Happy Birthday to the late and great Ted Williams, the greatest damn hitter ever lived. For nineteen years, all with the Boston Red Sox, Williams played in Left Field. There are no words to describe the career of Ted Williams.

Ted Williams Career Statistics/Accolades (1939-42; 46-60):

.344 BA 2,654 HITS 521 HR 1,839 RBI .482 OBP 1,798 RUNS

  • 19x All-Star
  •  6x Batting Title
  •  2x MVP (1946 & 1949)
  •  2x Triple Crown (1942 & 1947)

Fans will forever debate who was the game’s greatest hitter, but for me, as a Yankee fan, it isn’t even a debate; it’s Ted Williams. Williams led the league in HR & RBIs four times, RUNS six times, and led in OBP twelve times. From the time Williams made his debut to the end of his career, no player hit more Home Runs, Runs Batted In, or batted for a higher Average than Williams; he was a career Triple Crown winner. His obsessive curiosity towards hitting made Williams great at hitting, constantly practicing his swings. He used a lighter bat than other sluggers because he gave him a quicker swing. 

Williams Plate Approach:

It wasn’t just the ability to hit for power and contact; the cerebral part made Ted Williams the greatest who ever did it. When he entered the batters’ box, he tended to be a little picky when it came to swinging, almost always taking the first pitch. Williams was so knowledgeable about every little thing about hitting that he knew which pitches were good enough. Some all-time greats swing at pitches that they shouldn’t have turned at, but not Ted. Besides leading the league in Walks eight times, Williams drew more than Strikeouts in all but one year of his career. 

Obstacles:

What Williams accomplished statistical-wise was nothing short of incredible; as I told you, he was a Career Triple Crown Winner, but besides, missing many games due to nagging injuries. His career took place in WWII and the Korean War. He voluntarily enlisted into the military for WWII as he would miss the entire 1943-45 seasons, in which he was 24-26. Then he cut the better part of 1952-53, his age 33-34 seasons, for the Korean War. Basically, he missed five seasons of baseball in which he was in his PRIME. Had he played those years, he’d easily have the all-time career record in Runs and RBIs. Also, his lifetime AVG and OBP would’ve been substantially higher, he would’ve eclipsed the 3,000 Hit milestone, and he probably could’ve made a run at breaking the all-time Home Run record. Nonetheless, when he returned from the military, Williams picked up where he left off at the plate. 

As great as Williams was, he was challenging regarding the media and the fans. Like many others, Williams didn’t feel comfortable when it came to talking to the press about everything on and off the field, but Williams acted more ruthlessly than others. It cost him a little bit in terms of MVP votes; while he did win two MVPs during his career, he should’ve won at least seven or eight. In 1941, the year he batted over .400, which has not been done since, he finished runner-up to Joe DiMaggio. Also, in 1942 & 1947, Williams finished runner-up in the MVP voting in his two Triple Crown seasons. I understand that, historically, writers could be a little biased, but I don’t care how nasty Williams was; no one can sufficiently explain to me that he didn’t deserve the MVP during those years.

Legacy:

7-13-99 BOSTON MA –The All-Stars greet Ted Williams before the game. library tag 07141999 sports nytredsox

First and foremost, Ted Williams was a PATRIOT who voluntarily served during two Wars. Anyone who takes time and fights for our country is a hero. After his career ended, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 1966. In 1999, he was ranked #8 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Baseball Players. But in 1970, Williams wrote The Science of Hitting, which many MLB players have read. His theory of swinging at pitches that came into ideal areas of his strike zone made him successful. Lastly, his final public appearance took place at the 1999 All-Star game in Fenway Park, in which, in front of many of the former all-time greats and the players playing in the game, he threw out the first pitch.

References:

  1. Ted Williams via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams#
  2. Ted Williams Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml