![]() The Dodgers began the 1959 season with Bob Lillis at shortstop, but he struggled and the team went to Don Zimmer. Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers' shortstop, retired after the 1958 season. Before the 1959 season, the Detroit Tigers bought his contract for $35,000, but they returned Wills to the Dodgers after spring training because they did not think he was worth that salary. He spent eight years in the minor leagues for them. Wills signed with the then- Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950, after graduating from high school. Professional career Minor leagues Wills as a member of the Seattle Rainiers in 1957 On the baseball team, he played third base and also pitched. He earned All-City honors in each sport in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. At Cardozo Senior High School, Wills starred in baseball, basketball, and football. He began playing semi-professional baseball at age 14. His mother, born in 1902, worked as an elevator operator. His parents were originally from Maryland his father, born in 1900, worked as a machinist at the Washington Navy Yard and was a part-time Baptist minister. ![]() to Guy and Mable Wills, the seventh of thirteen children. 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. 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. He 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. 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 essential component of the Dodgers' championship teams in the mid-1960s, and is credited with reviving the stolen base as part of baseball strategy. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1959 through 1966 and the latter part of 1969 through 1972 as a shortstop and switch-hitter he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 19, and the Montreal Expos the first part of 1969. Maurice Morning Wills (Octo– September 19, 2022) was an American professional baseball player and manager. October 4, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers ![]() June 6, 1959, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
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