![]() ![]() He also managed winter ball in the Mexican Pacific League, winning a league championship in 1970-71. “He still didn’t believe me, he thought maybe I was carrying it for somebody,” Wills told the Post.īy age 32, Wills was bandaging his legs before games because of the punishment of sliding.Īfter retiring with the Dodgers in 1972, Wills worked an analyst at NBC for five years. “So we walk down there and baseball players have a sick sense of humor, because when I stood in front of the door, with my Dodger shirt and duffel bag, and the man opened the door and said, ‘Anybody in here know this boy?’ and they all looked at me and said, ‘Never saw him before,” Wills told The Washington Post in 2015.Īfter the game, Wills left with his MVP trophy and showed it to the guard. Wills suggested the guard escort him to the NL clubhouse door, where he would wait while the guard asked the players to confirm his identity. However, the security guard wouldn’t let him in, saying he was too small to be a ballplayer. He arrived at the ballpark carrying a Dodgers bag and wearing a Dodgers shirt. He stayed at home with his family instead of at the team hotel for the All-Star Game. On Craig’s next throw, Wills stole second.Īlso in 1962, Wills was named MVP of the All-Star Game played in his hometown of Washington, D.C. Once, in a game against the New York Mets, Wills was on first base when pitcher Roger Craig threw 12 straight times to the bag. When a pitcher’s throw drove him back to the bag, he became even more determined to steal. He carefully studied pitchers and their pickoff moves when he wasn’t on base. His speed made him a constant threat on the basepaths, and he distracted pitchers even if he didn’t try to steal. He was credited with reviving the stolen base as a strategy. “He changed baseball with his base-running and made the stolen base an important part of the game.” “Maury Wills was one of the most exciting Dodgers of all time,” team president and CEO Stan Kasten said. The Dodgers will wear a patch in memory of Wills for the rest of this season. ![]() That season he became the first player to steal more than 100 bases and was named National League MVP.Īt 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Wills led the NL in stolen bases from 1960-65, was a seven-time All-Star selection and won Gold Glove Awards in 1961 and ’62. He broke Ty Cobb’s single-season record for stolen bases with his 97th swipe on Sept. 281 with 2,134 hits and 586 stolen bases in 1,942 games. Jody Miller, Country Hitmaker Behind 'Queen of the House,' Dies at 80ĭuring his 14-year career, Wills batted. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |