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Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a left fielder for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted only by mandatory military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed The Kid, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, and The Thumper, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Williams was a nineteen-time All-Star,[1] a two-time recipient of the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion, and a two-time Triple Crown winner. He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage, the highest of all time. His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was played primarily in the live-ball era, and ranks tied for 7th all-time (with Billy Hamilton).
Born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. After joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport's best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a .406 batting average; he is the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. Williams was required to interrupt his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award and played in his only World Series. In 1947, he won his second Triple Crown. Williams was returned to active military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War. In 1957 and 1958 at the ages of 39 and 40, respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth time.
Williams retired from playing in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, in his first year of eligibility.[2] Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1969 to 1972. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.[3] Williams' involvement in the Jimmy Fund helped raise millions in dollars for cancer care and research. In 1991 President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government. He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
In January 1942, after World War II began,[66][67] Williams was drafted into the military, being put into Class 1-A. A friend of Williams suggested that Williams see the advisor of the governor's Selective Service Appeal Agent, since Williams was the sole support of his mother, arguing that Williams should not have been placed in Class 1-A, and said Williams should be reclassified to Class 3-A.[66] Williams was reclassified to 3-A ten days later.[68] Afterwards, the public reaction was extremely negative,[69] even though the baseball book Season of '42 states only four All-Stars and one first-line pitcher entered military service during the 1942 season. (Many more MLB players would enter service during the 1943 season.)[70]
Quaker Oats stopped sponsoring Williams, and Williams, who previously had eaten Quaker products "all the time", never "[ate] one since" the company stopped sponsoring him.[68]
Despite the trouble with the draft board, Williams had a new salary of $30,000 in 1942.[68] In the season, Williams won the Triple Crown,[62] with a .356 batting average, 36 home runs, and 137 RBIs.[36] On May 21, Williams also hit his 100th career home run.[71] He was the third Red Sox player to hit 100 home runs with the team, following his teammates Jimmie Foxx and Joe Cronin.[72] Despite winning the Triple Crown, Williams came in second in the MVP voting, losing to Joe Gordon of the Yankees. Williams felt that he should have gotten a "little more consideration" because of winning the Triple Crown, and he thought that "the reason I didn't get more consideration was because of the trouble I had with the draft [boards]".[62]
Williams joined the Navy Reserve on May 22, 1942, went on active duty in 1943, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator on May 2, 1944. Williams also played on the baseball team in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, along with his Red Sox teammate Johnny Pesky in pre-flight training, after eight weeks in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the Civilian Pilot Training Course.[73] While on the baseball team, Williams was sent back to Fenway Park on July 12, 1943, to play on an All-Star team managed by Babe Ruth. The newspapers reported that Babe Ruth said when finally meeting Williams, "Hiya, kid. You remind me a lot of myself. I love to hit. You're one of the most natural ballplayers I've ever seen. And if my record is broken, I hope you're the one to do it".[74] Williams later said he was "flabbergasted" by the incident, as "after all, it was Babe Ruth".[74] In the game, Williams hit a 425-foot home run to help give the American League All-Stars a 9–8 win.[75]
Born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. After joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport's best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a .406 batting average; he is the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. Williams was required to interrupt his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award and played in his only World Series. In 1947, he won his second Triple Crown. Williams was returned to active military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War. In 1957 and 1958 at the ages of 39 and 40, respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth time.
