<P> In May 1972, 41 - year - old Mays was traded to the Mets for pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000 ($292,522 today). At the time, the Giants franchise was losing money . Owner Horace Stoneham could not guarantee Mays a pension after retirement and the Mets offered Mays a coaching position upon his retirement . </P> <P> Mays had remained popular in New York long after the Giants had left for San Francisco, and the trade was seen as a public relations coup for the Mets . Mets owner Joan Payson, who was a minority shareholder of the Giants when the team was in New York, had long desired to bring Mays back to his baseball roots and was instrumental in making the trade . In his Mets debut on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium on May 14, 1972, Mays put New York ahead to stay with a fifth - inning home run against Don Carrithers and his former team, the Giants . On August 16, 1973 of the following season, in a game against the Cincinnati Reds with Don Gullett on the mound, Mays hit a fourth inning solo home run over the right - center field fence . It was the 660th, and last, home run of his major league career . </P> <P> Mays played a season and a half with the Mets before retiring; he appeared in 133 games . The Mets honored him on September 25, 1973, (Willie Mays Night) where he thanked the New York fans and said goodbye to baseball . He finished his career in the 1973 World Series, which the Mets lost to the Oakland Athletics in seven games . Mays got the first hit of the Series, but had only seven at - bats (with two hits). The final hit of his career came in Game 2, a key single to help the Mets win . He also fell down in the outfield during a play where he was hindered by the glare of the sun and by the hard outfield . Mays later said, "growing old is just a helpless hurt ." His final at bat came on October 16, in Game 3 where he came in as a pinch hitter but grounded into a force play . Mays made his 20th and last All - Star appearance (20 seasons) and 24th All - Star Game appearance on July 24, 1973 when he was used as a pinch hitter . </P> <P> In 1972 and 1973, Mays was the oldest regular position player in baseball . At age 42, he became the oldest position player to appear in a World Series game . Mays retired after the 1973 season with a lifetime batting average of . 302 and 660 home runs . His lifetime total of 7,095 outfield putouts remains the major league record . Mays is the only major league player to have hit a home run in every inning from the 1st through the 16th innings . He finished his career with a record 22 extra-inning home runs . </P>

Say hey willie will you hit one out here