The incredible six degrees of separation between Willie Mays and current Giants OF Heliot Ramos

San Francisco Giants OF Heliot Ramos

Outfielder Heliot Ramos and the San Francisco Giants fell to the St. Louis Cardinals 6-5 during the special MLB at Rickwood Field game on Thursday night.

Ramos went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run and after his dinger, Jayson Stark of The Athletic pointed out something amazing about the hit on social media.

Let's break down the six degrees of separation between Mays and Ramos. The iconic "Say Hey Kid" Willie Mays – who died at the age of 93 on Tuesday – played with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues in 1948 before spending 21-plus seasons with the Giants. The two-time MVP and 24-time All-Star played six seasons with the New York Giants (taking 1953 off for military service) before spending the bulk of his career in the Bay Area with the team from 1958-1972.

Mays was traded to the New York Mets on May 11, 1972, just four months before left fielder Gary Matthews made his big league debut with the Giants on Sept. 6, 1972.

Matthews won the NL Rookie of the Year honor in 1973, was an All-Star in 1979 with the Atlanta Braves and was the NLCS MVP for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1983. The now-73-year-old began his final season in 1987 with the Chicago Cubs, before being traded to the Seattle Mariners on July 11.

Hall of Fame designated hitter and third baseman Edgar Martinez made his major league debut with the Mariners on Sept. 12, 1987.

Martinez spent his entire 18-year career with Seattle, including 2001-04 with 10-time All-Star right fielder Ichiro Suzuki.

Suzuki, who won both 2001 AL MVP and Rookie of the Year, played 11-plus seasons with the Mariners in his first stint in the Pacific Northwest before later suiting up for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. Suzuki concluded his playing days with Seattle in 2018 and 2019, announcing his retirement on March 21, 2019.

The 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner played two games with former infielder Tim Beckham on March 20 and 21 during a season-opening set in Tokyo against the Oakland Athletics.

Prior to joining the Mariners, Beckham played with the Tampa Bay Rays (and Baltimore Orioles). Beckham spent the 2016 campaign and part of the 2017 season as a teammate of two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, who made his MLB debut on April 23, 2016.

After five seasons with the Rays and three with the San Diego Padres, the lefty signed with the Giants in mid-March.

Ramos was drafted 19th overall by San Francisco in 2017 and made his big league debut on April 10, 2022. He currently leads the Giants in home runs (10), slugging percentage (.553) and OPS (.936).

The 24-year-old Ramos has been fueling the San Francisco offense in 2024. The late Mays notably wore No. 24 for nearly his entire career.

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