Tag Archives: Ted Williams

How Red Sox MVP’s Have Fared the Following Season

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Red Sox superstar Mookie Betts is coming off an MVP Award for the 2018 season. There have been 11 seasons before Betts’ MVP season in which a Boston Red Sox won the award. Only one of those seasons saw a guy win his second MVP Award.

1912

Tris Speaker won the Most Valuable Player Award in 1912. The award then was not the modern MVP award. From 1911-1914 it was named the Chalmers Award, for the automobile company. However, just like now, baseball writers were the ones who determined the winner. The modern award was started in 1931.

As for Tris Speaker, he batted .383 and led the league in doubles, home runs and on-base percentage in 1912. It was easily his finest season with the Red Sox. However, he did not suffer that big of a drop-off in 1913. Speaker still batted .363 with a .974 OPS. He stole 46 bases and tripled 22 times.

1938

Jimmie Foxx was the recipient of the Red Sox first “modern” MVP Award. Foxx had won two MVP Awards while playing with the Philadelphia Athletics. 1938 was his third season in Boston after being traded.

In 1938, Foxx led the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs batted in and walks. His 175 RBI that season is still a franchise record. His 50 home runs remained a franchise record for nearly seven decades, and his 398 total bases was a franchise record for 40 years.

In 1939 he was almost as good, just in less playing time. He upped his batting average to .360 and still led the league in on-base and slugging percentage. His 35 home runs led the league despite him only garnering 467 at-bats. Foxx finished second in the MVP vote that season.

1946

By the time Ted Williams won his first MVP Award in his first year back from war, he had already been robbed of two MVP’s. His lack of MVP’s, all things considered, has largely been attributed to him not getting along with the media members who voted for the awards.

In 1941, he batted .406, yet finished second to Joe DiMaggio for the award. DiMaggio batted .408 during his famous 56 game hit streak, just .002 better than Williams did for the entire season.

In 1942, Williams won the Triple Crown and led the league in just about every conceivable batting statistic. Somehow, he lost out to another Yankee on the Award. Joe Gordon won the award despite trailing in every statistic. His OPS was 237 points lower and he hit half as many home runs. Hmmm.

Williams finally got his due after returning from war. He led the league in on-base and slugging percentage and batted .342 with 38 home runs. As an encore, he led the league in even more categories, again winning the Triple Crown. Yet again, Williams somehow managed to finish second in the MVP vote while winning the Triple Crown. Joe DiMaggio was handed the award despite only hitting .315 with 20 home runs and 97 RBI.

Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox receives his 1946 American League MVP Award from Joe Cashman of the BBWAA. (Photo by B Bennett/Getty Images)

1949

After a third-place finish in 1948, Williams won his second MVP Award in 49. He led the league in on-base and slugging percentage, home runs, doubles and runs batted in.

In 1950 he was having another great season before breaking his elbow at the All-Star Game after crashing into the outfield wall. Williams only played 89 games that year yet managed to hit 28 home runs and drive home 97 runs. He would have been his typical MVP deserving self had he not broken his elbow.

1958

A Red Sox not named Ted Williams managed to win the MVP before Williams’ playing days were over. Jackie Jensen won the Award in 1958, his fifth season with the Red Sox. Jensen hit 35 home runs and led the league with 122 RBI.

As a follow-up, Jensen again led the league in RBI in 1959 while hitting 28 home runs. He surpassed 100 runs batted in for the fifth time in six seasons with the team, finishing at 97 in the other season. Jensen also had his second 20-20 season with the Red Sox in 1959, stealing 20 bags while being caught just five times.

1967

We all know of Carl Yastrzemski’s 1967 season. He won the Triple Crown and led the Red Sox to the American League pennant that season. It was a career year for Yaz, but how did he finish the following season?

Well, his statistics dropped off quite a lot, but so did a lot of the league in the offensively-challenged 1968 season. In fact, Yaz won the batting title that season with a .301 average. He also led the league in on-base percentage and OPS. The biggest drop-off was his power, falling from 44 home runs in 1967 to 23 in 1968. With it, his RBI and slugging percentage tumbled.

1975

In 1975, Fred Lynn became the first rookie to win the MVP Award. To this day, he is joined only by Ichiro Suzuki, who at 27 was hardly a real rookie. Lynn led the league in doubles, on-base percentage and OPS that rookie season.

In 1976, although Lynn played well, his offense took a noticeable dip. Lynn batted an excellent .314, but with 10 home runs his total was less than half of his rookie season. Lynn also hit 15 less doubles and walked less. So, it was a solid season, but a far cry from his MVP campaign.

