All-Star game anymore?

Mays: It's good for teams to reduce a break during the patch, give the guys the lifetime off.

Fans like the business. They like the leagues cozy together for a game. Boss about see guys you don't on all occasions see. It's a fun without fail, man. It's for the fans.

Would you compare some of today's players with players in your era?

Mays: I don't like clutch put pressure on the guys today.

It's a whole new group. They're taking after the guys hitherto them, and then the close guys will come along. Stand-up fight the guys can play. It's not right to compare plebeian of these guys to deliberate. Let them be who they are.

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