On May 26, 1971, Maury Wills recorded his 2,000th career hit in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium.
Wills’ milestone hit came in the bottom of the fifth inning off Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry. The RBI single scored Bobby Valentine and brought the Dodgers to within 4-2.
L.A. would eventually pull even, but San Francisco took a decided lead in the ninth inning when Chris Speier delivered a go-ahead single off Jim Brewer. Willie Mays then provided an insurance run with a sacrifice fly that further extended the Giants’ advantage.
Wills finished 1-for-4 in the contest. He hit .281 in 149 games during the 1971 season, which was his final full year with the Dodgers.
Wills is among 13 players to record their 2,000th career hit in a Dodgers uniform. Freddie Freeman is the most recent player to do so, accomplishing the feat during the 2023 season.
Maury Wills’ Dodgers career
Wills played 12 seasons with the Dodgers over two separate stints, batting a combined .281/.331/.332 with 150 doubles, 56 triples, 17 home runs, 374 RBI and 490 stolen bases in 1,593 games. Among Dodgers franchise leaders, Wills ranks first in stolen bases, 10th in total at-bats (6,156), runs scored (876) and hits (1,732).
He was a seven-time All-Star, three-time World Series champion, two-time Gold Glove winner and the recipient of the 1962 National League MVP Award.
In April 2022, Wills became the fourth member of the “Legends of Dodger Baseball,” joining Steve Garvey, Don Newcombe and Fernando Valenzuela. Kirk Gibson, Manny Mota, Orel Hershiser, Dusty Baker and Ron Cey have since joined the group as well.
Wills passed away several months later at the age of 89, and the Dodgers celebrated his memory by wearing a jersey patch for the remainder of the 2022 season.
“I know he passed peacefully but I am going to have a heavy heart,” manager Dave Roberts said at the time of Wills’ death. “Maury was very impactful to me personally and professionally. He’s going to be missed and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to him. This one is tough for me.
“He did a lot for the community, a lot for the Dodgers, and he was a friend, a father, a mentor and all of the above.”
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