Maury Wills, a 3-time World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died at 89-years old.
Wills was the first modern era player to record 100 stolen bases in a season, per Jon Heyman. He consistenly posted eye-popping stolen base numbers and led the league in the category in six consecutive seasons. Wills, a 5-time All-Star, won the 1962 MVP award. He slashed .299/.347/.373 that season with a career high 104 stolen bases.
Maury Wills finished his big league career with 586 total stolen bases. He posted a career batting average of .281 as well. He is a Dodgers legend, playing 12 of his 15 seasons in LA.
Nevertheless, Wills did not receive enough voting support to be selected to the MLB Hall of Fame. However, there are plenty of baseball fans who believe Wills should be a member of the Hall of Fame. After all, he is remembered as one of the greatest stolen base threats of all-time.
Dodgers CEO Stan Kasten released a statement following the death of Maury Wills.
“Maury Wills was one of the most exciting Dodgers of all-time. He changed baseball with his base-running and made the stolen base an important part of the game. He was very instrumental in the success of the Dodgers with three world championships.”
Wills was a winner. The 2-time Gold Glove recipient was a catalyst for the Dodgers at shortstop. His electric speed and defensive prowess helped LA win multiple World Series championships.
The Dodgers will likely hold a ceremony to honor Maury Wills in the near future. He is survived by his wife and six children.
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