Giants Name Portion of I-80 Willie Mays Highway Near Oracle Park

The San Francisco Giants announced plans Wednesday to designate a portion of Interstate 80 as the Willie Mays Highway, honoring the Hall of Fame center fielder on what would have been his 95th birthday.

The team partnered with Mays' Say Hey Foundation and other sponsors for the tribute. The stretch runs where the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge meets the city near Oracle Park, the Giants' home stadium. Signs bearing the new name have already gone up along I-80.

Giants President and CEO Larry Baer called it an incredibly special way to honor Mays' legacy. "For generations, this portion of I-80 on the Bay Bridge has carried Giants fans into San Francisco, and now it will forever carry Willie’s name—a lasting reminder of the joy and inspiration he brought to this city," Baer said, according to MLB.com. "It is also fitting that this same span of the bridge is named after former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown Jr., two great San Franciscans."

Mays joined the Giants in the Bay Area in 1958. His achievements include 24 All-Star selections, two MVP awards, 12 Gold Gloves and 660 home runs, the sixth-highest total in MLB history.

Jeff Idelson, executive director of the Say Hey Foundation, praised the move. "Willie was more than a baseball great, he was a part of the fabric that helped define San Francisco culture for more than a half century," Idelson said. "Not only is this a fitting way to recognize his lasting contribution to the community, but it furthers Willie’s legacy as a national icon."

State Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa helped introduce the bill that enabled the designation. "I cannot think of anyone better to welcome people traveling across the Bay Bridge to San Francisco than Willie Mays," Dodd said. "He was an inspiration to so many of us growing up. I was so pleased to have had a part in making this happen."