His career batting average of .344 is a testament to his greatness as a hitter. Williams was first sent, with teammate John Pesky, to the Navy's Preliminary Ground School at Amherst College in Massachusetts, for six months. Because of his ability to hit for both average and power, he was one of a kind and a truly special player. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. "I never thought of it as going 2-for-5 every day, but that's what it adds up to. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966. But not others. Bergens record-breaking batting average will always be remembered, whereas Cobb will be remembered for his incredible accomplishments and his status as one of the greatest players of all time. Instead, the Splendid Splinter played both games, went 6-for-8, and finished with a .406 average, the last time a player in the American or National Leagues finished a season with a batting average that high. .406 Batting Average (1941) | .388 Batting Average (1957) . He was right about that and the list of batting champions below, reflects those great hitters who truly dominated during a single season of play. 20 - Ted Williams opened a Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando, Florida in 1994, selecting the top twenty all-time hitters using his own "secret formula" which he stated was a combination of on base percentage and slugging average. The Hawk became the second member when he went deep off Pedro Borbon on June 10, 1977 then off his son Pedro Borbon (Jr.) on August 16, 1995. View Ted Williams's Page at the Baseball Hall of Fame (plaque, photos, videos). He was the last player to hit .400 in Major . Musial, already a two-time . The highest lifetime batting average belongs to the legendary Ty Cobb. Part of the Baseball Almanac Family, Current Through End of 2023 Regular Season. Last day at .400: July 10How short was he? Ty Cobb is considered to be the greatest hitter of all-time, although that point is often argued to this day. I can do this by playing ball this year. The Panama native racked up nearly three times as many career hits as strikeouts (3,053 vs. 1,028) and his 1,018 walks nearly equal the strikeout total. Say what you want about Walker playing in the steroid era and playing the majority of his games in notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field, but the Canadian could straight up rake (and run). The Kid,Teddy Ballgame,Splendid Splinter,Thumper are nicknames for Ted Williams. His average was up to .40089. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Ted Williams was known by the nicknames "Teddy Ballgame . Posting at least a .400 batting average across a full Major League Baseball season remains one of the most difficult tasks in the game. He had a career batting average of .344, which is the sixth highest in Major League Baseball history. Its unfortunate, but batting averages continue to decline in baseball with much emphasis put on home runs. Given the fact that we are just weeks away from the close of the season, we can makea safe assumption that Williams ongoing streak will remain intact. Did you know that during the opening ceremonies he invited one active player to be attendance and it was Tony Gwynn? But Williams was locked in, leading off the second inning with a single to pull his average back up to .405. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It is appropriate to place Williams among the greatest hitters of all time, as his career numbers demonstrate his greatness. We're at 82 years and counting Strikeouts thrown by a pitcher in a . In 1952, at the age of 34, Williams was recalled to active duty for service in the Korean War. Its no surprise then, that Brett was able to get so close to reaching .400 back in 1980, when he finished with a .390 mark. Did you know that when Willie McGee won his 1990 batting title, he started the season in the National League, was traded to an American League team on August 29th, and became the first player in baseball history to win a batting a title in a league that they were not currently playing in? 1940 1942, 1946 1951, 1953-1960 Boston Red Sox AL. On September 28, 1960, at Boston's Fenway Park, Red Sox star Ted Williams hits a home run in the last at-bat of his 21-year career. . Did you know that prior to Ted Williams, the only inductees who received more votes were 5. 1. Ted Williams was born on Friday, August 30, 1918, in San Diego, California. LF Ted Williams (1939-1960) . During his Major League career, he hit.482, which ranks third all-time, and his career slugging percentage of.634 ranks second. 9 - Ted Williams had his number "9" formally retired by the Boston Red Sox on May 29, 1984, the first player in team history to receive the honor and one of two numbers they retired that same day - the other being #4, for Joe Cronin. Williams returned to the United States in December and was discharged from the Marines on January 28, 1946. Ted Williams MLB Stats - Official Site for "The Splendid Splinter", MLB Hall Of Famer Ted Williams #9, Boston Red Sox . 