Williams retired from playing in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, in his first year of eligibility.[2] Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1969 to 1972. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.[3] Williams' involvement in the Jimmy Fund helped raise millions in dollars for cancer care and research. In 1991 President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government. He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
In January 1942, after World War II began,[66][67] Williams was drafted into the military, being put into Class 1-A. A friend of Williams suggested that Williams see the advisor of the governor's Selective Service Appeal Agent, since Williams was the sole support of his mother, arguing that Williams should not have been placed in Class 1-A, and said Williams should be reclassified to Class 3-A.[66] Williams was reclassified to 3-A ten days later.[68] Afterwards, the public reaction was extremely negative,[69] even though the baseball book Season of '42 states only four All-Stars and one first-line pitcher entered military service during the 1942 season. (Many more MLB players would enter service during the 1943 season.)[70]
Quaker Oats stopped sponsoring Williams, and Williams, who previously had eaten Quaker products "all the time", never "[ate] one since" the company stopped sponsoring him.[68]
Despite the trouble with the draft board, Williams had a new salary of $30,000 in 1942.[68] In the season, Williams won the Triple Crown,[62] with a .356 batting average, 36 home runs, and 137 RBIs.[36] On May 21, Williams also hit his 100th career home run.[71] He was the third Red Sox player to hit 100 home runs with the team, following his teammates Jimmie Foxx and Joe Cronin.[72] Despite winning the Triple Crown, Williams came in second in the MVP voting, losing to Joe Gordon of the Yankees. Williams felt that he should have gotten a "little more consideration" because of winning the Triple Crown, and he thought that "the reason I didn't get more consideration was because of the trouble I had with the draft [boards]".[62]
Williams joined the Navy Reserve on May 22, 1942, went on active duty in 1943, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps as a Naval Aviator on May 2, 1944. Williams also played on the baseball team in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, along with his Red Sox teammate Johnny Pesky in pre-flight training, after eight weeks in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the Civilian Pilot Training Course.[73] While on the baseball team, Williams was sent back to Fenway Park on July 12, 1943, to play on an All-Star team managed by Babe Ruth. The newspapers reported that Babe Ruth said when finally meeting Williams, "Hiya, kid. You remind me a lot of myself. I love to hit. You're one of the most natural ballplayers I've ever seen. And if my record is broken, I hope you're the one to do it".[74] Williams later said he was "flabbergasted" by the incident, as "after all, it was Babe Ruth".[74] In the game, Williams hit a 425-foot home run to help give the American League All-Stars a 9–8 win.[75]
Ted Williams - Wikipedia
Posted from en.wikipedia.org
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From 1943 to 1945, Williams served as a Marine Corps pilot during World War II. Bill James estimates that Williams lost 561 hits, 103 home runs, and 382 RBIs...
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that August 31 is the anniversary of the birth of WWII and Korean War Combat pilot, American professional baseball player and manager Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams who played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB).
Rest in peace Theodore Samuel Williams
Images:
1. 1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams Baseball Card.
2. 1958 Topps #321 sluggers supreme Ted Kluszewski and Ted Williams.
3. 1958 Topps #1 Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox -Outfield.
4. USMC Captain Theodore S. Williams ID card.jpg
Background from baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/williams-ted
"Ted Williams always knew what he wanted. Others could debate who was the best all-around player in baseball history. Williams was a hitter. "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived,'" Williams said.
He accomplished his goal. Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron may have been better power hitters. You could argue that the graceful Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays was a better all-around player. If you’re talking about the greatest hitter that ever stepped into the batters box, the discussion begins with the long-time Red Sox left fielder.
Williams wrote the book on hitting--his “The Science Of Hitting” disproves the adage that great hitters can’t teach hitting.
He won six batting titles, but that doesn’t really explain his mastery at the plate. Thanks to an excellent batting eye, Williams led the American League in on-base percentage seven straight years and 12 times overall. His .482 career on-base percentage is the best of all time. And he wasn’t just doing it with walks and singles. Williams led the AL in home runs four times, and his .634 career slugging percentage is second to only Ruth.
He did all of it despite missing most of five seasons due to military service. He learned to fly fighter planes during World War II, working as an instructor from 1943-1945. He was recalled to duty in 1952 during the height of the Korean War, and he served in Korea for more than a year, flying combat missions in a Marine fighter jet.
That missed time explains why the game’s greatest hitter didn’t reach 3,000 hits. After missing the all-star game as a rookie, Williams was an all-star in every non-military interrupted season of the rest of his career. He wasn’t just being grandfathered in. In his final season, 1960, as a 41-year-old, he hit .316 with 29 home runs. His body may have been failing him, but his ability to hit never left.
