Eddie Mayo
Encyclopedia
Edward Joseph Mayo nicknamed "Hotshot" and "Steady Eddie," was a professional baseball
infielder
. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball
for the New York Giants
(1936), Boston Braves
(1937–38), Philadelphia Athletics
(1943) and Detroit Tigers
(1944–48).
(229 games) and for most of his career as a second baseman
(544 games). In a nine-season career, the left-handed hitting Mayo posted a .252 batting average
and .313 on base percentage
with 287 RBIs
, 759 hits, 350 runs scored, 257 walks, 161 extra base hits, and 109 sacrifice hits. He was among the league leaders in sacrifice hits six times, including a major league leading 28 sacrifice hits in 1944.
Mayo was also a solid defensive infielder. In 1943, he won a Gold Glove award and led all American League third basemen
in fielding percentage at .976. Two years later, after switching positions, he won a second Gold Glove award and led all American league second basemen
with a .980 fielding percentage at his new position. He also led the league's second basemen in 1944 with 125 double plays.
His best season was 1945 when he helped lead the Detroit Tigers
to a World Series championship and was selected as the American League's Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News
.
, but grew up in Clifton, New Jersey
. Born Edward Joseph Mayoski, Mayo was the son of Polish immigrants who changed their name to Mayo.
Mayo first signed with the Detroit Tigers at age 22 in 1932. He played in the minor leagues with Johnstown, Knoxville, and Baltimore. In May 1936, he was traded by Baltimore (International League) to the New York Giants. Mayo hit .199 in 46 games as a backup third baseman for the 1936 Giants
. He also appeared in one game of the 1936 World Series
against the Yankees.
In December 1936, Mayo was traded by the Giants to the Boston Bees. He played in 65 games for Boston in the 1937 season, principally as a backup third baseman, batting above .227.
In May 1938, the Chicago Cubs
bought Mayo from Boston, but he never appeared in a game for the Cubs.
. In 1938, Los Angeles sportswriters chose him as the Angels' Most Valuable Player after he batted .332 and set a PCL record for playing 34 consecutive error-free games.
On July 13, 1941, Mayo (still playing for the Los Angeles Angels) was accused of spitting in the face of umpire Ray Snyder during an argument. League President W. C. Tuttle suspended Mayo for one year. Mayo protested that he never spat and‚ after a series of hearings with minor-league czar Judge Brabham‚ Mayo was reinstated on September 5, 1941, and finished the season with the Angels.
During spring training prior to the 1943 season, Mayo suffered an eye injury when he was hit by a thrown ball. Mayo and catcher Bob Swift
had a man in a rundown between third base and home. Swift's throw caromed off the runner and hit Mayo directly in the left eye, causing a retinal hemorrhage. Mayo later said that the injury affected his sight, and he even had a blind spot, throughout the 1943 season.
Despite the injury, Mayo was the Athletics' starting third baseman
in 1943, playing 123 games at the position. He led the league in fielding percentage, was awarded his first Gold Glove award, and led the league with 29 fielding runs. However, Mayo felt that the eye injury affected his hitting more than his fielding, and his .219 batting average and 28 RBIs were unimpressive. The A's lost 20 games in a row that year and finished in last place. The A's dropped him at the end of the season because of "poor eyesight."
After the 1943 season, Mayo was purchased by the Boston Red Sox
, but he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers one month later in the rule 5 draft
.
Perhaps because of the 1943 injury to his eye, Mayo developed a peculiar habit of ducking after every pitch.
In 1944, the Tigers moved Mayo from third base to second base. Prior to 1944, Mayo had never played in a single major game at second base, but he adjusted well. He had an excellent .978 fielding percentage for the Tigers in 1944 and led all American League second basemen with 120 double plays. Mayo also substantially improved his offensive performance in 1944, raising his average 30 points to .249 with 151 hits, 18 doubles, and 63 RBIs. Mayo finished 29th in the 1944 AL MVP voting.
were both 35 years old, and both had been back-up or utility infielders before the depletion of talent in World War II. Yet, Mayo went on to be selected as the Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News
.
Prior to 1944, Mayo had never hit for a batting average
higher than .227. In 1945, Mayo hit for a .285 average and .347 on base pecentage—both career highs. He also had 24 doubles and a career-high 10 home runs.
In addition to a fine offensive year, Mayo won his second Gold Glove award and led all American League second basemen with a .980 fielding percentage. The 35-year-old Mayo showed great range, as his range factor
of 5.80 was 45 points higher than the league average.
Mayo's performance won him a spot on the American League's 1945 All Star team and helped lead the Tigers to the American League pennant. In fact, the man previously known as a good-field, no-hit infielder had the highest batting average among Tigers players with at least 300 at bats.
Teammate Hal Newhouser
credited Mayo for sparking the Tigers' 1945 pennant drive, calling him the "take-charge guy in our infield."
Mayo also contributed to the Tigers victory over the Cubs in the 1945 World Series
. He started all seven games of the Series and had 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 RBIs, and a .323 on base percentage.
In the decisive Game 7, Mayo went 2-for-5, scored two runs and had a double and 2 RBIs. He hit a fly ball to deep left field in the 6th inning narrowly missing a home run. Then, in the 8th inning, Mayo hit a double down the left-field line that scored Skeeter Webb
. After advancing to third base, Mayo scored on a line drive
to left field off the bat of Hank Greenberg
. The runs that Mayo drove in and scored in Game 6 proved to the last World Series runs by the Detroit Tigers until 1968
.
In post-season voting, Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser
won the official American League Most Valuable Player award with 9 first place votes, and Mayo finished second with 7 first place votes. However, The Sporting News
gave Mayo the nod for its Most Valuable Player award.
returned from the war and became the Tigers' starting second baseman
and George Kell
stepped in at third base. However, Mayo continued to be a fine fielder. On May 8, 1946, against the Washington Senators
, he caught a line drive off the bat of Gil Torres
that deflected off Hal Newhouser
and turned it into a triple play
. It was the second one in which he'd been involved in two years, and Torres was the batter on both occasions.
In 1947, the popular Mayo won back his starting job at second base and had a strong year at the bat. He hit .279 with 149 hits and career-highs in doubles (28) and triples (4).
In 1948, Mayo played his final season, hitting for a .249 batting average, with 20 doubles and 42 RBIs.
In 1949, Mayo became manager of the Tigers' Toledo Mud Hens
Triple-A farm team. After two years in Toledo, he followed Tigers' manager Steve O'Neill
, who had become manager of the Boston Red Sox
. Mayo served as the Sox' third base coach under O'Neill. In 1952, O'Neill moved to the Philadelphia Phillies
, and Mayo again followed, serving as the team's third base coach from 1952-1954. Hall of Famer Joe Cronin
called Mayo the best third base coach in the major leagues.
.
Mayo died in 2006 at age 96 in Banning, California
. He was the oldest living Detroit Tiger at the time of his death.
Professional baseball
Baseball is a team sport which is played by several professional leagues throughout the world. In these leagues, and associated farm teams, players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system....
infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
for the New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
(1936), Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
(1937–38), Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
(1943) and Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
(1944–48).
Career overview
Mayo played in 834 games in the major leagues, initially as a third basemanThird baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
(229 games) and for most of his career as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
(544 games). In a nine-season career, the left-handed hitting Mayo posted a .252 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
and .313 on base percentage
On base percentage
In baseball statistics, on-base percentage is a measure of how often a batter reaches base for any reason other than a fielding error, fielder's choice, dropped/uncaught third strike, fielder's obstruction, or catcher's interference In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) (sometimes...
with 287 RBIs
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 759 hits, 350 runs scored, 257 walks, 161 extra base hits, and 109 sacrifice hits. He was among the league leaders in sacrifice hits six times, including a major league leading 28 sacrifice hits in 1944.
Mayo was also a solid defensive infielder. In 1943, he won a Gold Glove award and led all American League third basemen
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in fielding percentage at .976. Two years later, after switching positions, he won a second Gold Glove award and led all American league second basemen
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
with a .980 fielding percentage at his new position. He also led the league's second basemen in 1944 with 125 double plays.
His best season was 1945 when he helped lead the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
to a World Series championship and was selected as the American League's Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
.
Early years (1932-38)
May was born in Holyoke, MassachusettsHolyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
, but grew up in Clifton, New Jersey
Clifton, New Jersey
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 84,136. The 2010 population represented an increase of 5,464 residents from its population of 78,672 in the 2000 Census, making it the state's 11th largest...
. Born Edward Joseph Mayoski, Mayo was the son of Polish immigrants who changed their name to Mayo.
Mayo first signed with the Detroit Tigers at age 22 in 1932. He played in the minor leagues with Johnstown, Knoxville, and Baltimore. In May 1936, he was traded by Baltimore (International League) to the New York Giants. Mayo hit .199 in 46 games as a backup third baseman for the 1936 Giants
1936 New York Giants season
The 1936 New York Giants season was the twelfth season for the club in the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*List of New York Giants seasons...
. He also appeared in one game of the 1936 World Series
1936 World Series
The 1936 World Series matched the New York Yankees against the New York Giants, with the Yankees winning in six games to earn their fifth championship....
against the Yankees.
