Willie Mays was born May 6, 1931. Mays played most of his 22 year career with the Giants and spent two years with the New York Mets. Mays made his Major League debut with the New York Giants. People loved the excitement between having young stars like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in the same state. Mays made his first impression over Mantle in his debut season. In 121 games, Mays hit 20 home runs and 22 doubles to claim Rookie of the Year honors.