‘Like no other’

Willie Mays, the electrifying "Say Hey Kid" whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball's greatest and most beloved players, died Tuesday. He was 93. Mays' family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had died earlier in the afternoon in the Bay Area.

"My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones," son Michael Mays said in a statement released by the club. "I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life's blood.

" The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, was baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer. His signature basket catch and his dashes around the bases with his cap flying off personified the joy of the game. Mays died two days before a game between the Giants and St.

Louis Cardinals to honor the Negro Leagues at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Ala. "All of Major League Baseball is in mourning today as we are gathered at the very ballpark where a career and a legacy like no other began," Commissioner Rob Manfred said. "Willie Mays took his all-around brilliance from the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League to the historic Giants franchise.

From coast to coast ...

Willie inspired generations of players and fans as the game grew and truly earned its place as our National Pastime. ..

. We will never forget this true Giant on and off the field." Few were.