Across the country fans said goodbye to baseball legend Willie Mays. On Thursday, his memory was honored during the game between the San Francisco Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals.
Though the Giants dedicated the game to Mays’ life and legacy, they walked away with a 5-6 loss
“Birmingham, I’ve been telling you if there was any way on earth my father could come down here that he would, well he’s found another way, stand to your feet, let him hear you, he’s listening,” said Willie Mays' son Michael Mays.
The San Francisco Giants on Thursday opened up Oracle Park so fans could pay homage to the late Willie Mays.
Flags were at half-staff, a piano playing and the number 24 was planted center field and the warning track, fans of all ages signed condolence books and shared stories.
For many people, it was a sentimental event.
“I put flowers over there, and i sent a message to my nephews and nieces, and it says in memory of willie mays, he was a really good friend of dads,” said Erica Boddie of San Francisco.
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Boddie claimed her father was friends with Mays and the game took her back to times with her father in Candlestick Park.
Josh Malan of Sonoma said the game also brough him back to his days at the park.
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“He was more than just a baseball player, he was a legend and just someone people looked up to as a person,” Malan said."