Willie Mays’ jersey number of 24 is retired by the San Francisco Giants. But on Monday night, every uniformed member of the Giants’ roster and staff wore No. 24 for San Francisco’s National League game against the Chicago Cubs.
No member of the Giants had worn No. 24 since Mays’ last game for San Francisco on May 9, 1972.
Monday night’s game was the Giants’ first contest at Oracle Park since Mays died at age 93 on Tuesday. Since losing the franchise icon, San Francisco played at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Wednesday, Rickwood Field in Birmingham on Thursday and Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Saturday and Sunday.
“Today’s going to be an emotional day about 24,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said before the game. “And we’ll leave it at that as far as his number and what he means to this team, this organization, the city, the country, everything.”
The game in Birmingham, Mays’ hometown, was the first National or American League regular-season game played in Alabama and was the crowning event of “MLB at Rickwood: A Tribute to the Negro Leagues,” which included several remembrances of Mays, including the unveiling of a giant mural.
Fans attending the National League game between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants left memorials at the Willie Mays statue outside Oracle Park on Monday, Junes, 24, 2024, in San Francisco.(Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
