Maury Wills, the legendary shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died at the age of 89 at his home in Sedona, Arizona. The Dodgers managed to win three World Series titles with Wills in their ranks. His cause of death has not yet been revealed.
Who was Maury Wills?
Born on October 2, 1932, Maurice Morning Wills was seventh among thirteen children. He began his sporting career as a semi-professional by the time he was 14. Wills attended Cardozo Senior High School where he also played football and basketball.
Wills played in the minor leagues for eight years for the now-defunct Brooklyn Dodgers. The one-time National League MVP also had short stints with the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Rainiers. He was promoted from the minor leagues by the Los Angeles Dodgers after the retirement of Pee Wee Reese and unsuccessful stints by Bob Lillis and Don Zimmer.
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In his very first season with the Dodgers, Wills managed to win the World Series. In his second season, he stole 50 bases, becoming the first MLB player since Max Carey (51 stolen bases) in 1923 to cross the 50 stolen bases mark.
The seven-time MLB All-Star surpassed himself in 1962 by stealing 104 bases, which made him surpass the modern-era record of 96 stolen bases, which was achieved by Ty Cobb in 1915. His 1962 performance helped Wills in being declared the National League MVP. Whenever the shortstop was at base during his stint with the Dodgers, the fans used to shout, “Go! Go! Go, Maury, Go!”.
Wills, after ’66, plied his trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos before returning to the Dodgers in 1969. Post-retirement, he worked for NBC as a baseball analyst. Wills returned to baseball as a manager for the Seattle Mariners in the 1980 and 1981 seasons.