2. He also hit for .388 in 1957, which Rod Carew tied in 1977. Did you know that in both of those historic seasons, The Kid did not win the Most Valuable Player Award (losing to Joe Gordon in '42 and Joe DiMaggio in '47)? Ted Williams averaged 300 hits while winning two Triple Crowns, the most of any Hall of Fame player. Where what happened yesterday is being preserved today. The major league minimum is $720,000. Do you know what National League player had the lowest average, but still won the batting title? The Cardinals star missed out on the NL Triple Crown by just one home run, and he hit remarkably better on the road (.415) than at home (.334) that season. Ted Williams' 0.406 in 1941, and George Brett's 0.390 in 1980. On September 28, 1960, exactly 19 years after he went 6-for-8 to hit .406, Ted Williams played his last Major League game for the only MLB team he had ever played for. When Ted Williams hung-up his playing cleats in 1960, he ranked third all-time in home runs (1. As well, he was the youngest player in the history of the game to achieve 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 hits. 2. First, lets back it up to the start of the season-ending three-game series in Philadelphia. ), Latest-in-season .400 bids since Ted Williams. Join Baseball Almanac as we take a look at some additional numbers of interest as they relate to Ted Williams, easily (one of) "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived": 1 - Ted Williams has the highest on base percentage ever put together by any Major League ballplayer in history! In 1958, the year Kubek played with him in the All-Star game, he won his sixth American League batting championship. Ted went 4-for-5 in the first game [box], bringing his batting average to .404, then went 2-for-3 in the second game [box], ending the season with a .406 batting average, making him the last player to bat over .400 in a season. His batting average in 1941 concluded at .406, the highest ever. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Cobb finished his career with a .366 batting average which is best of all-time. Ted Williams, Boston (1941) As already mentioned, Williams' .406 batting average is the highest off all-time while no other player has crossed the .400 mark. Ted Williams. Ted Williams, 1957: .388 A full 16 years later, Williams proved he had plenty of magic left in his bat in 1957. hitting catcher has a better batting average and on-base percentage against . 1941-05-25 Ted Williams raises his batting average over .400 for 1st time in 1941. [Ted Williams Quotes], Ted 'The Splendid Splinter' Williams Autograph on a 1976 Topps Sporting News All-Time All-Stars Baseball Card (#347 | Checklist), Ted Williams Miscellaneous Items of Interest. Ted Williams had 521 home runs over his career. Stan Musial 5. Do you have a blog? The camp was capped off by being presented with the Coaches Award for spirit and . But its not quite so simple as a choice between Sit or Play. by Handedness. 6 years has to be a record for appearances on some of these lists. To put it politely, the team didn't have talent like Ted Williams or Jackie Jensen blocking Pearson's path in the outfield. 17 hits shy of .400.T6. iUniverse Publishing. It does not store any personal data. Born in San Diego California, on August 30th 1918. For WWII, 4 years - 1942-1945; for the Korean War, he effectively lost 1952 and 1953. . Slugging Percentage 9X (2nd All-Time) | Runs Scored 6X (20th All-Time) He was also a marine fighter pilot in Korea in 1952-1953. Johnny Sain walked the Babe in his one plate appearance as the old time Yankees lost 8-5. Ted Williams Armed Forces Identification Card | Library of Congress Collection. Beerball: A History of St. Louis Baseball. "I'm tickled to death and I'm hoping I'll get into the air quick to start some slugging against the Axis," he told reporters. He was right about that and the list of batting champions below, reflects those great hitters who truly dominated during a single season of play. Rather than ruminate in his hotel room that night, Williams and Red Sox equipment manager Johnny Orlando who had bestowed The Kid nickname on Williams when he arrived at his first Spring Training went out for a walk. He had a career batting average of .344, which is the sixth highest in Major League Baseball history. In baseball, batting average (AVG) is a measure of a batter's success rate in achieving a hit during an at bat, and is calculated by dividing a player's hits by his at bats. The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball, Did not play in major or minor leagues (Military Service), Salaries may not be complete (especially pre-1985) and may not include some earned bonuses, Note, this is done in an automated way, so we apologize for any errors, & please. After a a three-year military stint he returned in 1946 to hit a league-high .342 with 38 HR. His plaque reads, "A .344 career hitter with 521 home runs and 1,839 RBI in 19 seasons with the Red Sox, Ted Williams was voted A.L. But with a full season at his disposal this time, Gwynn tailed off down the stretch, batting .328 over the final two months of the season.Last day at .400: July 14How short was he? Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. "There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first or last time - I owe him my best." It is the reason we mentioned those three specific stats up above and to date, Ted Williams remains the only player in the American League to put together two Triple Crown seasons. 