President Joe Biden pays tribute to ‘original’ Willie Mays after MLB great’s death

CNN — President Joe Biden was among those to pay tribute to Willie Mays after the baseball icon’s death aged 93 earlier this week.

Hall of Famer Mays, who played across 23 Major League Baseball seasons, mostly with the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants, died on Tuesday, leaving behind a formidable legacy. He finished his career with 660 home runs – then the second most behind Babe Ruth – and was just as dominant in the field as he was on the plate, winning 12 Gold Gloves and making “The Catch” in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

“Like so many others in my neighborhood and around the country, when I played Little League, I wanted to play centerfield because of Willie Mays,” Biden said in a statement on Wednesday. “It was a rite of passage to practice his basket catches, daring steals and command at the plate – only to be told by coaches to cut it out because no one can do what Willie Mays could do.