Williams’ goal was never to be beloved. He took his hitting into the outfield early in his career--he’d practice swings between pitches. Those kind of quirks and some signs of defensive indifference didn’t always endear him to Red Sox’ fans. His relationship with the Boston community wasn’t helped by along-running feud between Williams and much of the Boston media. The newspapermen didn’t make Williams’ life any easier, but Williams didn’t help himself with his legendary stubborness. The same personality that ensured he could remember a pitch that struck him out three months before was not going to forget any slights inflicted by a hostile press.
After his retirement, the memories of his difficulties with fans slowly retreated, while the memories of his amazing career, and his honorable military service became more and more prominent. By the time he threw out the first pitch for the 1999 all-star game, he was revered as a baseball treasure, as the game’s best current players mobbed Williams to touch and talk to the game’s biggest star."
SportsCentury - Ted Williams
From 1943 to 1945, Williams served as a Marine Corps pilot during World War II. Bill James estimates that Williams lost 561 hits, 103 home runs, and 382 RBIs during his first stint in the service.
He was recalled for active duty with the Marines in April 1952. He was sent to Korea where he served as a fighter pilot with future astronaut and senator John Glenn. Williams played just 43 games in 1952 and 1953, as he was in the service. When he returned in August 1953, Williams picked up where he left off. He hit .407 in 37 games. His 13 home runs in 91 at bats is a record for home runs by a hitter with less than 100 at bats.
Notable Achievements:
17-time AL All-Star (1940-1942, 1946-1951 & 1953-1960)
2-time AL MVP (1946 & 1949)
2-time AL Triple Crown (1942 & 1947)
6-time AL Batting Average Leader (1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1957 & 1958)
12-time AL On-Base Percentage Leader (1940-1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954 & 1956-1958)
9-time AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954 & 1957)
10-time AL OPS Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954, 1957 & 1958)
6-time AL Runs Scored Leader (1940-1941, 1946, 1947 & 1949)
6-time AL Total Bases Leader (1939, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949 & 1951)
2-time AL Doubles Leader (1948 & 1949)
4-time AL Home Runs Leader (1941, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
4-time AL RBI Leader (1939, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
8-time AL Bases on Balls Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951 & 1954)
20-Home Run Seasons: 16 (1939-1942, 1946-1951, 1954-1958 & 1960)
30-Home Run Seasons: 8 (1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951 & 1957)
40-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1949)
100 RBI Seasons: 9 (1939-1942, 1946-1949 & 1951)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 9 (1939-1942, 1946-1949 & 1951)
Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1966
Records Held:
Most RBI by a rookie, 145, 1939
On base percentage, career, .482
On base percentage, left handed batter, career, .482
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-tldmMpk8
FYI SPC Woody Bullard MSgt David HoffmanSgt (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see)LTC (Join to see)Sgt John H.
PVT Mark Zehner1sg-dan-capriSGT Robert R.
CPT Tommy CurtisSGT (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland
Col Carl WhickerSGT Mark AndersonSSG Michael Noll
SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTMSFC Jack ChampionA1C Ian Williams
SFC Jay Thompson
Rest in peace Theodore Samuel Williams
Images:
1. 1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams Baseball Card.
2. 1958 Topps #321 sluggers supreme Ted Kluszewski and Ted Williams.
3. 1958 Topps #1 Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox -Outfield.
4. USMC Captain Theodore S. Williams ID card.jpg
Background from baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/williams-ted
"Ted Williams always knew what he wanted. Others could debate who was the best all-around player in baseball history. Williams was a hitter. "All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, 'There goes the greatest hitter that ever lived,'" Williams said.
He accomplished his goal. Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron may have been better power hitters. You could argue that the graceful Joe DiMaggio or Willie Mays was a better all-around player. If you’re talking about the greatest hitter that ever stepped into the batters box, the discussion begins with the long-time Red Sox left fielder.
Williams wrote the book on hitting--his “The Science Of Hitting” disproves the adage that great hitters can’t teach hitting.