Lynn actually was the best player in the league in 1979, arguably his best season. Don Baylor won MVP after leading the league in RBI and making the playoffs. However, the Red Sox actually won three more games than the Angels, yet missed the playoffs. Lynn led the league in batting, on-base percentage and slugging that season while hitting 39 home runs. Somehow, he finished fourth in the voting.

1978

In the midst of a monster three-year stretch, Jim Rice put up his best season in 1978. He won the MVP Award that season and broke Jimmie Foxx’ 40-year-old franchise record for total bases in a season. Rice led the league in hits, home runs, RBI, triples, total bases, slugging and OPS.

Hi follow-up season wasn’t much worse. Rice hit a career high .325 in 1979 and launched 39 home runs. He again led the league in total bases and eclipsed 200 hits for the third season in a row.

Over the three year stretch he batted .320 with a .972 OPS. His average season had 207 base hits, 41 home runs, 12 triples and 128 RBI.

1986

Roger Clemens won the MVP in addition to the Cy Young Award in 1986. He is still the only pitcher in Red Sox history to do so, thanks to Pedro Martinez being robbed of the MVP in 1999. Clemens had a breakout season, leading the league in wins, ERA and WHIP. He struck out a record 20 batters in April of that season, a feat he would match ten years later.

Clemens did not disappoint in 1987. He again led the league in wins and won the Cy Young Award. He was 20-9 that year with a 2.97 ERA and 256 strike outs. His strike outs placed him second to Mark Langston and he finished third in ERA.

1995

Mo Vaughn wasn’t really the best player in the American League in 1995, but he had an excellent season and it led to the MVP Award. The Red Sox won the division title in large part to Mo’s bat. Mo batted .300 that year with 39 home runs and a league leading 126 runs batted in.

Mo was even better in his quest to win back-to-back MVP’s in 1996. Unfortunately, the team didn’t quite measure up. Vaughn had a career high 207 base hits, 44 home runs and 143 runs batted in that season. His batting line was an exquisite .326/.420/.583/1.003. This led to a fifth-place finish in the MVP voting despite the Red Sox third-place finish in the American League East.

2008

Following up his Rookie of the Year Award in 2007, Dustin Pedroia added every other award to his cabinet in 2008, taking home the MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger. He led the league with 213 base hits and 54 doubles while playing great defense. His .326 average was tops on the team and he was a near perfect 20-21 on stolen bases.

In 2009 he fell off some, but he pretty much had to. Pedroia still batted .296 with 48 doubles. He stole 20 bases for the second straight season and played his usual stellar defense. His play led to a second straight all-star berth.

2018

Mookie Betts had a phenomenal 2018 season, leading the league in hitting (.346) and slugging (.640). He had a 30-30 season and bashed 48 doubles to boot. On top of it all, he won a Gold Glove for his continued excellence in right field.

So how will Mookie Betts follow up his MVP season? As you can see, most former Red Sox MVP’s only suffered small drop-offs the following season. All of them were still very good the following year. Betts was so good last year he almost has to drop off a little, but not much of one should be expected, and nothing in this history changes that viewpoint.

Featured picture from Masslive.com

The Greatest Red Sox Legends by Uniform Number: 6-10

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Writing about the best players to don uniform numbers six through ten for the Red Sox. This is the second article in this series. If you missed the numbers one through five, check it out here. This set of numbers, six to ten, features three numbers retired by the franchise.

Number 6 – Johnny Pesky

Pesky was nearly a Red Sox lifer, spending parts of eight seasons with the team during his ten-year Major League career. He then did some announcing for the team, coached and hung around the team throughout his life. As recently as 2012, when Fenway Park celebrated its 100th anniversary, Pesky was wheeled out onto the field to partake in the ceremony.

Pesky is underrated as a player. I feel like a lot of Sox fans know him for Pesky Pole and hanging around the team forever, but might not be sure about how good a player he was. Nationally he was very underrated as well. If not for spending three years fighting in World War II, Pesky may have been a Hall of Fame player. In his rookie season of 1942, Pesky set a rookie record with 205 base hits, which led the league. He batted .331 that season.

After missing three years of baseball, Pesky returned from war to belt over 200 base hits each of the next two seasons, again leading the league both years. He batted .335 and .324 in those seasons. His first three years in the MLB he led the league in base hits all three. If Pesky had reached 200 hits in all three seasons he missed, not a stretch given what he accomplished surrounding those years, he would have gone over 200 hits in six straight years to begin his career. This also would have given him over 2000 hits and easily a .300 average while playing mostly shortstop, a premium position.

Pesky had his number six retired by the Red Sox in 2008, after spending decades with the franchise in some sort of role.

