NR | 1h 38min | Documentary, Biography, Sports | 8 November 2022 (USA)
It is pointed out early on and often in the new HBO documentary “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” (SHWM) that the titular subject set and broke many Major League Baseball records, but currently only retains three (most games played as a center fielder, most putouts by an outfielder, and most extra-inning home runs).
These are considerable achievements and in no way should be discounted or marginalized, but they aren’t the type of records that even the most seasoned baseball fans usually remember.
Baseball great Willie Mays, despite being stricken with Glaucoma, is still spry and engaging, as seen in the documentary “Say Hey, Willie Mays!” (HBO)
To put this in perspective, I, like many casual fans of the game, stopped following baseball at the start of the 1994–1995 players’ strike, yet I’m still able to name record holders in other higher profile categories. Whether it is lifetime home runs, no-hitters, batting average, RBIs, stolen bases, or consecutive games played, I can rattle off their names without hesitation….