Ted Williams (1966)


Date of Birth: 8/30/1918
Date of Death: 7/5/2002
Birthplace: San Diego, California

Ted Williams, one of the greatest players ever, started playing baseball at the age of eight, when an uncle who played semi-pro baseball, taught him how to hit and throw. He was a top player in high school and in American Legion baseball. In 1936 and 1937, he played professionally in the Pacific Coast League. He was traded to the Boston Red Sox in December, 1937.

Boston Red Sox

After a year in the minor leagues, Williams had his first season in the major leagues with the Red Sox in 1939. That season he led the American League in RBIs and he batted .327 with 185 hits, a career high 44 doubles, 31 home runs, and 145 RBIs in 149 games. He walked 107 times and he struck out 64 times.

Williams led the AL in on-base percentage in 1940. He had 193 hits, 43 doubles, a career high 14 triples, 23 home runs, 113 RBIs, and a .344 batting average. His on-base percentage was .442.

In 1941, Williams won his first of six AL batting titles with a .406 batting average, a record that no other player in major league baseball has been able to beat. He also led the league in home runs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had 185 hits, 33 doubles, 37 home runs, 120 RBIs, and 145 walks to just 27 strikeouts in 143 games. His on-base percentage was .551 and his OPS was 1.286. He was named the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year in 1941.

Williams won the AL Triple Crown and his second Sporting News Major League Player of the Year award in 1942. He led the league in batting average, home runs, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He batted .356 with 186 hits, 34 doubles, 36 home runs, and 137 RBIs in 150 games. He walked 145 times and he struck out just 51 times. His on-base percentage was .499 and his OPS was 1.147.

From 1943-1945, Williams served in the United States Navy. When he returned to the Red Sox in 1946, he had another great season, winning the AL MVP award and leading the league in walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He batted .342 with 176 hits, 37 doubles, 38 home runs, and 123 RBIs in 150 games. He walked 156 times and he struck out 44 times. His on-base percentage was .497 and his OPS was 1.164.

In 1947, Williams again won the AL Triple Crown and he again was named the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year. He once more led the league in batting average, home runs, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had a career high 162 walks to 47 strikeouts in a career high 156 games. He batted .343 with 181 hits, 40 doubles, 32 home runs, and 114 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .499 and his OPS was 1.133. He also played well defensively that year, leading all AL left fielders in putouts with 323.

Williams won his fourth AL batting title in 1948 with a .369 batting average. He also led the league in doubles with a career high of 44, walks with 126 (to 41 strikeouts), on-base percentage with .497, and OPS with 1.112. He had 188 hits, 25 home runs, and 127 RBIs in 137 games.

Williams had another outstanding season in 1949, again winning the AL MVP award and the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year award. He led the league in games played, doubles, home runs, RBIs, walks, on-base percentage, and OPS. He had career highs in hits (194), home runs (43), RBIs (159), and walks (162 to 48 strikeouts). He finished the season with 39 doubles, a .343 batting average, an on-base percentage of .490, and an OPS of 1.140 in 155 games.

In 1950, Williams played in just 89 games. He had 106 hits, 24 doubles, 28 home runs, 97 RBIs, and a .317 batting average. The following year, he again led the AL in walks (144 to 45 strikeouts), on-base percentage (.464), and OPS (1.020). He finished the 1951 season with 169 hits, 28 doubles, 30 home runs, 126 RBIs, and a .318 batting average in 148 games.

Williams served in Korea with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952 and 1953. He played in just 6 games in 1952 before going into the service, and in 37 games in 1953, after returning to the Red Sox.

Williams broke his collarbone during Spring Training in 1954, limiting his playing time that season to 117 games. He played well in those games, leading the AL in walks (136 to 32 strikeouts), on-base percentage (.513), and OPS (1.148). He finished the season with 133 hits, 23 doubles, 29 home runs, 89 RBIs, and a .345 batting average.

In 1955, Williams played in just 98 games. He had 114 hits, 21 doubles, 28 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a .356 batting average. The next year, he played in 136 games, and he once again led the AL in on-base percentage with .479. He finished the 1956 season with 138 hits, 28 doubles, 24 home runs, 82 RBIs, 39 strikeouts to 102 walks, and a .345 batting average.

Williams won his fifth AL batting title in 1957, with a .388 batting average. He also led the league in on-base percentage with .526 and in OPS with 1.257. That year, he was named the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year and the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. He finished the season with 163 hits, 28 doubles, 38 home runs, 87 RBIs, and 119 walks to 43 strikeouts.

Williams won his last batting title in 1958, with a .328 batting average. He again led the AL in on-base percentage with .458 and in OPS with 1.042. He had 135 hits, 23 doubles, 26 home runs, and 85 RBIs in 129 games.

Williams struggled in 1959, batting just .254 in 103 games. The next year, he batted .316 with 98 hits, 15 doubles, 29 home runs, and 72 RBIs in 113 games. He ended his major league career as a player after hitting a home run in his final at bat on September 28, 1960.

Awards and MLB Records

  • AL Triple Crown (2 times)
  • AL MVP (2 times)
  • Sporting News Major League Player of the Year (5 times)
  • Associated Press Athlete of the Year
  • Led AL in batting average (6 times)
  • Led AL in doubles (2 times)
  • Led AL in home runs (4 times)
  • Led AL in RBIs (4 times)
  • Led AL in walks (8 times)
  • Led AL in on-base percentage (12 times)
  • Led AL in OPS (10 times)

Career Statistics

Williams played in over 100 games in each of 15 seasons (1939-1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954, 1956-1960). His statistics during that time include:

  • 10 seasons with over 150 hits, with a high of 194 in 1949
  • 8 seasons with over 30 doubles, with a high of 44 in 1939 and 1948
  • 14 seasons with over 20 home runs, with a high of 43 in 1949
  • 9 seasons with over 100 RBIs, with a high of 159 in 1949
  • 14 seasons with a batting average over .300, with a high of .406 in 1941

Career batting statistics for Williams include:

  • 2,292 games played
  • 2,654 hits
  • 525 doubles
  • 521 home runs
  • 1,839 RBIs
  • 709 strikeouts to 2,019 walks
  • .344 batting average
  • .482 on-base percentage
  • 1.116 OPS

Career fielding statistics for Williams as a left fielder include:

  • 1,982 games played
  • 3,547 putouts
  • 92 errors
  • .976 fielding percentage

Post Playing Career

Nine years after retiring as a baseball player, Williams returned in 1969 to manage the Washington Senators (now the Texas Rangers) for two years. His record as a manager was 273 wins to 364 losses.

Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1966 on the first ballot with 93.4% of the vote.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Ted Williams
ESPN - Ted Williams
Baseball Reference - Ted Williams

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