In December 1936, Mayo was traded by the Giants to the Boston Bees. He played in 65 games for Boston in the 1937 season, principally as a backup third baseman, batting above .227.
In May 1938, the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
bought Mayo from Boston, but he never appeared in a game for the Cubs.
The Pacific Coast League (1938-42)
Mayo spent the next five years playing for the Los Angeles Angels in the Pacific Coast LeaguePacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
. In 1938, Los Angeles sportswriters chose him as the Angels' Most Valuable Player after he batted .332 and set a PCL record for playing 34 consecutive error-free games.
On July 13, 1941, Mayo (still playing for the Los Angeles Angels) was accused of spitting in the face of umpire Ray Snyder during an argument. League President W. C. Tuttle suspended Mayo for one year. Mayo protested that he never spat and‚ after a series of hearings with minor-league czar Judge Brabham‚ Mayo was reinstated on September 5, 1941, and finished the season with the Angels.
Return to MLB (1943-44)
After leaving Boston in May 1938, Mayo did not play in another major league game for five years. In November 1942, with the major league player pool depleted by World War II military service, Mayo was drafted by the Philadelphia Athletics from the Cubs in the Rule 5 draft.During spring training prior to the 1943 season, Mayo suffered an eye injury when he was hit by a thrown ball. Mayo and catcher Bob Swift
Bob Swift
Robert Virgil Swift was an American catcher, coach, manager and scout in Major League Baseball.Swift is pictured in one of the most famous photographs in American sporting history. He was the catcher for the Detroit Tigers on August 19, 1951, when St. Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck sent midget...
had a man in a rundown between third base and home. Swift's throw caromed off the runner and hit Mayo directly in the left eye, causing a retinal hemorrhage. Mayo later said that the injury affected his sight, and he even had a blind spot, throughout the 1943 season.
Despite the injury, Mayo was the Athletics' starting third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
in 1943, playing 123 games at the position. He led the league in fielding percentage, was awarded his first Gold Glove award, and led the league with 29 fielding runs. However, Mayo felt that the eye injury affected his hitting more than his fielding, and his .219 batting average and 28 RBIs were unimpressive. The A's lost 20 games in a row that year and finished in last place. The A's dropped him at the end of the season because of "poor eyesight."
After the 1943 season, Mayo was purchased by the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
, but he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers one month later in the rule 5 draft
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...
.
Perhaps because of the 1943 injury to his eye, Mayo developed a peculiar habit of ducking after every pitch.
In 1944, the Tigers moved Mayo from third base to second base. Prior to 1944, Mayo had never played in a single major game at second base, but he adjusted well. He had an excellent .978 fielding percentage for the Tigers in 1944 and led all American League second basemen with 120 double plays. Mayo also substantially improved his offensive performance in 1944, raising his average 30 points to .249 with 151 hits, 18 doubles, and 63 RBIs. Mayo finished 29th in the 1944 AL MVP voting.
MVP season (1945)
Going into the 1945 season, writers were skeptical about the middle of the Tigers' infield. Second baseman Mayo and shortstop Skeeter WebbSkeeter Webb
James Laverne "Skeeter" Webb was a Major League Baseball infielder who played twelve season in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , and Philadelphia Athletics...
were both 35 years old, and both had been back-up or utility infielders before the depletion of talent in World War II. Yet, Mayo went on to be selected as the Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
.
Prior to 1944, Mayo had never hit for a batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
higher than .227. In 1945, Mayo hit for a .285 average and .347 on base pecentage—both career highs. He also had 24 doubles and a career-high 10 home runs.
In addition to a fine offensive year, Mayo won his second Gold Glove award and led all American League second basemen with a .980 fielding percentage. The 35-year-old Mayo showed great range, as his range factor
Range Factor
Range Factor is a baseball statistic developed by Bill James. It is calculated by dividing putouts and assists by number of innings or games played at a given defense position...
of 5.80 was 45 points higher than the league average.
Mayo's performance won him a spot on the American League's 1945 All Star team and helped lead the Tigers to the American League pennant. In fact, the man previously known as a good-field, no-hit infielder had the highest batting average among Tigers players with at least 300 at bats.
Teammate Hal Newhouser
Hal Newhouser
Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League...
credited Mayo for sparking the Tigers' 1945 pennant drive, calling him the "take-charge guy in our infield."
Mayo also contributed to the Tigers victory over the Cubs in the 1945 World Series
1945 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 3, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 2:Thursday, October 4, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan-Game 3:Friday, October 5, 1945 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, Michigan...
