The statue was commissioned by Giants managing partner
Peter Magowan in 1997 when ground was broken for the new ballpark for the
San Francisco Giants. It was sculpted by
William Behrends. Initially, Magowan wanted to depict
Mays' famous catch in Game 1 of the
1954 World Series but Mays objected, later telling the
San Francisco Chronicle that if the statue were to be accurately positioned in relation to the field, the "back end is going to be sticking out coming into the ballpark." Instead, the nine-foot-tall statue depicts Mays at bat, following through on his swing. ==References==