Honorable Mentions: Rico Petrocelli, Harry Agganis

Number 7 – Dom DiMaggio

Another of the group of friends from the forties teams, DiMaggio was also underrated as a player. Ted Williams repeatedly went to bat for DiMaggio to make the Hall of Fame before his death. He was a fantastic fielder in center and was the table setter at the top of the lineup for some very good offenses. Unfortunately, Dom was overshadowed by both his older brother Joe and sharing an outfield with Ted.

Most people nationwide would know Dom DiMaggio as Joe’s little brother. Dom DiMaggio, however, made seven all-star teams, and likely would have received a nice collection of Gold Gloves for his work in center field had the award existed back then. He got great reads, had a lot of range and one of the strongest arms in the league. In addition, DiMaggio batted .298 for his career with a stellar .383 on-base percentage. He averaged 195 base hits per 162 games with 87 walks.

Ted Williams knew what he was talking about when it came to baseball, so who’s to argue with him over DiMaggio? Dominic certainly has a case for the Hall. He also missed three years of playing time due to fighting in World War II, hurting his cumulative statistics.

Honorable Mentions: Reggie Smith, Trot Nixon, JD Drew, Rick Burleson, Dick Stuart

Despite being an excellent ballplayer himself, Dom DiMaggio was always in the shadow of his older brother Joe. (AP Photo/file)

Number 8 – Carl Yastrzemski

Yaz is, of course, the recipient of the greatest ballplayer to wear the number eight for the Red Sox. Can you name anyone else who wore the number for the team? Number eight is synonymous with Yaz around here.

Everyone knows about Carl Yastrzemski, so here are some quick hits. Yaz made 18 All-Star Games and won an All-Star Game MVP. Yaz was a fantastic fielder, leading to seven Gold Glove Awards. He won the triple crown in 1967 and was named the American League MVP that season. Yaz won three batting titles and led the league in on-base percentage five times, slugging percentage three times and OPS four times. He also led the league in hits twice, walks twice, runs scored three times, doubles three times, and home runs and runs batted in once apiece.

For Red Sox records, Yastrzemski is number one in franchise history in games played, at-bats, hits, total bases, runs scored, runs batted in and doubles, in addition to a few others. The man who played 23 seasons and got on base 5304 times is all over the franchise record books.

Number 9 – Ted Williams

Again, who doesn’t know Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived? The retired number nine is Ted Williams, and Ted Williams alone. There’s not much to say that isn’t known about the man who made 19 All-Star Games and missed three years to fight in World War II and two more for the Korean War. Without those military stints, Williams may have threatened Babe Ruth’s all-time home run mark of 714 at the time. Williams won two Triple Crowns and two MVPs and was robbed of at least three other MVP Awards by vengeful sports writers.

Williams led the league in hitting six times, including back-to-back years at the ages of 38 and 39. His .388 batting average in 1957 at the age of 38 is one of, if not his finest accomplishment, up there with batting .406 in 1941. He only had an OPS under 1.000 once, his 40-year-old season when he played injured. He came back the next year to have his best HR/AB ratio of his entire career.

People once wondered if Ted Williams would still be able to hit after returning from a second stint at war. He had nearly died in the Korean War and was coming back at nearly 35 years old. In addition to this, he had not swung a bat in 16 months while flying fighter jets. All he did was bat over .400 and swatted 13 home runs in 91 at-bats over the rest of the 1953 season. From his return from Korea through the 1958 season, ages 35 to 39, Williams batted an unheard of .355/.496/.661/1.157! These are just several stats about the greatest hitter of all-time, I could go on for hours about what he accomplished just at the plate.

Number 10 – Billy Goodman

The least well known of the group for numbers 1-10, Goodman was a good player for the Sox. He spent a decade with the team from the late forties through the mid-fifties. Goodman played all over the field but was mostly a first and second baseman. He batted .310 as a rookie in 1948, then made the all-star team in year two. By year three, Goodman led the league in hitting with a .354 batting average, finishing second in the MVP vote.

During his nine full seasons with the Red Sox, Goodman batted above .300 five times. The other four seasons he was in the .290’s. He was a .306 hitter with the team and posted an excellent .386 on-base percentage. His versatility only added to his value on the field. Goodman made two All-Star Games and garnered MVP votes in six different seasons with the Red Sox.

Honorable Mentions: Rich Gedman, Bob Montgomery, Scott Hatteberg

The World Series – A Season for Heroes

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Broadcaster Ernie Harwell visits with Ted Williams: The Definition of Baseball. Courtsey National Baseball Hall of Fame Library and Archives.

