Books and articles about Maury Wills

Wills stole his way into the record books in 1962 and in the process reminded a stagnating baseball establishment that there could be more to offense than waiting for your 250-lb slugger to knock one out of the park.

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Maury Wills was an undistinguished minor league shortstop: scrawny, a poor fielder, and an erratic hitter. He began his pro career in 1951 and probably played every position during his time in the minor leagues; he pitched twice and also caught. The Dodgers loaned him to the Tigers, and he was given back. Even the Topps baseball card company wouldn't sign him to a contract, on the advice of their scout and the Dodgers' scouts. But Wills became the first player Topps passed on to make the majors (and since then, they sign everybody, just to play it safe). He came up to the Dodgers midway through the 1959 season and hit .260, but he had only seven RBI in 83 games. In his first full season in the majors, 1960, he led NL shortstops with 40 errors. But he also hit a surprising .295 and led the NL with 50 stolen bases. It was the highest total in the NL since Max Carey stole 51 in 1923 (although Luis Aparicio had been stealing bases in the AL for several years prior to Wills's appearance). In 1961 Wills was not pinch-hit for as often as he had been in 1960, and he scored 104 runs and drew more walks while again leading in stolen bases (35). He also won the first of his two Gold Gloves despite not leading the NL in any fielding category.

Wills's 1962 season found him at the apex of his base-stealing ability. His new major league record of 104 stolen bases shattered Ty Cobb's old mark of 96 not only in the final total, but in execution: Wills was caught stealing only 13 times in 1962, but Cobb was caught 38 times in 1915. Also, Cobb set his record in 156 games, and Wills broke it by one in the same span. In 1962, Wills also led the NL with 10 triples and reached career highs with 130 runs, 48 RBI, six HR, and 208 hits. His 695 at-bats missed the ML record by one. He won another Gold Glove. And he beat out Willie Mays by seven points to win the NL MVP award.

Wills led the NL the next three years in stolen bases, but his success ratio fell. His six straight seasons leading the NL in steals set the NL record, and he tied the NL record for most years leading in singles, four (1963-67). He never again scored 100 runs, and he never drew enough walks to really be a great leadoff hitter, although he hit a career-high .302 in 1963 and 1966. But he did lead NL shortstops in assists and total chances per game in 1965. In the 1965 World Series he tied the WS record with four hits (two singles and two doubles) in Game Five. In the same game, he tied the record for double plays started by a shortstop with three.

Traded to the Pirates after 1966 for Bob Bailey and Gene Michael, Wills played third base in Pittsburgh due to the presence of Gene Alley at shortstop. The Pirates didn't protect Wills after 1968, and the Expos selected him in the expansion draft. After a .222 start, he was traded back to the Dodgers with Manny Mota for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich and regained his stroke. Nearing his 40th birthday in 1972, he was finally succeeded as Dodger shortstop by Bill Russell.

Wills was named Mariners manager near the end of the 1980 season and promised to teach the team how to steal a pennant. He was fired in 1981 after a 6-18 start, having had serious discipline difficulties. (JFC)

