Willie Mays’ words at Cepeda’s celebration of life put a ribbon on emotional year for SF Giants

SAN FRANCISCO — The words of Willie Mays graced the shores of McCovey Cove one last time Sunday afternoon.

In a fitting ribbon on an emotional year for the Giants organization, that saw the death of two lions of the game within two weeks of each other, Mays’ prepared remarks headlined the hourlong celebration of life for his former teammate, Orlando Cepeda, who died just 10 days after Mays this summer.

The ceremony preceded the Giants’ series finale against the Padres, a 4-3 loss in 10 innings, and would have delighted Cepeda with a live band, dancers and dozens of his closest friends and family in addition to a slate of speakers that included fellow Hall of Famers Tony Oliva and Juan Marichal.

Oliva, a Twins legend hailing from Cuba, told the story of meeting Cepeda for the first time as a rookie at an exhibition game in New York in 1963 and said, “From that moment Orlando Cepeda never forgot me.” Marichal, his teammate in San Francisco from 1960-66, added, “Orlando wasn’t just a tremendous athlete, he was a beacon of generosity and kindness. His love was infectious, his wisdom profound and his loyalty unwavering.”

But the most powerful — and least expected — moment of the afternoon was Mays’ message from the afterlife, delivered by emcee Mike Krukow.

Before his death, Mays got word of Cepeda’s deteriorating health and wanted to make sure he had a chance to honor his friend, even if he couldn’t be there.

“How do you say goodbye to a little brother?” Mays’ letter read, in part, sharing their first meeting, in 1954, when Cepeda was a teenage batboy for a winter ball team in Puerto Rico, and going on to form a 70-year bond. “Some said it was one of the best winter teams ever put together, and there was this big kid hanging around. They called him the ‘Baby Bull,’ after his father, Pedro Cepeda, ‘The Bull.’ … Four years later, he’d be my Giants teammate.

“You already know his successes, his records, his numbers. He’s an MVP-winning Hall of Famer, but to me he was like family. While he was looking up to me, I was watching out for him. He made his own way, but he will always be my little brother. You always look out for your little brother, even after they grow.

“So long, kid. — Willie Mays“

Giants manager Bob Melvin was a budding 5-year-old fan when Cepeda was traded to St. Louis in 1966 and took in the ceremonies from the top step of the dugout, a similar perch to where he stood in a suit and tie three months ago for the celebration of Mays’ life.

Mays died at age 93 on June 18, two days before the Giants were set to play in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. What was already going to be a special evening at Rickwood Field took on even more significance. Upon returning home, they honored Mays in a pregame ceremony then held their first celebration of life July 8.

The news of Cepeda’s death at age 86 came June 28, while the organization was still processing the passing of another icon.

“The Willie thing, that hit us for a while,” Melvin said before the game. “It made sense that there was a little bit of a gap before the Cepeda stuff today. But I think similarly, we’re going to feel it again today, how much these guys have meant to the organization.”

Asked if his team has felt more of an emotional toll this season than typical, Melvin said, “For sure, especially here, guys that are from the area. …

“Even some of our players who might not know as much about the history of the organization do now. With the Rickwood game on top of that, and then the Orlando passing, these guys are probably getitng up to speed about what these guys meant and how much they meant to baseball and the Bay Area in general.”

The festivities coincided with Fiesta Gigates, one of Cepeda’s favorite days each year, as well as the leaguewide Roberto Clemente Day.

Heliot Ramos, who wore No. 21 in honor of the fellow Puerto Rican, described a “tough” season from his locker after their 8-0 loss Saturday night.

“I feel like offensively sometimes we’re hot and the pitching is not working. Sometimes the offense is not working. That’s the frustrating part,” he said. “That’s where the emotions come in. Because we want to be better as a team. We don’t know the feeling, but we want to know what it’s like to win a championship.”

Clemente’s eldest granddaughter, Christina, was also on hand to honor Mike Yastrzemski as the Giants’ nominee for the award named after her grandfather given annually to the MLB player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

Cepeda “loved to be around people,” Oliva said, and his reach touched Dusty Baker, Spanish-language broadcasters Erwin Higueros and Tito Fuentes, as well as the third generation of the Clemente family. “To me,” Christina said, “he was a godfather, an uncle and a father figure.”

Baker was an up-and-coming rookie with Atlanta when he first met Cepeda in the twilight of his career but said, “He taught me about everything in life” and eventually developed a relationship with his four sons, who were tapped to throw the ceremonial first pitches.

Barry Bonds, Matt Williams, Ron Wotus and Marvin Benard lined up behind home plate, where Cepeda’s signature white fedora was emblazoned on the grass above his No. 30, and received four strikes.

“I’m Uncle Dusty to them,” Baker said in his speech, “and they’re family to me.”

Notable

Donovan Walton, of all people, ended the Giants’ scoreless streak with a solo home run to lead off the sixth inning that tied the score at 1. San Francisco had gone 32 consecutive innings since last scoring a run, in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 13-2 win over the Brewers.

The drought went down as the fourth-longest in franchise history, trailing only the 1916 Giants (39 innings), 1976 Giants (35 innings) and 1992 Giants (33 innings).

It was Walton’s first home run and RBI in the major leagues since June 5, 2022, when he hit a grand slam in a 5-1 win over the Marlins.

Heliot Ramos tied the score at 2 and forced extra innings with an even rarer feat, becoming the first right-handed hitter to ever reach McCovey Cove on the fly with an opposite-field solo shot to lead off the ninth inning against Robert Suarez. Only 74 right-handed hitters had ever gone deep to right field in the history of Oracle Park before Ramos, Jerar Encarnacion and the Brewers’ Jackson Chourio all did so this home stand.

They proved only to be moral victories, however, as Fernando Tatis Jr. deposited Tyler Rogers‘ first pitch of the eighth inning over the left-center field wall for a go-ahead, pinch-hit home run and the Padres plated two runs in the 10th against Camilo Doval.

The Giants (72-78) finished 1-5 on the six-game home stand to fall six games below .500, matching a season-worst.

Up next

The Giants travel to Baltimore, where they are off Monday before beginning their final road trip of the season — a 10-game swing through three cities — Tuesday against the Orioles. LHP Blake Snell (3-3, 3.52), RHP Hayden Birdsong (3-5, 4.74) and RHP Logan Webb (12-10, 3.53) are lined up to get the ball in the three-game series.