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” – Babe Herman Ruth.

In a world disrupted by hurricanes, recessions, politics and war, baseball is the constant that gives us heroes. Every fall, the World Series connects the generations. Fathers and sons come together; neighbors unite; strangers root for the same team as millions partake in the tradition that defines America.

In a world starved for heroes, baseball’s Fall ritual reminds us of players like Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived who fought in two wars as a Marine combat pilot. We remember miracles, like the “shot heard round the world” when Bill Mazeroski won the championship in 1960 with one swing of the bat. During this year’s Series, we hold our breath, spellbound by the raw and fearless talent of players like Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez as they go to bat for the Boston Red Sox.

In a world that loves storytellers, one of the game’s most beloved muses was Ernie Harwell, the Hall of Fame Major League Baseball sportscaster who enraptured generations of fans with the saga of our past time. In this 1981 induction (SPEECH LINK) delivered on the porch of the Hall of Fame Ernie tells us what we love about baseball in a world where our diamond heroes help us battle hurricanes, recessions, politics and war. Here are a few of Harwell’s classic lines to remember during the 2018 World Series:

Courtesy, The Ernie Harwell Sports Collection, Detroit Public Library.

“Baseball is the president tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That’s baseball.”

“Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, ‘Down in front,’ ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game,’ and ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’”

“In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team’s uniform from another.”

“Baseball is just a game, as simple as a ball and bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.”

“Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World Series catch, and then dashing off to play stickball in the street with his teenage pals. That’s baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrig saying, ‘I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.’”

“Baseball is a tongue-tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball! Thank you.”

Anne R. Keene is the author of the narrative about a major-league Navy fighter pilot baseball team, The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win WWII.

David Price, Red Sox Win, Game 2 Recap

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The Boston Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the World Series.  David Price was locked in, the relentless 2 out offense was in bloom, and now the Sox have a 2-0 lead.

We’re not in the peak Eck ‘Time To Party‘ zone yet, but man oh man are we getting close!

David Price

Live it up David.  Any man who goes six innings with three hits allowed and two earned runs in the World Series gets to have his kid up there bring some levity.

While Price was busy rewriting his post season narrative, the offense continued to do things we have never seen.  The mantra for offense in baseball is batting with runners in scoring position.  For premium offense it’s all that plus doing it with two outs.

There is David Ortiz clutch, in which a singular individual gets hit after hit to win games in the post season.  Then there is this team’s version.

In the top of the 5th inning, Hyun-Jin Ryu was steamrolling the Red Sox lineup.  He got Ian Kinsler to ground out and JBJ to hit a weak infield fly.  He got Christian Vazquez to an 0-2 count.  Then it began.

Vasqy keeps his swing short and hits a single.  Betts singled.  The anticipation and trust and faith in this team begins to ripple through Fenway.  Benny walks and the bases are loaded.

The Turning Point

Dave Roberts is getting killed for over managing his Dodgers, but what would you do?  Let Ryu face lefty killer Steve Pearce with the bases loaded, or bring in a normally trustworthy strikeout reliever?  Roberts goes with door number 2 and brings in Ryan Madson.

The moment proved too big for Madson.  He walks Pearce.  Almost every pitch looked like Mariano Rivera’s last pitch to Kevin Millar in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS to set up Roberts famous steal.  The score is now 2-2.  All of this with two outs.

So Madson, who had blown away JD Martinez in Game 1 with the bases loaded, gets to face him in the same situation.  You can’t stop JD Martinez, you can only hope to contain him.  Because JD is so obsessed about hitting, he look locked in, laser focused.  Staying inside the ball, he rockets the second pitch to right and two more runs score.  It’s 4-2 and the Dodgers are shook.

The Dodgers were one strike away from getting out of that inning.  Who knows how long Ryu could’ve pitched.  But The Red Sox relentlessness is a wonder to behold.  Putting the ball in play.  The Red Sox are making this look easy.  Despite what we are witnessing it is not.

Historical Perspective

With runners in scoring position in the postseason the Red Sox are hitting 17-40.  That’s a .425 average.  .425 is beyond comprehension. They’ve turned into peak Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn, at the most critical times of the game.

The only other team in the same stratosphere is another old timey Titan.  That’s the 1910 Philadelphia A’s.  You remember them.  Lead by a young Eddy Collins, they hit .394 in those situations.

The Bullpen

Tip of the cap.  High Five.  Way to go!  The Red Sox bullpen, so maligned and beleaguered during the year, continued to dominate.  Of note, Nathan Eovaldi, building an MVP case, pitched a clean 8th inning for the second game in a row.  Along with Price, they set down the final 16 Dodgers hitters in a row.