20 hits shy of .400.It's been 16 years since we've even seen a hitter sit above .380 at the All-Star break, signifying that the chances of seeing anyone break the .400 barrier in a season may be getting slimmer and slimmer. His .338 career batting average is the highest batting average since Ted Williams, and it is a testament to his skill and dedication as a hitter. Between games, the 41-year-old Grove was honored before taking the mound to start the nightcap. Williams was a great hitter who could hit for both average and power while also drawing walks, making him one of the most feared hitters the game has ever seen. Ted Williams . "My conscience is clear. Carew saw his average drop to .374 on Aug. 26, but the eventual American League MVP made one last run, batting .441 over his final 31 games to finish seven hits shy of .400. Between the two, the Yankee Clipper's record-setting 56-game hitting streak and the Splendid Splinter's .406 season batting average have stood the test of time . His lifetime batting average was .344. Among the hundreds and thousands of ballplayers to have the opportunity over the past 75 years, not a single one has hit .400. Hornsby's .424 batting average in . In the fourth, with the Sox now down 4-0, Williams smoked a double that slammed into the right-field wall, leaving a hole in a speaker mounted there. Nine hits shy of .400.5. Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Posting at least a .400 batting average across a full Major League Baseball season remains one of the most difficult tasks in the game. Since Ted Williams achieved a lifetime batting average of .344, the highest batting average since his time has been held by Tony Gwynn with a career batting average of .338. The Ted Williams World Series stats seen below include his World Series year-by-year hitting stats, World Series fielding stats, and World Series pitching stats (where applicable). Ted Williams: L.349/.488/.663 . One of our favorite websites, Baseball in Wartime, has put together the best biographies on every player who served. The Splendid Splinter posted the highest single-season batting average in the modern era by a player 38 years of age or older -- 10 points higher than 38-year old Ty Cobb's .378 in 1925. Or write about sports? Throughout his entire career, Williams batting average never dropped below .300. It is no surprise, then, that Williams lifetime batting average remains one of the most impressive accomplishments in the history of baseball. Mel Ott), and sixth all-time in batting average (1. Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. Statistics courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference, and Baseball-Almanac. Indeed, Gwynn was heating up, hitting .420 (50-for-119) in his last 30 games before the strike. [Texas Rangers Managers]. When the season is over, I'll get into the Navy as fast as I can.". Ted Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, and there is no way to argue with that. [Answer]. . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Luke Appling (94.0% in 1964), 3. The dedication Williams showed to being the best hitter he could be on the field was responsible for his success on the field, but it will almost certainly never be duplicated. When Williams did take the bat off his shoulder, the results were staggering by any measure. Williams singled, raising his average to .404. This impressive mark was made all the more impressive by the fact that Williams achieved it over a 19-year career, during which he was consistently one of the best hitters in the game. I want to play it all the way. As far as I was concerned, that was it.. Rather than sitting out one or both of the final two games of the season to protect his .400 average, the precocious slugger put it on the line and went 6-for-8 to secure his place in history. from the SABR BioProject, More Ted Williams Pages at Baseball Reference. Scores from any date in Major League history, Minor, Foreign, College, & Black Baseball, Frequently Asked Questions about MLB and Baseball, Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREE. Ted Williams Batting Average. April 20, 1939 He Mysteriously Retired in 1955. Sunday marked the 75th anniversary of the culmination of Joe DiMaggio's record 56-game hitting streak, as the Yankees star went 0-for-3 against Cleveland pitchers Al Smith and Jim Bagby on July 17, 1941.But while Joltin' Joe's record run captured the imagination of the American public, his friendly rival, Ted Williams, may have set an even more untouchable mark when he finished that 1941 season with a .406 average.Consider this: While DiMaggio batted .409 during his streak, Williams actually bested him with a .412 average during that same span. Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941, going 6-for-8 on the season's last day to raise his average from .3995. 8 - Ted Williams was ranked eighth by The Sporting News when they released their list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players in the history of baseball. 3 - Ted Williams surrendered three hits during his two innings of work when he took the mound on August 24, 1940. Williams hit for a lifetime average of .344, which ranks 6th all-time, and he also holds the record for the highest on-base percentage of all time at .482. Williams was one of those rare players who could hit for . Rod Carew, 1977: .388Carew and Williams each batted .388 exactly two decades apart, but we'll start with Carew, who maintained a .400-plus average into July en route to his sixth career batting title. Ted Williams, in full Theodore Samuel Williams, bynames the Splendid Splinter and Teddy Ballgame, (born August 30, 1918, San Diego, California, U.S.died July 5, 2002, Inverness, Florida), American professional baseball player who compiled a lifetime batting average of .344 as an outfielder with the American League Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. All Rights Reserved by Baseball Almanac, Inc.Hosted by Hosting 4 Less. August 30, 1918 Did you know that prior to Ted Williams, the only inductees who received more votes were 5. July 5, 2002 Some defensive statistics Copyright Sports Info Solutions, 2010-2023. "Since the arrival of Cadet Williams, Pesky and the other ex-major leaguers," head coach, Lieutenant George D Kepler, told the Burlington Daily Times-News on July 14, 1943, "most of our games have been won by one-sided scores. Baseball has seen some great players over the years, as they have come and gone. The Boston left fielder entered the last game of the season that year with a .3995 batting average. 