FROM THE BASEBALL CHRONOLOGY » October 5, 1915: In a 5–0 loss to the Indians, Detroit speedster Ty Cobb steals his 96th base. Cobb's 96 steals will stand as the record until 1962 when Maury Wills steals 104 bases. » June 6, 1959: The Dodgers bring up SS Maury Wills from Spokane, where he was hitting .313 with 25 stolen bases. » September 15, 1959: Dodger SS Maury Wills goes 5-for-5 in a 10-inning, 8-7 win over the Braves. The Dodgers tie the Braves for 2nd, 2 games behind the Giants. » August 6, 1961: Maury Wills' first home run in 1,167 ML at bats and a double, triple, and home run by Frank Howard give the Dodgers an 11–4 win against Chicago and first place by a half game in the National League. Wills has three hits and scores four runs, while Podres gives up ten hits, but goes the distance to win. Wally Moon drives in three runs with three hits. » May 30, 1962: Light-hitting SS Maury Wills becomes the 7th player in ML history to sock home runs from each side of the plate in one game. The Dodgers sweep the Mets 13–6 and 6–5 in New York. » August 3, 1962: At Los Angeles, the Dodgers top the Cubs, 8–3, behind Don Drysdale. Cal Koonce takes the loss. Maury Wills helps with a 4th inning triple and then steals home. » August 11, 1962: The Dodgers protest the wetting down of the field at Candlestick, a tactic they claim is to stop Maury Wills. Billy Pierce then hands 21-game winner Don Drysdale his 5th loss, and the first after 11 straight wins, as the Giants win 5–4 to take the 2nd game in their series. Willie McCovey's pinch-homer with two on is the big blow off Drysdale. The watering ploy earns Giants manager Alvin Dark the sobriquet "The Swamp Fox." » September 7, 1962: Four steals bring Maury Wills' season total to 82, one better than Bob Bescher's 1911 mark and a modern National League record. But Pittsburgh beats Los Angeles 10–1, cutting the Dodger lead to one-half game. In a streak of six games, from September 6th to the 11th, Maury will swipe 13 bases. » September 23, 1962: A 12–2 Dodger loss at St. Louis is enlivened by Maury Wills, who ties Ty Cobb's long-standing ML single-season record of 96 steals by swiping 2B after singling in the 3rd, and breaks it with a repeat performance in the 7th. » September 26, 1962: Pittsburgh's Earl Francis (9-8) gives up two hits in 10 innings in beating the Reds, 1–0. Jim Maloney matches him for nine innings. Bob Friend pitches the 11th to earn his 1st save of the year after Mazeroski and Stargell double home the winning run. Bucs vet Bill Virdon steals his 5th base to go along with his 13 caught steals, tying him for National League high with Maury Wills. » September 28, 1962: The Giants are rained out and the Dodgers are reined in by the Cardinals 3–2. Larry Jackson gives up 12 hits but pitches a complete game win. The loss shrinks the Dodgers lead to one 1/2 games. Maury Wills' swipes second in the 3rd for his major-league record 104th of the year. He also ties for the National League lead with Bill Virdon for times caught stealing (13). » October 2, 1962: Just 25,321 fans are on hand at Dodger Stadium to see Don Drysdale (25–9) and Jack Sanford (24–7) square off. After 35 straight scoreless innings, the Dodgers break through for seven runs in the 6th to lead San Francisco by 2. The Giants score twice in the 8th, but a 9th-inning sacrifice fly by Ron Fairly sends Maury Wills home with the winning run 8–7. The Giants tie an National League record by using eight hurlers in a 9-inning game. At four hours and 18 minutes, the game is the longest 9-inning affair in NL history. » October 3, 1962: A crowd of 45,693, giving the Dodgers a ML-record season attendance of 2,755,184, attends the deciding game of the National League season. In the 7th, Maury Wills collects his 4th single of the day, and his 103rd and 104th steals of the year. But the Giants score four in the 9th to win 6–4 and put themselves in the World Series. » November 23, 1962: Dodgers SS Maury Wills is named the National League's Most Valuable Player. » July 31, 1964: At Philadelphia, 24,197 see Chris Short, with help from Jack Baldschun, stop the Dodgers, 6–1. John Callison starts the Phils scoring with a 2-run homer in the 1st, off Ron Moeller. Tommy Davis hits an 8th inning double, that caroms off 2B Tony Taylor's mouth, kayoing both Taylor and Chris Short. Maury Wills has four singles and drives in the lone run. » October 11, 1965: Sandy Koufax's 4-hit, 7–0 win against the Twins puts Los Angeles one win from the championship. Maury Wills ties a World Series record with four doubles and scores twice. » July 12, 1966: St. Louis hosts a hot midsummer All-Star classic. Maury Wills' 10th-inning single scores Tim McCarver, as the National League wins 2–1 in 105-degree heat. Brooks Robinson's stellar game (3 hits, eight chances) earns him the game MVP. Asked about the new ball park, Casey Stengel remarks, "it holds the heat well." On field temperature is 113 degrees. » November 4, 1966: Maury Wills leaves the Los Angeles club touring Japan, complaining that his injured right knee needs immediate treatment in the U.S. On December 1, the Dodgers will send Maury to Pittsburgh. » December 1, 1966: Dodgers SS Maury Wills is traded to the Pirates for SS Gene Michael and 3B Bob Bailey. A deal has been expected since he bolted the Los Angeles trip to Japan. » June 10, 1968: American League games at Baltimore and Chicago are postponed, as mourning for Robert Kennedy continues. Astros Rusty Staub and Bob Aspromonte are fined for not playing. Pittsburgh's Maury Wills also refuses to play and is reportedly punished. » June 26, 1968: Cardinal Bob Gibson pitches his 5th straight shutout in the first game of a doubleheader with Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh wins the 2nd game 3–1, although the Cardinals stop Maury Wills' 24-game hitting streak. » October 14, 1968: In the National League expansion draft, the Expos choose 30 players, including Maury Wills, Jim Grant, Donn Clendenon, and Manny Mota. San Diego's 30 selections include Dave Giusti, Nate Colbert, Zoilo Versalles, Al McBean, and Clarence Gaston. » June 11, 1969: Maury Wills returns to Los Angeles with OF Manny Mota. IF Paul Popovich and OF Ron Fairly are traded to Montreal. The Expos then send Popovich to the Cubs for OF Adolfo Phillips and P Jack Lamabe. Adolfo, popular with his teammates shakes hands with everyone while leaving, except manager Leo Durocher. » October 24, 1972: Three longtime infielders are released by their respective clubs: Bill Mazeroski (Pirates), Maury Wills (Dodgers), and Julian Javier (Reds). » September 10, 1974: The Cardinals lose to the Phillies 8–2, but Lou Brock breaks Maury Wills' major-league record by stealing his 104th and 105th bases of the season. It also gives him 740 career SBs, breaking Max Carey's National League record of 738. » August 4, 1980: The Seattle Mariners fire manager Darrell Johnson and replace him with Maury Wills, who becomes the 3rd black manager in ML history. Seattle had lost nine games in a row and 20 of 24 since the All-Star break. » April 25, 1981: Mariners manager Maury Wills is suspended for two games after ordering Seattle's grounds crew to enlarge the batter's boxes by one foot prior to its game with Oakland. The A's had been complaining that Seattle's Tom Paciorek frequently stepped out of the box while hitting. » May 6, 1981: Mariners manager Maury Wills is fired and replaced by Rene Lachemann. Seattle was 6-18, the worst start in the club's 5-year history. In Lachemann's first game, Seattle pounds Milwaukee 12–1 and pitcher Mike Parrott snaps his personal 18-game losing streak, one shy of the American League record.