Outfield Defense

Another day, another outstanding outfield catch.  This was in the top of the 5th with the Dodgers trying to to increase their 2-1 lead.  Brian Dozier thought he had a lead-off hit, but yet again there was Andrew Benintendi.  Consequently, it was just another out.

Viewing Note

Commissioner Rob Manfred did an interview with Felger and Mazz on 98.5 The Sports Hub yesterday.  You can find it here in the second half of the run-time.  The interview starts off contentious.  No surprise there.  Up for debate: pace of play.

The incorrigible Felger hammers Manfred on pace of play in the postseason and Manfred takes exception.  More or less Manfred downplays it and says pace of play is not as big of a deal as Felger is saying it is.

When it’s the 9th inning of Game 2 of the World Series, the score is 4-2, and the closer is on the mound?  That is what drama and tension and watch-ability is all about.  Most importantly Legends are made and Goats are birthed in these situations.

What do I see on my screen between batters coming to the plate?  A split screen ad.  Because Fox knows there’s all kinds of time between batters coming up and between pitches.  They used it in Game 2 to throw ads at us, not between innings, but between pitches.

If that’s not a mic drop argument that there is way too much time wasted in the game of baseball, I don’t know what is.  Commissioner Manfred, it is appalling you are allowing this to happen.

On To LA

The 2018 Sox are making themselves into an all time juggernaut.  They’re up 2-0 in the World Series and headed to LA, the land of swimming pools and movie stars.  Get ready for your glamour shot boys!

Passion – Ted Williams’s Gift to America and Baseball

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The national celebration of Ted Williams’s birth a century ago proves that Americans long for their old-fashioned baseball heroes. Though the hitter’s .406 mark may never be eclipsed, some of the least-known periods of Williams’s military training reveal the core values and work ethic of the greatest hitter who ever lived.

During the Second World War hundreds of major-league baseball players paused their athletic careers to serve in the military. In today’s world, imagine if Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez, and most of the Red Sox joined the service. By their side would be managers, coaches and staff who run Fenway Park, from ticket takers to concessionaires.

In 1942, Williams enlisted in the V-5 Naval Aviation Cadet Training Program. His goal was to join the ranks of America’s top gun pilots. When he left baseball at the end of the season, Williams channeled his passion into aviation and never looked back.

The greatest hitter who ever lived wrestled with a volcanic temper. Williams used epically profane language but he had a big heart. He was always worried about the kids who lacked the fiery passion that drove him.

By the time Williams celebrated his 25th birthday on August 30, 1943, he had just graduated from the toughest physical training program in the world for pilots. This 3 month course took place at the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. During this time Williams was grateful to the Navy for protecting him from reporters who scrutinized his every move. Within the confines of this base, officers and fellow cadets gave Williams a nickname that stuck with him throughout the war – “Regular Joe.”

As soon as he joined the Navy, Baseball’s most famous Regular Joe disappeared into a mix of aviation cadets. The former D-student at Hoover High studied constantly, mastering difficult courses like aerodynamics and physics. He hiked hundreds of miles through the woods in survival training. In turn, he shaved ten pounds off his string-bean frame at the North Carolina camp. Not much of a swimmer before the Navy, Williams jumped into pools lit with gasoline fires and gained the endurance to swim a mile. The hitter played on the Navy baseball team and missed dinner to take extra batting practice, swinging in the dark until his palms bled. Unbeknownst to his fans, Williams also made a name for himself as a boxer. He even gained the attention of a pre-flight coach who thought he had the potential to fight at Madison Square Garden.

Williams paid attention to the little things that say “I care,” such as making his bed and polishing his boots. He mopped floors without complaint, and never received a demerit for foul language or disrespect.

Rare image of a hand-drawn sketch by Ted Williams during aviation training at Bunker Hill Naval Air Station. Circa 1943. Composite image of Williams also provided by the National Archives and Records Administration, (NARA) St. Louis.

After a short hiatus Williams shipped into Bunker Hill Naval Air Station on September 10, 1943. Nicknamed the USS Cornfield, Williams perfected his takeoffs and landings at this rural Indiana base, becoming one with the plane. Baseball’s Regular Joe finished his course work two weeks early, graduating at the top of his class. When Williams left for Pensacola, Florida, on December 6 to earn his golden wings he was one of the most respected men on base.

Right Stuff Values

The Splendid Splinter was unapologetic about the raw ambition forged as a lonely kid on San Diego’s sandlots. Passion drove his desire for perfection in every pursuit—from hitting to fly casting to his proudest pursuit as a Marine fighter pilot, where he served as John Glenn’s wingman in Korea.

