Most baseball players would kill to have a season like Wes Parker had in 1970. He hit .319, drove in 111 runs, and led the league with 47 doubles. Oh, and he won a Gold Glove, which was basically a yearly tradition for him. But for Wes Parker, that career-best year was actually the beginning of the end. He wasn't having fun.
Honestly, the Wes Parker LA Dodgers story is one of the most unique in baseball history. He didn't hang on until his knees gave out or his swing slowed to a crawl. He just decided he'd had enough of the grind and the travel.
The Best Defensive First Baseman Ever?
If you talk to Dodgers fans of a certain age, they don't talk about his hitting first. They talk about his glove. Parker was a magician at first base. In 2007, fans actually voted him the best defensive first baseman of the entire Gold Glove era. Think about that. He beat out every other legend at the position from 1957 to 2007.
He won six consecutive Gold Gloves from 1967 to 1972. His fielding percentage at first base was a staggering .996 when he retired. Basically, if the ball was anywhere near him, it was an out. He was the anchor of the "all switch-hitting infield" in the mid-60s, playing alongside Jim Lefebvre, Maury Wills, and Jim Gilliam.
It wasn't just natural talent, either. Parker was obsessed with the craft. He’d take extra ground balls until his hands were sore. He used a smaller glove than most first basemen because he felt it gave him better control. It worked.
That Wild 1970 Season and the Cycle
1970 was the year everything clicked. On May 7, Parker did something no Los Angeles Dodger had ever done: he hit for the cycle.
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It happened against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. He doubled in the second, homered in the seventh, and singled in the eighth. In the 10th inning, with the game on the line, he ripped a triple over the center fielder's head to complete the feat and drive in the winning runs. He didn't even care about the cycle at the moment—he was just trying to hit a sacrifice fly.
But here is the kicker: that season was miserable for him.
He later admitted that hitting .300 took so much mental effort that he couldn't enjoy his life. He stopped going to dinners. He stopped socializing. He’d spend 20 minutes before every game just trying to quiet his mind. He realized that the cost of being "great" at the plate was higher than he was willing to pay.
Why He Walked Away From the Dodgers
When Wes Parker retired after the 1972 season, he was only 32. He was still the best defensive first baseman in the world. So why quit?
- The Joy Was Gone: As he told interviewer Tony Medley, the game had become "pure work." The fun he had as a rookie in 1964 was replaced by a constant, grinding pressure to perform.
- A Changing Team: The Dodgers he grew up with were gone. By 1972, Willie Davis was the only teammate left from his early years. He felt like a stranger in his own clubhouse.
- The Travel: He was flat-out sick of the airplanes and the hotels.
He did take a one-year detour to Japan in 1974 to play for the Nankai Hawks, where he hit .301 and—shocker—won another Gold Glove (called the Diamond Glove there). But the MLB chapter was closed for good.
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From Dodger Stadium to "The Brady Bunch"
You can't talk about Wes Parker LA Dodgers history without mentioning his acting. He was a handsome guy with a polished voice, and living in L.A. meant he had plenty of connections.
Most people remember him from the 1970 episode of The Brady Bunch called "The Undergraduate." He played himself, acting as the boyfriend of Greg Brady’s math teacher. Greg was "in love" with the teacher, and Parker had to be the guy who broke the news that she was taken.
He didn't stop there. He appeared in shows like McMillan & Wife, Police Story, and even had a recurring role in a Norman Lear spoof called All That Glitters. He eventually found a second calling in broadcasting and working with the Dodgers Dream Foundation.
What Most People Get Wrong
A lot of modern fans look at his 64 career home runs and think he wasn't a "power" first baseman. That's a mistake. In the 1960s, Dodger Stadium was a graveyard for fly balls. The Dodgers played "small ball"—pitching, defense, and speed. Parker fit that mold perfectly. He didn't need to hit 30 homers when he was saving 30 runs a year with his glove and driving in 100 runs with doubles.
He was a clutch performer, too. In the 1965 World Series, he hit an insurance home run in Game 4 and drove in a key run in Game 7 to help Sandy Koufax secure the championship. He was the ultimate "teammate's player."
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Practical Takeaways for Baseball History Buffs
If you're looking to appreciate Wes Parker's legacy today, here is how to do it:
- Watch the Tape: Look up old clips of Parker’s footwork at first base. Modern coaches still point to him as the gold standard for how to "stretch" and receive throws.
- Check the 1970 Stats: Look at his 1288 games played. He was a true "iron man" who didn't miss time.
- Visit the Dodgers Hall of Fame: While he isn't in Cooperstown (he played 9 seasons, and the Hall requires 10), he is a permanent fixture in Dodgers lore.
Wes Parker proved that you don't have to play for 20 years to be a legend. You just have to be the best at what you do while you're there. He mastered the most underrated part of the game, helped win a World Series, and had the guts to walk away when the joy started to fade.
To really understand the 1960s Dodgers, you have to look past the pitching of Koufax and Drysdale. You have to look at the guy standing at first base, vacuuming up every ball hit his way. That was Wes Parker.
What to do next
If you're a Dodgers fan, your next step should be looking into the 1965 World Series roster. Comparing Parker's defensive stats to modern first basemen like Freddie Freeman provides a fascinating look at how the position has evolved from a defensive priority to a power-hitting one. You might also want to track down a copy of his Brady Bunch episode—it’s a classic piece of 70s pop culture that perfectly captures his "Mr. Steady" persona.