Willie Mays, one of the greatest baseball players of all time, was born in Westfield, Ala., on May 6, 1931. He began his career at the age of 16, playing in the Negro Leagues for the Birmingham Black Barons. During his illustrious career, he had 660 home runs, earned 12 Golden Gloves for fielding, and played in the All-Star Game 24 times, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979.
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