22 - Ted Williams was an inaugural inductee into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, one of twenty-two enshrined in 1995. One of these accomplishments is Ted William's hitting over .400 on the season. Ted's batting average was .3996 rounded off by numbers-trackers to .400. Ted Williams career batting statistics for Major League, Minor League, and postseason baseball . Frank Robinson . "He slid it in on the belly. Last date at .400: May 15How short was he? Ted Williams approached batting in a methodical way, he worked out his optimal strike zone where the odds were in his favour and he maintained the discipline to only swing if the ball was in that zone. Except for a stretch from July 11-24, when his batting average dipped as low as .393, he'd been hitting above .400 since May 25. Nomar Garciaparra, 2000: .372Four players posted a .372 average in their chase of Williams from 1997-2004, one of the best offensive eras in baseball history. Let's break down the highest batting averages in a MLB season of all-time. Walks 8X (4th All-Time) | Runs Created 9X (6th All-Time) The 1941 AL MVP Award went to Joe DiMaggio, who hit 30 homers and paced . He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. Bats/Throws: L/R. That the Red Sox lost, 7-1, in a game called after eight innings because of darkness was secondary. He hit two All-Star-Game home runs at Fenway Park and finished the season at .342 with 38 home runs and 123 RBIs, and was named the American Leagues Most Valuable Player. From September to December 1943, Cadet Williams took primary training at NAS Bunker Hill, Indiana. If he sat out, he would have been credited with a .400 batting average for the season. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. They were all kids he never had seen before, and he hated this, Cronin said, according to Leigh Montvilles book Ted Williams: The Biography of an American Hero. Ted would rather face the best than someone he had never seen before. * Ted Williams himself lists Joe D in his book as the 5th greatest hitter ever, and he would be 6th with Williams included on his own list. 5 - Ted Williams signed a five-year contract to manage the Washington Senators on February 21, 1969. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Do you have a sports website? All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. Joe Posnaski in 2009 listed DiMaggio as the 11th best hitter . Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ted Williams was one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. He also hit for .388 in 1957, which Rod Carew tied in 1977. The charismatic outfielder by the way, had a 14-start hitting streak (he went 0-for-1 in a substitution appearance on August 4) at the time of the strike, so he was certainly showing signs of pushing the legendary figure. ", Latest-in-season .400 bids since Ted Williams. "Another time he was hit in the wingtip tank when I was flying with him. Ted Williams, 1957: .388 At the age of 38, Williams found out first-hand how hard it is to record a .400 average. Five hits shy of joining himself in the .400 club.4. He actually led MLB with a .333 batting average the very next season, only playing in 40 games. Gwynn was also known for his hitting prowess and was credited with revolutionizing the way batting averages were calculated. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Ted Williams played for 1 team, the Boston Red Sox. Ted Williams remains the last player to finish a season with a .400 average, doing so when he hit .406 in 1941. Did you know that Christian Yelich was the first Milwaukee Brewers player to win a batting title? Ted Williams had 2,654 hits over his career. Williams was 20 years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 20, 1939, with . As already mentioned, Williams .406 batting average is the highest off all-time while no other player has crossed the .400 mark. He hit 3,000 hits in his 2,135th game at the age of 34 years and 243 days, making him the youngest player in history to achieve the mark. In the first game at Philadelphias Shibe Park on Sept. 27, 1941, right-handed knuckleballer Roger Wolff, 30 years old and playing in just his second Major League game, held him to one hit in four at-bats, dropping his average further to .39955, rounded up to .400 in some observers eyes (and the official record books). Three Landmarks of baseball achievement are Ty Cobb's batting average of .420 in 1911, Ted Williams's .406 in 1941, and George Brett's .390 in 1980. In the last 80 years, the highest career batting average RH 324.6, Joe DiMaggio. But while he won the American League batting title by a whopping 47 points that year, his efforts fell short in the league's Most Valuable Player Award voting. Five hits shy of .400.T3. I have as much right to be exempted as anyone else. 1941 is a