In that 1962 season Wills was the spark plug for the Los Angeles Dodgers, stealing a new MLB record 104 bases, breaking the (modern) record of 96 by Ty Cobb.
It would be the third of six straight seasons he would lead the National League in steals, leading to a career total of 586.
Along with his 208 hits, 130 runs scored and league-leading 10 triples, he would eventually edge out Willie Mays and take home the Most Valuable Player trophy at season’s end.
I was always amazed when I saw that Wills officially played in 165 games during the 1965 season because of shortened games that counted in statistics but not as completed games.
As a kid I didn’t know how that worked, so was always wondering how on earth a player could do it. Ah the days before the world wide web!
