This date in baseball: Ted Williams enshrined
Teddy Ballgame, rookie year, 1939
On this date in baseball history, 1966, the Boston Red Sox “Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams is inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. Williams, the last man to ever hit .400 in a season (.406 in 1941) would end a stellar career – spent entirely with the Red Sox – with a sparkling .344 average, 521 home runs and 1839 RBI. A two-time American League Most Valuable Player, he led the junior circuit in batting six times, winning the Triple Crown on two occasions.
Ted Williams - decorated war hero
Of further note, he served as a United States Marine Corps pilot during both World War II and the Korean War, losing five of his prime playing years in the process. He homered in his final at-bat, September 28, 1960. During his induction speech, Williams used the opportunity to appeal for the hallowed hall to also included stars of the Negro Leagues. “I’ve been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren’t given a chance,” said Williams. A noted outdoorsman, he was also elected to the Fishing Hall of Fame. He died July 5, 2002 at the age of 83.
Williams and the equally-immortal Babe Ruth
“When I walk down the street and meet people,” Williams was once famously quoted as saying, “I just want them to think ‘There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived.’ ”
- The Heckler
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Photos used with permission of Early Era Baseball Photos.com