Glenn trained in the same aviation program as Williams, becoming a Navy V-5 recruiter in 1942. When Esquire magazine shadowed Lt. Glenn on a recruiting tour, the reporter mentioned the right “stuff” traits that the flight board looked for—intangible, intrinsically rooted values that make a naval aviator. The words fearless, humble, loyal, and respectful come to mind.

Candidates selected for the program were modest, squared-away guys who never bragged about their achievements and were not afraid to fail. The aspiring young fighter pilots like Williams also had passion and shared a deep respect for country—core values that ultimately won the war.

Anne R. Keene is the author of The Cloudbuster Nine, The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win WWII. Today, fewer than 45 major-league World War II veterans remain with us, representing a generation of players who paused their baseball careers to serve their country.

J.D. Martinez Joins Exclusive Company

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On Friday night, J.D. Martinez singled through the hole between short and third to drive in two runs. In doing so, J.D. Martinez surpassed the 100 RBI mark on the season. With a month and a half still to play, J.D. Martinez already has 37 home runs and 104 runs batted in on the season. In surpassing both the 30 home run plateau and 100 RBI mark in his first season as a Red Sox, Martinez has accomplished what only nine before him had ever done.

Jimmie Foxx

Jimmie Foxx was already the most powerful right-handed bat the baseball world had ever seen by the time he arrived in Boston. Foxx had led the league in home runs in three of his final four seasons in Philadelphia. Sold by the Athletics to the Red Sox during the Great Depression, Foxx was one of several stars brought in my new club owner Tom Yawkey.

1936 was Foxx’ first season in Boston and he clubbed 41 home runs and drove in 143 runners. This was the first time somebody eclipsed 30/100 in his first season with the team. Foxx would accomplish the feat during each of his first five seasons with Boston, averaging 40 home runs and 134 RBI during that stretch. Foxx also won the MVP Award in 1938.

Ted Williams

Williams was a 20-year-old rookie when he joined the Red Sox in 1939 and reached the marks. Told in spring, ”Wait until you see this guy Jimmie Foxx hit,” Williams famously replied “Wait until Foxx sees me hit”. Williams became the first rookie in franchise history to surpass 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in. He hit 31 home runs that year and drove in a league best 145 runners. Williams also hit 44 doubles and 11 triples in that rookie season.

Ted Williams is greeted by Jimmie Foxx as he crosses home plate.

Walt Dropo

Dropo was the third Red Sox to accomplish those numbers in his first season with the team, and  second rookie. Dropo wasn’t supposed to be a star, he was already 27 years old when the Sox called him up early in 1950. The 27-year-old rookie went on to hit 34 home runs, drive in a league best 144 runs and lead the league with 326 total bases. Dropo easily won Rookie of the Year and made his one and only All-Star Game.

After a bad season in 1951, Dropo bounced back to hit 29 home runs in 1952. However, after that season he never again reached 20 homers. He spent the second half of his career as a part-time player.

Dick Stuart

Dr. Strangeglove, as he was called, had a big bat and no glove. Another nickname of his was “stonefingers”. His porous defense didn’t help his career, as he played only parts of 10 seasons. Stuart could hit though. He came to the Red Sox in 1963, having made an All-Star Game in Pittsburgh in 1961 after batting .301 with 35 home runs and 117 runs batted in.

In his first season in Boston, Stuart crushed 42 home runs and drove in 118 runs, which led the American League. The 42 home runs were the most hit by any Red Sox player since Ted Williams hit 43 in 1949. Stuart hit 33 home runs and drove in 114 runs the next year before being shipped out of Boston after just two seasons.

Tony Armas

In 1983, Tony Armas became the first Red Sox since Dick Stuart two decades prior to accomplish a 30/100 season in his first year with the team. Armas didn’t actually play well, but still managed to hit 36 home runs and drive in 107 runs. He batted just .218 and posted a .707 OPS despite all the home runs.

Armas was much better in year two for the Sox, batting .268, which was higher than his on-base percentage was the year before. Armas also led the league in home runs and runs batted in with 43 and 123.

Nick Esasky

Just five years after Armas achieved these marks, Nick Esasky did in his lone season with the team. The Red Sox acquired Nick Esasky along with left-handed pitcher Rob Murphy from the Reds in December of 1988. In 1989, Esasky hit 30 home runs and drove in 108 runs for the Red Sox. The Red Sox let Esasky walk in the offseason, leaving him with one (very good) season in a Red Sox uniform. Esasky barely played again, suffering from severe vertigo after signing with the Atlanta Braves.

