Not only did the Mets welcome back franchise legends for Old Timers’ Day on Saturday at Citi Field, but the team also made the surprise announcement of retiring Willie Mays’ No. 24.
Mays becomes the seventh Met to have his jersey number retired, joining Casey Stengel, Gil Hodges, Tom Seaver, Mike Piazza, Jerry Koosman, and Keith Hernandez.
Mays, elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, spent the final two years of his legendary career with the Mets in 1972-1973, hitting his 660th and final major league home run with the club after starting his career in New York with the Giants.
“I want to thank Steve and Alex Cohen for making this day possible and embracing Mets history,” Mays said. “I can never forget the way it felt to return to New York to play for all the loyal Mets fans. I’m tremendously proud I ended my career in Queens with the Mets during the ’73 World Series. It’s an honor to have my number retired in my two favorite cities – New York and San Francisco. New York was a magical place to play baseball.”
Mays, 91, was a 24-time All-Star, two-time MVP and earned 12 Gold Gloves.