Amy K. Nelson tells the story of former Kansas City Royals first baseman Willie Mays Aikens. In 1980, he became the first player in MLB history to have two multi-home run games in the same World Serie
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s. Little did his teammates and fans know, but he was high on cocaine nearly every day during that series. In 1994, he was sentenced to over 20 years in prison for selling crack, due to harsh sentencing and mandatory minimum guidelines. After 14 years, Aikens was released, and his perseverance and triumph is now chronicled in the book Willie Mays Aikens: Safe At Home.
Produced by SB Nation Studios
Senior Correspondent - Amy K. Nelson
Senior Producer - Josh Dodd
Director of Photography - Jimmy Shelton
Creative Editor - Noah Shulman
Second Unit - Stephen P. Greenwood
Audio Technician (Field) - Michael Cottrell
Audio Technician (Post) - Brendan Murphy
Lead Researcher - James Edwards
Executive Director | SB Nation - Chad Mumm
CEO | SB Nation - Jim Bankoff
Special thanks to Willie Mays Aikens, the Kansas City Royals, Gregory Jordan, George Brett, Dennis Leonard, Dayton Moore, Mike Swanson, Kyle Vena, Triumph Books, City of Surprise, AZ, and Google.
Footage and images provided by the Kansas City Royals, ABC News, Getty Images, Sports Illustrated, Shutterstock, UPI, AP, Newsday, The Kansas City Star, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Milwaukee Sentinel, The Victoria Advocate, The Spokesman Review, Boca Raton News, Herald-Journal, Lawrence Journal-World, The Bulletin, The News and Courier.
Music provided by APM Music.