very important year for baseball fans. Ted didnt drink, so from time to time Id run into a bar room to get a drink, and hed wait outside until I got finished, drinking a soft drink. He said, I want to play it out. Part of Teds great success as a hitter was the way he studied pitchers. Gwynn spent his entire career with the San Diego Padres and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. Thanks to the MLB strike of 1994, we never got the chance to see if the late Tony Gwynncould reach .400 that year. He also had a career slugging percentage of .634, which is the third-highest of all time. Ted wanted to play in the worst way.. Bob Feller (93.8% in 1962), 4. In his best year with . If Im going to be a .400 hitter, Williams said at the time, I want more than my toenails on the line.. Required fields are marked *. All UZR (ultimate zone rating) calculations are provided courtesy of Mitchel Lichtman. No other player has crossed the .400 line in a season since then, and probably never will. 394 batting average in 1994 is the closest anyone has come to hitting .400 . Never much of a power hitter, Carew was still one of the most lethal offensive weapons in all of baseball through the late 1960s, all of the 70s, and into the early- and mid-80s. His accomplishments are impressive, so its difficult to imagine anyone else succeeding in the same way. Statistics and Probability questions and answers. 1941 was an iconic year in baseball history, highlighted by the great individual accomplishments of Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees and Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox. Williams.553 on-base percentage in 1941 was also a Major League record that stood for 61 years until Barry Bonds topped it in 2002 (.582), then again in 2004 (.609). As the story goes, Ted Williams entered the final day of the 1941 season with a .400 batting average and a chance to sit out Boston's scheduled doubleheader against the A's, a move that would clinch the first .400 season in 11 years. Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1966. . Ted Williams | National Baseball Hall of Fame Plaque | Class of 1966 (HOF). . The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". . He led the American League in batting average six times and is one of only three players to hit over .400 in a single season with a .406 average . Sign up to receive our daily Morning Lineup to stay in the know about the latest trending topics around Major League Baseball. Copyright 1999- We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. At season's end, Williams was five hits shy of . 8,629th in major league history) Williams received his pilot's wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on May 2, 1944. Ty Cobb, 2. Ted Williams was batting at .39955 going into the final day, a double-header, of the 1941 season. Walter Johnson, 3. Following the 1942 season, which produced his first Triple Crown (.356, 36 HR, 137 RBIs), he joined the V-5 program with a view to becoming a Naval Aviator. And 10 miles (at least according to Williams autobiography, My Turn At Bat). document.write(update); update=copyright.getFullYear(); Subscribe to Stathead Baseball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Baseball Reference Database. His 120 RBIs were five shy of Joe DiMaggio's MLB-leading total and thus five short of the Triple Crown, something Williams would accomplish in 1942 and 1947. Ed Delahanty, 5. For three hours. Its unfortunate that the shortened-campaign stole a chance at baseball history, but the San Diego Padres Hall-of-Famers .394 in 1994 still stands as the closest anybody has come to the Splendid Splinter after all these decades. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. When the pair returned to the team hotel, Cronin and a coach were sitting in the lobby. Why? Babe Ruth (95.1% in 1936) AND Honus Wagner (95.1% in 1936), and 1. All Win Expectancy, Leverage Index, Run Expectancy, and Fans Scouting Report data licenced from TangoTiger.com. A career.344 batting average ranks second to Ty Cobb, and he won six American League titles in the league. Larry Walker, 1999: .379Two seasons after claiming the NL MVP Award, Walker followed up with his best season at the plate by average. He later said it was the hardest he had hit a ball to that point in his career. The Splendid Splinter posted the highest single-season batting average in the modern era by a player 38 years of age or older -- 10 points higher than 38-year old Ty Cobb's .378 in 1925. Williams struck out one batter, Rudy York, on three pitches. He played baseball for the base team, the Bronson Bombers, which won the Training Command championship that year. At the park, Ted took early batting practice. Did you know Ted Williams was there at the helm, due to their relocation from D.C. to Arlington, for the last Washington Senators game (September 30, 1971), AND the first Texas Rangers game (April 15, 1972)? 5.0. . Williams, a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, hit.344 with 2,654 hits, 521 home runs, and 1,839 runs scored in his career. He won three National League batting titles, hit .350 or higher four times (in five seasons,mind you), and won the 1997 NL MVP. Ted Williams was born on August 30, 1918. Did you know that when George Brett went 1-for-1 at the plate on October 3, 1990, he raised his average to .329, won the batting championship, and became the first player in baseball history to win a batting title in three different decades?