Today is the 90th birthday of one of the greatest players in baseball history, Willie Mays. The Hall of Fame center fielder could do it all with a power/speed combination matched by few others, and his 660 career home runs are sixth all time. He also made one of the most memorable catches in World Series history with an over-the-shoulder grab at the Polo Grounds in Game 1 of the 1954 Fall Classic against Cleveland.
Several current and former star players and others in the baseball community sent their best wishes to Mays with a video honoring the legend. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, Buster Posey, Tim Anderson, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Torre, Pete Alonso, Freddie Freeman and Salvador Perez all appeared in the video to send heartfelt birthday greetings.
The group spans generations of baseball figures who have all been impacted by Mays both on and off the field. Judge, for example, noted that he grew up a big Giants fan and still has a baseball autographed by Mays on a shelf in his room. Griffey, a fellow Hall of Fame center fielder, called Mays "the greatest center fielder of all time."
Mays is one of a handful of names in the pantheon of baseball history that evokes the utmost awe and adulation. He has been a hero to countless baseball fans throughout the decades and remains one of the game's greatest ambassadors.