Nick Esasky of the Red Sox bats during a game against the Rangers on May 1, 1989 at Fenway Park. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Carl Everett

The Red Sox acquired Carl Everett from the Houston Astros for Adam Everett and Greg Miller. Adam Everett was an all glove shortstop and Greg Miller never made the Majors. Meanwhile, Carl Everett beasted in Boston during the 2000 season. He made the all-star team, batted .300 and hit 34 home runs with 108 RBI. He also got a 10 game suspension that year for head butting an umpire and said dinosaurs weren’t real, but his play in 2000 was no joke.

Manny Ramirez

When the Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez, he was handed largest contract in baseball history at the time. He didn’t disappoint either. That first season with the Sox, Manny blasted 41 home runs and drove in 125 runs. Nomar missed most of the season with a wrist injury and Carl Everett slumped badly from the previous season though. Without the lineup protection, Manny’s numbers fell as the year wore on, batting .258 from May 27th on after batting .400 to that point. His first season was still impressive nonetheless.

Manny would make eight All-Star Games, have four top six MVP finishes, win a batting title and a home run crown while in Boston. He also added World Series MVP to his résumé in 2004. In his first six seasons with the club, Manny averaged 39 home runs and 119 RBI per season while posting a .316/.416/.610/1.026 line.

Manny Ramirez follows through during the Red Sox 7-6 victory over the Angels at Fenway Park.

David Ortiz

After being released by the Twins in the offseason despite hitting 20 home runs the previous season, the Red Sox signed David Ortiz for just 1.25 million. It then took Grady Little forever to realize Ortiz was a lot better than Jeremy Giambi. Once finally given a spot in the lineup, David Ortiz raked. From July 1st on, David Ortiz hit 27 home runs and posted a 1.022 OPS. Ortiz homered twice in back-to-back games at Yankee Stadium on July 4th and 5th, games the Red Sox won 10-3 and 10-2.

Everyone knows what happened from there. Ortiz is arguably the most clutch player to ever put on a baseball uniform and arguably the greatest designated hitter. The city of Boston will be descending down upon the small town of Cooperstown, New York in a few years.

J.D. Martinez

These are the names Martinez has joined with his first season performance in Boston. With over 40 games left in the season, Martinez is leading the league with 37 home runs and 104 RBI while batting .332/.400/.666/1.066 as of this writing. He has a legitimate shot at the triple crown.

Honorable Mentions

There are a few guys who came very close to achieving a 30/100 season their first year in Boston. Others accomplished the feat in their first full season in Boston, but had spent a partial season with the team prior.

Vern Stephens hit 29 home runs and drove in 137 runs in 1948, his first year with the Red Sox. He then hit 39 and 30 home runs the next two seasons while leading the league in RBI both years.

Ken “Hawk” Harrelson was acquired in late 1967 to replace the injured Tony Conigliaro. His 80 at-bats that year preclude him from this list. However, 1968 was his only full season with the Red Sox. The year he hit 35 home runs while driving in a league best 109 runs.

Don Baylor was part of the Red Sox team that went to the World Series in 1986. He hit 31 home runs that year but fell six RBI shy of the 100 mark.

Nomar Garciaparra was a September call-up in 1996. In his rookie season of 1997, he fell two RBI shy of becoming the first Red Sox rookie since Walt Dropo in 1950 to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs.

Jason Bay falls in the same boat as Hawk Harrelson. Bay was acquired at the trade deadline in 2008 and posted an .897 OPS over the season’s final two months. 2009 was his only full season with the team, and he hit 36 home runs and drove in 119 runs.

 

Featured picture from overthemonster.com

Red Sox Players to Hit for Cycle

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Mookie Betts hit for the cycle on Thursday night, becoming the 21st player in Red Sox history to complete the feat. Needing a home run in the ninth, Betts fouled off a very hittable pitch and seemed to realize he had missed one. He made up for it, cracking a no doubter over the left field wall to collect his cycle. So who were the 20 players before him to get the cycle?

The Early Days

Buck Freeman was the first player to hit for the cycle in franchise history. Known as the Boston Americans when Freeman completed the cycle, Freeman accomplished the feat on June 21, 1903. He did so in a 12-7 Boston victory over the Cleveland Blues, or Cleveland Naps, depending upon where you look. The Cleveland franchise had acquired superstar Nap Lajoie the previous season and were beginning to be called the “Naps” after him.

Patsy Dougherty accomplished the feat not much more than a month after Freeman. Dougherty’s cycle came on July 29, 1903 against the New York Highlanders. Dougherty was in his second Major League season, one in which he led the American League with 195 base hits.

