Maury Wills R.I.P.

L.A. Dodger Great Maury Wills R.I. P.

By David A. Avila

During the 1960s the sight of Maury Wills speeding toward second base with the crowd roaring and dust flying was the lightning bolt that led the Los Angeles Dodgers to three World Series championships.

Wills, the slightly built shortstop and captain of the “Go-Go” Dodgers, epitomized those teams that featured dominant pitching and speed all around.

It was announced by the Dodger organization on Tuesday that Wills died of undisclosed reasons. He was 89 years old and was often seen at Dodger Stadium on the field chatting with players and Dodger manager Dave Roberts.

“Maury was very impactful to me personally,” said Roberts the Dodger skipper.

For most fans and media born after the 60s, they were unable to witness the impact that Wills and other speedy Dodgers such as Jim Gilliam, Willie Davis and Wes Parker imposed on other teams in that era.

While rival clubs like the rival San Francisco Giants featured powerful hitters like Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Jim Ray Hart to go along with solid pitching behind Juan Marichal and Gaylord Perry, the Dodgers countered with speed.

The Dodgers blistered teams with singles and ran around the bases daring you to stop them. They also featured wonderful pitching behind Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Claude Osteen and Johnny Podres.

Wills in particular could decimate an opposing team single-handedly and often did by stealing, second, then third and scoring on a sacrifice fly or groundball. Then, Koufax, Drysdale or Osteen would proceed to shut out the opposing team and win 1-0. It was a formula that worked and led to World Series victories over the New York Yankees 4-0 in 1963, and a best-of-seven World Series win over the Minnesota Twins in 1965.

Teams devised hair-brain schemes such as the grounds crew at Candlestick Park in San Francisco who spread dirt around home plate and soaked the running areas.

No other single player dominated or impacted opposing teams like Wills. He was the Most Valuable Player in 1962 when he stole 104 bases. He was the first player ever to steal more than 100 bases, a feat accomplished later by others such as Lou Brock, Ricky Henderson and Vince Coleman.

Other teams took notice of the impact that speed had on the game and adapted many of the Dodger ways including the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals. With defense and pitching along with speedy baserunners causing other teams problems trying to defend, those teams also became consistent playoff contenders.

Lately, because of the rise of sabermetrics and some experts claiming stolen bases do not lead to wins, most teams opt for the three-run homer and power. But speed has always been a thorn to any team trying to defend against it. Bunts, stolen bases, and hurried throws often lead to extra bases and can keep a team out of long batting slumps.

Experts say you cannot steal first base, but a good bunting team opens up hitting lanes when they are forced to play shallow.

Wills spearheaded the age of the running teams. Sadly, he is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame and should be. When the Dodgers traded Wills to Pittsburgh, supposedly because he was involved with a Hollywood movie star, the Dodgers would not recover for nearly a decade. He was later re-acquired and played for the Dodgers again. I will always remember the final week of the 1972 season the Dodgers were in San Francisco and needed a win when a ball was hit to Wills at shortstop and he missed it. Usually he was sure-handed and the Dodgers lost to the Giants that day in September 1972. Wills would never play again.

Dodger fans of those teams in the 60s remember with fondness the Go-Go Dodgers a nickname the media devised to describe the teams that went to the World Series four times when you include the 1959 club.

After Koufax retired following the end of 1966 and Will was traded to Pittsburgh, the Dodgers could never get untracked again until a new crop emerged in the early 1970s. But during Wills time with the Los Angeles club, the Dodgers were a hit in Los Angeles and created a hip new style of baseball. Wills was the hippest of all.

(Photo by WBUR.org)