:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/953166/Drysdale-Wills-bobblehead.jpg)
Before I get started with this article, I want to ask that you please check out these to two fine articles written in 2010 by Humma Kavula and Prosellis on Maury Wills and Don Drysdale as part of the Vin Scully's Lord of the Ravine series.
Humma's "Print the Legend: A Case for Maury Wills" can be found here.
Prosellis's "A Lock for the Suite: The Big D" can be found here.
For my article, look after the jump.
Saturday's bobblehead commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Cy Young Award and MVP going to Don Drysdale and Maury WIlls.
From 1956 to 1966, there was only one Cy Young Award (similar to the early Rookie of the Year Awards).
In 1962, Don Drysdale led the league in innings pitched (314.1), strikeouts (232), and won 25 games (only 1 of 3 NL right-handed starters since 1958 to win 25 or more games, Juan Marichal did it 3 times and Tom Seaver did it once).
Maury Wills did have his finest offensive year, scoring a 130 runs and stealing 104 bases, he played in a record (and probably all-time) 165 games.
1962 was the second of 4 times when a Dodger was awarded both the Cy Young and MVP in the same season.
1956 - Don Newcombe won both awards
1962 - Don Drysdale (CYA), Maury Wills (MVP)
1974 - Mike Marshall (CYA), Steve Garvey (MVP)
1988 - Orel Hershiser (CYA), Kirk Gibson (MVP)
One of the more interesting things about the 1962 Dodgers is that while Maury Wills became somewhat of a symbol to how some people think of those teams as scrappy, low scoring teams, that wasn't the case in 1962. That year, the Dodgers averaged 5.1 runs a game, second behind the Giants. They had a good young first baseman in Ron Fairly and 4 outfielders whose lowest OPS+ was 116 from Willie Davis. The other three who played regularly, Tommy Davis and Frank Howard were 149 and 147 OPS+ seasons and the "4th" outfielder Duke Snider also had a 149 OPS+.
The Dodgers lost Game 165 to the Giants (who had 5 HOF on that team, Mays, Cepada, McCovey, Marichal and Gaylord Perry) but would go on to win 3 out of the 4 next pennants and 2 World Series.