About Maury Wills
Maurice Morning Wills (October 2, 1932 – September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a shortstop from 1959 to 1972, most prominently as an integral member of the Los Angeles Dodgers teams that won three World Series titles between 1959 and 1965. He also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Montreal Expos. Wills is credited with reviving the stolen base as part of baseball strategy. Wills was the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1962, stealing a record 104 bases to break the old modern-era mark of 96, set by Ty Cobb in 1915. Wills was an All-Star for five seasons and seven All-Star Games, and was the first MLB All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1962. He also won Gold Gloves in 1961 and 1962. In a fourteen-year career, Wills batted.281 with 20 home runs, 458 runs batted in, 2,134 hits, 1,067 runs, 177 doubles, 71 triples, 586 stolen bases, and 552 bases on balls in 1,942 games. Wills briefly managed the Seattle Mariners in parts of the 1980 and 1981 seasons. From 2009 until his death in 2022, Wills was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau. In Wills's first full season in 1960, he hit.295 with 27 RBI and a league-leading 50 stolen bases in 148 games, becoming the first National League (NL) player to steal 50 bases since Max Carey stole 51 in 1923.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.