. He started all seven games of the Series and had 7 hits, 4 runs, 3 walks, 2 RBIs, and a .323 on base percentage.
In the decisive Game 7, Mayo went 2-for-5, scored two runs and had a double and 2 RBIs. He hit a fly ball to deep left field in the 6th inning narrowly missing a home run. Then, in the 8th inning, Mayo hit a double down the left-field line that scored Skeeter Webb
Skeeter Webb
James Laverne "Skeeter" Webb was a Major League Baseball infielder who played twelve season in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Detroit Tigers , and Philadelphia Athletics...
. After advancing to third base, Mayo scored on a line drive
Line drive
In baseball, a line drive is a type of batted ball, sharply hit, and on a level trajectory. The threshold between a line drive and a fly ball can be subjective....
to left field off the bat of Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
. The runs that Mayo drove in and scored in Game 6 proved to the last World Series runs by the Detroit Tigers until 1968
1968 World Series
The 1968 World Series featured the defending champion St. Louis Cardinals against the Detroit Tigers, with the Tigers winning in seven games for their first championship since 1945, and the third in their history...
.
In post-season voting, Tigers pitcher Hal Newhouser
Hal Newhouser
Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League...
won the official American League Most Valuable Player award with 9 first place votes, and Mayo finished second with 7 first place votes. However, The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
gave Mayo the nod for its Most Valuable Player award.
Later years (1946-54)
In 1946, Mayo was limited to 51 games, as Jimmy BloodworthJimmy Bloodworth
James Henry Bloodworth was a second baseman for the Washington Senators , Detroit Tigers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies...
returned from the war and became the Tigers' starting second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
and George Kell
George Kell
George Clyde Kell was an American baseball third baseman who played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Detroit Tigers , Boston Red Sox , Chicago White Sox , and Baltimore Orioles in the American League, who went on to become a baseball broadcaster for 40 years.-Playing career:In college, Kell...
stepped in at third base. However, Mayo continued to be a fine fielder. On May 8, 1946, against the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
, he caught a line drive off the bat of Gil Torres
Gil Torres
Don Gilberto Torres Núñez was a baseball player for the 1940 and 1944-1946 Washington Senators team. He is the son of Ricardo Torres, who was also a baseball player. He threw right-handed and batted right-handed. He debuted on April 25, 1940 and his final game was on September 14, 1946...
that deflected off Hal Newhouser
Hal Newhouser
Harold "Prince Hal" Newhouser was an American pitcher for Major League Baseball who played 17 seasons from 1939 to 1955, mostly with the Detroit Tigers of the American League...
and turned it into a triple play
Triple Play
A triple play is a baseball play in which three outs are made as a result of continuous action without any intervening errors between outs.Triple play may also refer to:...
. It was the second one in which he'd been involved in two years, and Torres was the batter on both occasions.
In 1947, the popular Mayo won back his starting job at second base and had a strong year at the bat. He hit .279 with 149 hits and career-highs in doubles (28) and triples (4).
In 1948, Mayo played his final season, hitting for a .249 batting average, with 20 doubles and 42 RBIs.
In 1949, Mayo became manager of the Tigers' Toledo Mud Hens
Toledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
Triple-A farm team. After two years in Toledo, he followed Tigers' manager Steve O'Neill
Steve O'Neill
Stephen Francis O'Neill was an American catcher, manager, coach and scout in Major League Baseball.Born to Irish immigrants in Minooka, Pennsylvania , O'Neill was one of six brothers who escaped a life in the coal mines by playing in the major leagues...
, who had become manager of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
. Mayo served as the Sox' third base coach under O'Neill. In 1952, O'Neill moved to the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and Mayo again followed, serving as the team's third base coach from 1952-1954. Hall of Famer Joe Cronin
Joe Cronin
Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
called Mayo the best third base coach in the major leagues.
Life after baseball
After retiring from baseball, Mayo owned several restaurants in northern New Jersey. He later retired to Southern California, where he became very active as a fundraiser for the Loma Linda Children's HospitalLoma Linda University Medical Center
Loma Linda University Medical Center is a teaching hospital on the campus of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California, United States. The medical center serves as a level I trauma center for San Bernardino County and the rest of the Inland Empire. It is one of two closest trauma centers for...
.
Mayo died in 2006 at age 96 in Banning, California
Banning, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Banning had a population of 29,603. The population density was 1,281.6 people per square mile . The racial makeup of Banning was 19,164 White, 2,165 African American, 641 Native American, 1,549 Asian, 39 Pacific Islander, 4,604 from other...
. He was the oldest living Detroit Tiger at the time of his death.