Fargo, North Dakota : The first man to overcome a high wall

In August 2009. I was in the US from Japan on summer vacation and headed to Fargo, North Dakota in a rental car to visit a facility related to a great Major League Baseball player who retired in 1972.

That year, 2009. About a month after the start of the Major League Baseball season, some fans were paying attention to Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays. I was one of them. Crawford's pace of stealing bases was remarkable, and raised hopes that he would exceed 100 stolen bases for the season. On May 3rd, he even managed to steal six bases in one game. However, after a while, his pace slowed down. By the time summer came, it was hopeless for him to exceed 100 stolen bases for the season. ...In the end, Crawford ended the season with 60 stolen bases.

Stealing 100 or more bases in a season was a high wall that was difficult to overcome. For a long time since Major League Baseball entered the modern era in 1901, no one could overcome this wall. But in 1962, a man finally overcame this wall for the first time. Maury Wills of the Los Angeles Dodgers achieved 104 stolen bases.

Now, after arriving in Fargo, North Dakota, I immediately visited North Dakota State University in the city. I parked my car in the parking lot and walked to Newman Outdoor Field on the edge of the campus. This stadium was the home stadium of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, an independent baseball league team founded in 1996. And on the ground floor of this stadium was the Maury Wills Museum. Why was there a museum of the man who overcame a high wall for the first time in such a place? It seemed that Wills had been involved with this independent league team since its founding, serving as coach.

The area around Newman Outdoor Field was quiet. There were no people around, probably because it was a day without a game. The front door to the stadium was unlocked. I gently opened it. A wide hallway continued into the distance, and just to the left of the door was a room. This was the Maury Wills Museum. The door to the museum was open, but I wasn't sure if it was OK to go in. I called out to the end of the hallway. "Excuse me, is anyone here?" A young man popped his head out from a room at the end of the hallway. He had a friendly face. I spoke to him. "I'd like to take a look around this museum." The young man replied with a smile. "Please feel free to look around."

It was a small museum about the size of an elementary school classroom. On display were photos and paintings of Wills from his time in major league baseball, as well as uniforms and baseball equipment that Wills used. At the very back, a video was playing of aged Wills talking. I headed to the back to watch the video. Wills was talking seriously about baseball, including his time as an active baseball player, but he seemed to enjoy it without being too serious. There was no doubt that he had reached a state that only those who have run their lives seriously and with all their might could reach. This was clearly conveyed from his facial expression, the way he spoke, and the content of what he was talking.

Although Wills was the first to overcome a high wall, he has not been honored with being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Wills only overcame that high wall once. After Wills, three men (Lou Brock, Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman) have overcome the wall. Two (Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman) of them have overcome it three times. Two (Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock) of them have been honored with being inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

As I listened to the talk of Wills in the small museum, I thought to myself, "But it was Wills who was the first to overcome a high wall and change history. It's not bad to see a man like that talking with such enjoyment in a place like this."

The Maury Wills Museum closed in 2017.

Maury Wills passed away in 2022.

Both are very sad.

( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)