From First To Home

In the early 1960's, the Dodgers were blessed with having two lighting bolts running the bases for them. While Maury Wills is the name that people remember, and rightfully so, Willie Davis was no slouch in his own right.


During a crucial four game series against the Giants in early September of 1962, Willie Davis actually scored from first base on a single up the middle. You're not gonna believe this, but Juan Pierre wasn't even playing in center field that day . Instead, it was twelve time Gold Golve winner, Willie Mays. From Melvin Durslag...

When Tommy Davis cracked a grounder into centerfield, Willie took off like something equipped with four legs. It was no soft roller mind you. The ball was hit sharply.

In centerfield, the eyes of Willie Mays rolled a couple of times in their sockets as he watched Davis accelerate. No baseball bumpkin, Mays suspected instantly what Davis might be up to. He fielded the ball and threw directly to the plate.

Davis turned second and hit third, seemingly in one stride. And there waited Leo Durocher, hands alfot, waving a stop sign so clear it could have been seen in San Francisco.

If Durocher had been wearing a hair peice, he would have lost it in the squall created by Willie's velocity. Leo stood helplessly, like a man on a platform watching his subway train to Yonkers roar past.

The arm of Willie Mays is scarcely the worst in baseball, but Davis beat the throw to the plate. He had scored from first on a routine single to center.

When asked how many times this eyar that Willie has run through his stop sign, Durocher replied, "at least six."

"Did he fail to land safely on any."

"Not once," said Leo.

It is a fact, though, that Durocher would sooner get kicked in the groin by Warren Spahn than step in the way of Davis coming around third.

"When Willie is in motion," says manager Walter Alston, "there is only one way to hold him up at third. The instant he rounds second, you give him the slide sign."

Pete Reiser, the outfield coach of the Dodgers, has worked extensively with Davis, and he concludes that punishing Willie for violating signals could, in the long haul, be a blunder.

"There will be times when Davis will be thrown out taking those wild chances, but, overall, he will cause the other team to make far more mistakes than he makes. The guy already has every team in the league nervous. When he is on base, fielders hurry their throws and everyone gets jumpy, wondering what he'll do next. He has the nerve of a burglar. Once he's running, he might do anything."

Willie Davis played for Los Angeles for 14 of his 18 major league seasons. He was a three time gold glove winner, drove in over 1,000 runs, and stole just two bases shy of 400 for his career.