Willie Mays is a retired Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent the majority of his career with the New York/San Francisco Giants. Known as “The Say Hey Kid,” Mays won two MVP awards, made 24 All-Star Game appearances and hit 660 home runs. He was a center fielder who won a record-tying 12 Gold Gloves from 1957-1968 (despite the award being introduced six seasons into his career). The 1954 World Series won by the Giants is best remembered for “The Catch,” an over-the-shoulder running grab made by Mays. He is one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Tony Gwynn is a retired American Major League Baseball player who played 20 seasons (1982-2001) for the San Diego Padres. He won eight batting titles, seven Silver Slugger Awards and is considered one of the best hitters in baseball history. He was also a 15-time All-Star and won five Gold Glove Awards. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Nolan Ryan is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. He is currently principal owner, president and CEO of the Texas Rangers. During a major league record 27-year baseball career (1966-1993), he pitched for four different teams: the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.
Note: The 1980s Houston Astros wore “tequila sunrise” uniforms (AKA “rainbow guts” uniforms), which are famously ugly. Naturally, I chose this uniform style for 8-bit Nolan Ryan.
A Puerto Rican professional baseball player and humanitarian. He was born on this day in 1934. He played his entire 18-year career with Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates (1955-72) and was the first Latin American player elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died in a plane crash in 1972, while delivering aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (AKA “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”) was a Major League Baseball player from 1914-1935. He is one of the most famous sports heroes in American culture and is considered the greatest baseball player ever. He spent his career with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and set numerous MLB records.
The first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports (baseball and football). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1985 and became a household name in 1989-90 through Nike’s “Bo Knows” advertising campaign. He was also the most unstoppable athlete in video game history (see “Tecmo Bo” in Tecmo Super Bowl for Nintendo).
