Maury Wills

Lore & Background

Wills was the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1962, stealing a record 104 bases to break the old modern-era mark of 96, set by Ty Cobb in 1915. He was an All-Star for five seasons and seven All-Star Games, and was the first MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1962. He also won Gold Gloves in 1961 and 1962. In a fourteen-year career, Wills batted .281 with 20 home runs, 458 runs batted in, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples, 586 stolen bases, and 552 bases on balls in 1,942 games. Wills briefly managed the Seattle Mariners in parts of the 1980 and 1981 seasons. From 2009 until his death in 2022, Wills was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.

In Their Own Story

The sun beats down on the concrete of Dodger Stadium, casting long shadows across the infield dirt as the eighth inning unfolds. The crowd is a sea of blue and white, buzzing with anticipation. Maury Wills takes his lead off first base, his eyes locked on the pitcher's mound, calculating the split-second gap between the pitch and the throw to second. With a sudden burst of energy that seems to defy physics, he sprints toward second, sliding into the bag just as the tag arrives. The umpire points him safe, and the stadium erupts. Wills jumps up, dusting off his uniform, a grin spreading across his face as he high-fives teammates who know exactly what kind of trouble this Venezuelan shortstop is about to cause.

Reader's Guide

Wills was born in Washington, D.C., to Guy and Mabel Wills, the seventh of 13 children. He signed with the then-Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 after graduating from high school. He spent eight years in the minor leagues. Before the 1959 season, the Detroit Tigers bought his contract but returned him after spring training. The Dodgers promoted Wills from the minors in June 1959 after Don Zimmer broke his toe. Wills played in 83 games that season, batting .260, and in the 1959 World Series he hit 5-for-20 with one stolen base. In 1962, he stole 104 bases, was caught stealing just 13 times, and played a full 162-game schedule plus all three games of the best-of-three regular season playoff series with the Giants (which the Dodgers lost). His 104 steals remained a major league record until Lou Brock stole 118 in 1974. Wills won the NL MVP Award over Willie Mays. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1966 season, then selected by the Montreal Expos in the 1968 expansion draft. On June 11, 1969, the Expos traded Wills back to the Dodgers. He played his final MLB game on October 4, 1972, and was released by the Dodgers on October 24, 1972.

Did You Know?

• Wills stole 104 bases in 1962, more than any team that year; the next highest was 99 by the Washington Senators.
• In 1962, San Francisco Giants manager Alvin Dark ordered grounds crews to water down the base paths to hinder Wills's base-stealing attempts.
• Wills played 165 games in 1962 (including the playoff series), an MLB record that still stands as of 2025.
• Wills was the first MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1962.