On October 11, 1965, Willie Davis became the second player in MLB history to steal three bases in a World Series game. He accomplished the feat in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 5 win over the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium.
Davis joined Hall of Famer Honus Wagner, who stole three bases exactly 56 years prior in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-6 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the 1909 World Series.
Rajai Davis (2016), B.J. Upton (2008) and Lou Brock (1967 and 1968) have since added their name to the list of players to steal three bases in a World Series game.
The Dodgers went on to win Game 5 of the 1965 World Series by a final score of 7-0 to take a 3-2 lead over the Twins. Minnesota would force a decisive Game 7 that saw L.A. come out on top after Sandy Koufax threw a complete-game shutout.
Davis played 14 of his 18 MLB seasons with the Dodgers and batted .279/.312/.413 with 2,091 hits, 321 doubles, 110 triples, 154 home runs, 849 RBI and 335 stolen bases in 1,952 games.
He was named to the All-Star Game twice, a two-time World Series champion, won three Gold Glove Awards and finished in the top 28 of National League MVP voting four times.
The Dodgers traded Davis to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Mike Marshall after the 1973 season. Davis spent one year with the Expos and also had stints with the Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and California Angels before retiring after the 1979 season.
Bob Welch earns saves for Dodgers
Also on this day in Dodgers history, Bob Welch earned his first career postseason save in a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees in Game 2 of the 1978 World Series.
With two runners on and out one, Welch entered the game and got Thurman Munson to fly out to right field. That set the stage for a dramatic showdown with one-time American League MVP Award winner Reggie Jackson.
Welch won the battle as he struck out Jackson to preserve the Dodgers’ victory. It gave L.A. a 2-0 lead in the World Series, but the Yankees would go on to win the next four games to claim the title.
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