American professional baseball player and manager Maurice Morning Wills was born on October 2, 1932, and he passed away on September 19, 2022.
He was primarily a shortstop and switch-hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball from 1959 through 1966 and from the latter part of 1969 through 1972. He also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1967 and 1968 and the Montreal Expos in the first half of 1969.
Wills is credited with bringing back the stolen base as a part of baseball strategy and was a crucial part of the Dodgers’ championship teams in the middle of the 1960s.
When Wills was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1962, he broke Ty Cobb’s 1915 record of 96 base steals by swiping a record-breaking 104 times.
He played in seven All-Star Games and five seasons as an All-Star. In 1962, he won the Most Valuable Player award at the inaugural MLB All-Star Game.
He also received Gold Glove awards in 1961 and 1962. Wills batted for fourteen years. 281 with 20 home homers, 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 served as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2009 until his passing in 2022.
Wills made his first appearance as a candidate on the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Golden Era Committee election ballot in 2014 for a potential candidacy for the Hall of Fame in 2015, which needs twelve votes.
Wills missed being elected by three votes. The other candidates who were on the ballot were all unsuccessful in winning any office. From 1947 to 1972, the Committee convened every three years, voting on ten nominees (this was replaced in 2016 by the Golden Days Era, which covered 1950–1969).
He was on the ballot once more for the Golden Days Era ballot in 2022, but he did not earn enough votes to be inducted.
Maury Wills Obituary
On September 19th, 2022, Maury Wills passed away in the comfort of his own home in Sedona, Arizona. He had 89 years under his belt.
Maury Wills Cause of Death
There was no indication of what caused the death.
Maury Wills Funeral Announcement
Wills passed away at his home in Sedona, Arizona, on Monday evening, the team announced Tuesday after being told of his passing by members of his family. There was no indication of what caused the death.
Maury Wills Burial Service
His burial service is yet to be held. We will update this post once we lay hands on any information regarding his burial.
