Willie Mays: A Biography (Baseball's All-Time Greatest Hitters Series) »

MARY KAY LINGE is a freelance writer and editor who specializes in popular reference and nonfiction. This is her first biographical work. She lives in Staten Island, New York and is a longtime baseball fan.

Willie Mays' career bridged eras in baseball history, from the Negro Leagues to expansion to free agency. Through it all, his all-around ability and his love of the game set him apart. His career accomplishments include 660 home runs, 2 MVPs, Rookie of the Year, and the first 30-30 season. No other player is cited by so many of his peers as the best they have ever seen. From his childhood growing up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama to becoming the first black team captain in baseball, Mays' life is described in detail. Readers will learn of his early life, his career with the Giants and the Mets, his induction into the Hall of Fame, understanding why he is regarded by many today as baseball's greatest living player.

Series Foreword

Chronology

Introduction

Childhood

Learning the Game

Coming Up, 1950-1951

The Big Leagues, 1951

The Army, 1952-1953

The Championship Season, 1954

New York Life, 1955-1957

San Francisco, 1958-1960

Cheers by the Bay, 1961-1962

Captain Mays, 1963-1964

The Veteran Years, 1965-1971

Back to New York, 1972-1973

Full Circle

The Legend of Willie Mays

Appendix: Willie Mays's Career and Post-Season Statistics

Bibliography

Index