Ten years of our rich history are being celebrated. From the present until our founding on May 6, 2015, you can peruse and read any of the previous columns in our recently updated database:Check out our rich history at nkytribune.com.
Raymond G. Hebert, PhD, NKyTribune Special
It seems natural to talk about one of the greatest hitters of all time in a baseball-mad community like ours, where the Cincinnati Reds are the local heroes and the Big Red Machine is one of the best teams ever assembled.
According to a well-known sports blog called Jugs Sports, there is a wealth of literature on the topic, and much of it shows that Ted Williams’ name keeps coming up. It’s not just about his stats, or the fact that he was the last player to hit at least.400 in a season, or his batting titles, or his time in the military during his playing days.
I grew up in New Hampshire and was a Red Sox fan from New England. My 1946 World Series baseball bat, signed by none other than Ted Williams, was my first exposure to baseball at any level when I was four years old.
Although there are elements of Ted’s character and actions that could influence the decision to name him the best hitter in history, I believe the statistics speak for themselves and he doesn’t need any fancy justifications. Ted Williams would undoubtedly be the most sought-after player in the game in the technologically advanced world we live in today. Just as he was back then, he would be Teddy Ballgame or The Splinter today.
We wish we could live our lives with the grace, level swing, and constant pursuit of perfection that Ted Williams lived his game, if only our lives could be the understanding of the art of the game, said George Bowering (1965), one of Williams’s first biographers.
Ted Williams was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1918. He started playing left field and wearing #9 for the Boston Red Sox in 1938. I have strong memories of him. He spent his whole 19-year career with the Red Sox and batted left-handed. John Henry Williams, Claudia Williams, and Barbara Joyce Williams Ferrell are the three children he fathered and raised. Ted Williams passed away on July 5, 2002, at the age of 83.
Careers and wealth are built on statistics for Major League Baseball players and hitters. For instance, some people think that Aaron Judge is the greatest right-handed batter of all time, if not the best. However, a significant shortcoming of judges is the quantity of strikeouts. In light of this, the following figures set Williams apart from the others:
Hall of Fame (1966), two MVPs, two Triple Crowns, nineteen All Stars (never missed a season), six batting titles, and five major league player of the year awards—all of which he received in spite of his numerous arguments with the media, who cast the votes for many of the honors;
He concluded his playing career with the third-highest on-base plus slugging percentage in history, 521 home runs, and a.344 batting average;
All nineteen seasons spent with the Red Sox: 2,654 hits, 521 home runs, 1,839 RBIs, 1,798 runs scored, and a batting average of.344;He led the American League on in-base percentage 12 times overall, including each of the seasons he played from 1940 to 1949, because to his exceptional hitting eye.
Although these might be further broken down, no other player, past or present, can match them in their own right. He was unparalleled in his versatility. Check it out: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willite01.shtml
I find three distinctive facets of Ted William’s career to be the most noteworthy:
First, his record of.406 batting average for a full year, which has been in place since 1941, has never come close to being challenged and is unlikely to be. As a rookie, he batted.327 with 31 home runs and 145 RBT, but he only finished fourth in the MVP voting, which highlights the philosophical differences with the media mentioned above. The following year, 1940, he batted.344 with 43 doubles, 14 triples, and 145 hits.
Ted’s choice to play or not play in the season’s last games is the subject of the transforming story, which is connected to that season. He had intentionally played with a minor ailment in the previous series, and his average going into the season-ending doubleheader was.400. I never desired anything harder in my life, he said, according to the Jugs Sports piece, among other sources. On September 28, 1941, he went all out, finishing 6 for 8 in two games and raising his average to.406. It hadn’t been accomplished since 1930 to have a season with a.400 rating (Jugs Sports).
After three seasons of unprecedented success in a row, he was just 22 years old when, in 1942, he was drafted into the Navy, trained to become a fighter pilot, earned his wings, and graduated first in his class. He returned to baseball and won his first MVP award in 1946 after hitting his first.342 with 39 home runs and 123 RBIs, demonstrating his sustained success. The Red Sox lost to the St. Louis Cardinals despite having a World Series year. In every source, he always bemoaned the fact that it was his only World Series appearance.
Williams would miss two more seasons (1952 and 1953) before his career was officially over because he was called back to active duty to fly combat missions and have a few near-death encounters for the Marines. He came back as a hero of the battle (Jugs Sports). Watch the Ted Williams documentary on the American Masters.
In addition to being up to date (2023), the DVD is noteworthy for its archival material and in-depth interviews with baseball greats including Wade Boggs, Willie McCovey, Jim Kaat, Joey Votto, and others. Together, they discussed how other great hitters were impacted by Williams’s philosophy of excellence and, most importantly, his hitting style. “Mr. Williams is such a part of baseball and Boston even today,” said David Ortiz, an executive producer of Big Papi Productions and another Red Sox legend, in reference to the documentary. Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived, edited by Albert M. Tapper and narrated by Jon Hamm in collaboration with Nick Davis Productions, Major League Baseball, Big Papi Productions, and Thirteen Productions LLC’s American Masters for WNET, is an amazing project that truly examined his entire life, and I’m honored to be a part of it.
Ironically, as a contemporary issue, as previously said, some people think that Aaron Judge is, at the very least, the greatest right-handed hitter of all time due to his consistency, with the aforementioned fault being his lone weakness. Does he continue to lose out to Williams when it comes to the more general title of greatest pure hitter of all time? What are your thoughts?
Lastly, it would seem fitting to end with a quote from the Baseball Hall of Fame’s own writing: Ted Williams, a longtime Red Sox left fielder, will always be included in the debate (about baseball’s greatest hitter) due to his six batting titles. Williams’ statistics and accomplishments are simply unmatched, and with today’s emphasis on fireballing young pitchers and expectations of 5-6 inning performances as standard, the pressure to be a quality hitter is becoming more and more intense. They argue that the controversies surrounding him shouldn’t matter. The days of hitters like Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and others are probably over.
Dr. Raymond G. Hebert teaches history and serves as the executive director of Thomas More University’s William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty. He is the primary author of two books: Student-Athletes & Athletic Programs at Thomas More University, Post-World War II to 2023 (2024) and Thomas More University at 100: Purpose, People, and Pathways to Student Success (2023). You can reach Dr. Hebert at [email protected].
Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD, is a history professor at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and the editor of the weekly series Our Rich History. Check out the ten years of previous essays at nkytribune.com/our-rich-history. Tenkotte is also the Director of the Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Engagement, or ORVILLE Project. His email address is [email protected].