Maury Wills, whose audacious thievery on the basepaths revolutionized baseball, died Monday night in Los Angeles at the age of 89 years old.
“I know he passed peacefully, and I am going to have a heavy heart,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who wore No. 30 because of Wills. ” Maury has had a huge impact on me personally and professionally. He’ll be missed. This one is tough for me.”
Maury Wills Holds 490 Stolen Bases Record
Wills stole 104 bases in 1962, breaking Ty Cobb‘s record of 96 in 1915. Wills was named the National League and All-Star Game MVP that year, and he would appear in five seasons. He led the league in stolen bases for six straight seasons, won two Gold Gloves at shortstop, and holds the club record for 490 stolen bases despite his retirement in 1972.
By the time Maurice Wills entered the Dodgers, eventual Hall of Famer Pee Wee Reese had already killed the shortstop spot. It took Wills 8 1/2 minor league seasons to finally wrest the starting shortstop from Don Zimmer, and despite his slow start, he went on to play 14 major league seasons and 11-plus with the Dodgers. He had a .281 career batting average and finished with 586 stolen bases. He has played for three World Series championship clubs and also managed part of two seasons in Seattle.
Wills also served as an instructor at the organization several times, but one goal was never achieved. He was never inducted into the Hall of Fame, failing on the Baseball Writers Association of America vote (peaking at 40.6% in 1981, 75% needed for election) as well as on the Veterans Committee and Golden Days Era ballot.
“He just loves baseball,” Roberts said. “He loves his job and the relationship with the players. We spend a lot of time together. He really makes me appreciate my craft and what it means to be a big leaguer. I think a lot of things excite me, my passion, my love for the player – it all came from him.”
In his 1991 autobiography, “On the Run,” Wills credits then-coach Al Campanis for teaching him how to steal bases, and Triple-A manager Bobby Bragan for encouraging him to steal bases and try to hit the ball. The book addresses not only Wills’ career highs, but also his personal lows, including alcohol and drug addiction. Wills credits former Dodgers executives Fred Claire and Don Newcombe for their intervention in 1988 that led to a path to treatment and recovery.
