Back from the military, Ted Williams hits the first spring training pitch he sees for a home run.
Back from the military, Ted Williams hits the first spring training pitch he sees for a home run.
Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams receives his discharge from the U.S. Marine Air Corps
On January 12, 1946, Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams receives his discharge from the U.S. Marine Air Corps after a three-year stint serving in World War II. In spite of the long absence from competitive baseball, Williams will return to the major leagues by hitting .342, with 38 home runs and 123 RBIs in…
Mort Cooper and Joe Gordon win MVP Awards and Ted Williams is snubbed again
1942 – Boston Red Sox outfielder Ted Williams was the Triple Crown winner in the American League, but the Baseball Writers Association of America selects Joe Gordon as AL Most Valuable Player. Williams finished with a .356 average, 36 home runs and 137 RBI. Gordon of the New York Yankees led the AL in strikeouts (95), most ground balls hit into double plays (22) and the most errors at second base (28). St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mort Cooper, who posted a 22-7 record with 152 strikeouts and a 1.78 ERA, gets the National League MVP honors.
Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists as a Naval Aviator for WWII
1942 – Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox enlists as a Naval Aviator. Williams will finish the season with his team, as will many other players who enlisted or await the draft, which moves slowly despite the early discouragements of the war. Other American League regulars of 1941 enlisted in the military service include Johnny Berardino, Sam Chapman, Bob Feller, Joe Grace, Buddy Lewis, Pat Mullin, Johnny Rigney, Johnny Sturm and Cecil Travis.
Rogers Hornsby becomes the 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame
1942 – Rogers Hornsby becomes the 14th player selected to the Hall of Fame, getting 78 percent of the vote, while both Frank Chance (58%) and Rube Waddell (54%) miss out. Hornsby’s offensive numbers rival those of any player before or since. He and Ted Williams are the only players to win the Triple Crown twice, and Hornsby’s .424 mark in 1924 is the highest National League batting average in the 20th century.
Joe DiMaggio is named the 1941 AL MVP over Ted Williams
1941 – Joe DiMaggio is named American League Most Valuable Player. His 56-game hitting streak edges out Ted Williams and his .406 batting average for the award (291 points for DiMaggio and 254 for Williams).
Ted Williams goes 6-for-8 in a season-ending doubleheader to raise his final average to .406.
On September 28, 1941, At Shibe Park, Batting .399955, Ted Williams elects to play in a doubleheader against the A’s on the final day of the season rather than go back into the coveted .400 average because the number is rounded up. In-game, Williams goes 4-5 against a trio of Philadelphia A’s pitchers in…
At Fenway Park‚ the Red Sox sweep two from the Senators‚ 13 – 9 and 10 – 3. Ted Williams has only 5 official at bats‚ but has 3 hits – all homers – to take over the American League lead from Charlie Keller. Ted walks 4 times.
At Fenway Park‚ the Red Sox sweep two from the Senators‚ 13 – 9 and 10 – 3. Ted Williams has only 5 official at bats‚ but has 3 hits – all homers – to take over the American League lead from Charlie Keller. Ted walks 4 times.
Although Lou Boudreau is usually given credit for implementing the shift on pull-hitter Ted Williams, White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes becomes the first to employ the defensive alignment against the Red Sox outfielder, who foils the plan when he goes 2-for-5, including a double, in Boston’s 10-4 loss to the Pale Hose at Fenway Park. The Chicago skipper will abandon the strategy when ‘the Kid’ collects four hits in ten at-bats in the two-game series.
Although Lou Boudreau is usually given credit for implementing the shift on pull-hitter Ted Williams, White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes becomes the first to employ the defensive alignment against the Red Sox outfielder, who foils the plan when he goes 2-for-5, including a double, in Boston’s 10-4 loss to the Pale Hose at Fenway Park. The Chicago skipper will abandon the strategy when ‘the Kid’ collects four hits in ten at-bats in the two-game series.
Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams hits a dramatic two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the American League a 7-5 win in the All-Star Game
On July 8, 1941, at Briggs Stadium, Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams, hitting .405 at the break, hits a dramatic two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, off Chicago Cubs P Claude Passeau giving the American League a 7-5 win in the All-Star Game. Williams’s 4 RBI are matched by National…
