Ted Williams – Boston Red Sox

Theodore Samuel “Ted” Williams was born on August 30, 1918 in San Diego, California. The New York Yankees offered young Ted Williams $200 a month to play for their baseball club. Ted was still a senior in high school and had to decline because his mother didn’t want him to move out and, more importantly, she didn’t want anything to interrupt his education. Before graduating from Herbert Hoover High School, Ted signed with the San Diego Padres.

Ted Williams began his professional baseball career with the Boston Red Sox in 1939. From the beginning, Ted was recognized for his performance on the field. In his first season he leads the American League in RBIs. As if that wasn’t enough, he also ranked fourth in the MVP poll. Ted was a left-handed power hitter. In fact, he was the first player since 1930 to hit a .400 batting average. His highest career batting average was .407 which he achieved in 1953. No one has hit a .400 batting average in a season since Williams.

Ted played with the Red Sox for 19 years and during that time set some milestones in baseball history. He became the oldest batting champion at the age of 40, he holds the record for reaching base in 84 consecutive games, his achievements go on and on. Not only was he a hero in the world of sports, but he also served his country during World War II and the Korean War as a pilot in the US Navy. A little-known fact is that Williams, an expert pilot fighter, he flew alongside John McCain in the Korean War.

In 1991, at Fenway Park on Ted Williams Day, Ted pulled a Red Sox cap from his jacket and tipped it toward the roaring crowd, a gesture he rarely did but one his fans enjoyed that day. Ted Williams died on July 5, 2002 in Inverness, Florida. of heart failure at age 83.