He won six batting titles, but that doesn’t really explain his mastery at the plate. Thanks to an excellent batting eye, Williams led the American League in on-base percentage seven straight years and 12 times overall. His .482 career on-base percentage is the best of all time. And he wasn’t just doing it with walks and singles. Williams led the AL in home runs four times, and his .634 career slugging percentage is second to only Ruth.
He did all of it despite missing most of five seasons due to military service. He learned to fly fighter planes during World War II, working as an instructor from 1943-1945. He was recalled to duty in 1952 during the height of the Korean War, and he served in Korea for more than a year, flying combat missions in a Marine fighter jet.
That missed time explains why the game’s greatest hitter didn’t reach 3,000 hits. After missing the all-star game as a rookie, Williams was an all-star in every non-military interrupted season of the rest of his career. He wasn’t just being grandfathered in. In his final season, 1960, as a 41-year-old, he hit .316 with 29 home runs. His body may have been failing him, but his ability to hit never left.
Williams’ goal was never to be beloved. He took his hitting into the outfield early in his career--he’d practice swings between pitches. Those kind of quirks and some signs of defensive indifference didn’t always endear him to Red Sox’ fans. His relationship with the Boston community wasn’t helped by along-running feud between Williams and much of the Boston media. The newspapermen didn’t make Williams’ life any easier, but Williams didn’t help himself with his legendary stubborness. The same personality that ensured he could remember a pitch that struck him out three months before was not going to forget any slights inflicted by a hostile press.
After his retirement, the memories of his difficulties with fans slowly retreated, while the memories of his amazing career, and his honorable military service became more and more prominent. By the time he threw out the first pitch for the 1999 all-star game, he was revered as a baseball treasure, as the game’s best current players mobbed Williams to touch and talk to the game’s biggest star."
SportsCentury - Ted Williams
From 1943 to 1945, Williams served as a Marine Corps pilot during World War II. Bill James estimates that Williams lost 561 hits, 103 home runs, and 382 RBIs during his first stint in the service.
He was recalled for active duty with the Marines in April 1952. He was sent to Korea where he served as a fighter pilot with future astronaut and senator John Glenn. Williams played just 43 games in 1952 and 1953, as he was in the service. When he returned in August 1953, Williams picked up where he left off. He hit .407 in 37 games. His 13 home runs in 91 at bats is a record for home runs by a hitter with less than 100 at bats.
Notable Achievements:
17-time AL All-Star (1940-1942, 1946-1951 & 1953-1960)
2-time AL MVP (1946 & 1949)
2-time AL Triple Crown (1942 & 1947)
6-time AL Batting Average Leader (1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1957 & 1958)
12-time AL On-Base Percentage Leader (1940-1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954 & 1956-1958)
9-time AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954 & 1957)
10-time AL OPS Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951, 1954, 1957 & 1958)
6-time AL Runs Scored Leader (1940-1941, 1946, 1947 & 1949)
6-time AL Total Bases Leader (1939, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949 & 1951)
2-time AL Doubles Leader (1948 & 1949)
4-time AL Home Runs Leader (1941, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
4-time AL RBI Leader (1939, 1942, 1947 & 1949)
8-time AL Bases on Balls Leader (1941, 1942, 1946-1949, 1951 & 1954)
20-Home Run Seasons: 16 (1939-1942, 1946-1951, 1954-1958 & 1960)
30-Home Run Seasons: 8 (1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951 & 1957)
40-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1949)
100 RBI Seasons: 9 (1939-1942, 1946-1949 & 1951)
100 Runs Scored Seasons: 9 (1939-1942, 1946-1949 & 1951)
Baseball Hall of Fame: Class of 1966
Records Held:
Most RBI by a rookie, 145, 1939
On base percentage, career, .482
On base percentage, left handed batter, career, .482
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N-tldmMpk8
FYI SPC Woody Bullard MSgt David HoffmanSgt (Join to see)
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CPT Tommy CurtisSGT (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland
Col Carl WhickerSGT Mark AndersonSSG Michael Noll
SFC David Reid, M.S, PHR, SHRM-CP, DTMSFC Jack ChampionA1C Ian Williams
SFC Jay Thompson
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