Tris Speaker hit for the cycle on June 9, 1912, becoming the first player to do so after the franchise became known as the Red Sox. One of the greatest center fielders of all-time, Speaker drove in three runs in a 9-2 victory over the St. Louis Browns that day. His batting average at the conclusion of the game was .405, and he went on to win the MVP Award that season.

Roy Carlyle hit for the cycle on July 21, 1925 in a 6-3 win over the White Sox. Carlyle hit his double and triple off future Hall of Famer Red Faber, and his home run off another Hall of Famer in Chief Bender. Carlyle only played two seasons despite batting .312 due to his horrible defense.

Moose Solters hit for the cycle in an 8-6 loss to the Tigers on August 19, 1934. Solters had a good rookie season that year but was sent to St. Louis the following season. Moose’s cycle came against General Crowder; got to love the old baseball names.

The 1940’s

Joe Cronin was the Red Sox player/manager when he hit for the cycle on August 2, 1940. Cronin was one of two Red Sox to drive in four runs and one of three to homer in a 12-9 victory over the Tigers. Cronin’s number four is retired by the Boston Red Sox.

Leon Culberson was a rookie for the Red Sox when he hit for the cycle on July 3, 1943. Batting leadoff, Culberson had the four hits plus a walk. His home run was an inside-the-park home run in the eighth inning of a 12-4 win over the Cleveland Indians.

Bobby Doerr’s cycle came in the second game of a doubleheader with the Browns on May 17, 1944. The Red Sox had won game one 5-1 but would actually lose the second game despite Doerr’s cycle by a score of 12-8. Doerr drove in two runs and scored three. He is a Red Sox Hall of Famer, a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, has his number retired by the team and is the greatest second baseman  in franchise history.

Bob Johnson hit for the cycle on July 6, 1944, less than two months after Bobby Doerr’s cycle. In fact, Doerr also had four hits in this game, hitting a double and a triple, but settling for two singles. Bob Johnson completed the cycle and scored four runs in the Red Sox 13-3 win over the Tigers.

Ted Williams hit for the only cycle of his career on July 21, 1946. Williams picked up three hits in a 5-0 win over the Browns during the day. In the nightcap, Williams hit his way around the bases, hitting for the cycle in a 7-4 win. Williams contributed seven hits during the doubleheader sweep.

Bobby Doerr is still the only player in franchise history to hit for the cycle twice. He accomplished it a second time nearly three year after the first, on May 13, 1947. The Red Sox pulverized the White Sox that day 19-6. Doerr hit for the cycle and Ted Williams homered twice in the destruction.

The Cycles Slow Down

Lu Clinton achieved the feat in a 15 inning game on July 13, 1962. Don’t worry; Clinton had already accomplished the feat before extra innings. He tacked on another single in the 15th inning, his fifth hit of the game which scored Carl Yastrzemski for the winning run. Clinton drove in four runs and scored four runs in the 11-10 Red Sox win.

Carl Yastrzemski hit for the cycle on May 14, 1965 in a 12-8 loss in 10 innings to the Tigers. Yaz homered in each of the first two innings, starting the night off with a bang. He finished the game 5-5 with five runs batted in, but didn’t have much help.

Bob Watson became the first player to hit for the cycle in both the National League and American League on September 15, 1979. Watson completed the feat in the ninth inning with a two-run homer as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 10-2 at Memorial Stadium. Watson batted .337 with 13 home runs in a partial season with the Red Sox that season before joining the Yankees as a free agent in the offseason. As Vice President of Major League Baseball, he would draw some attention of having a negative bias towards the Red Sox.

The 1980’s

Fred Lynn hit for the cycle against the Twins on May 13, 1980, becoming the second Red Sox player to hit for the cycle on May 13th. Lynn tripled home Rick Burleson in the bottom of the eighth to complete the cycle. It was one of four runs driven in by Lynn during the Red Sox 10-5 victory.

Dwight Evans sealed his cycle with a dramatic flourish on June 28, 1984. Tied at six with the Mariners, Dwight Evans came up with two men on base and two outs in the bottom of the 11th. He hit a walk-off three-run homer off Ed Nunez to win the game 9-6. One of the more underrated players in the game, Dewey is currently the greatest right fielder in franchise history.

Rich Gedman performed the feat on September 18, 1985. It’s not every day a catcher completes the cycle, let alone gets a triple. Gedman did just that however in a 13-1 defeat of the Blue Jays. Gedman’s triple came with the bases loaded in the fourth inning to put the Sox ahead 8-0. He drove in seven runs total in the game. Wade Boggs also had four hits as the Sox socked 18 of them on the day.

Mike Greenwell cycled on September 14, 1988. The Red Sox needed it, squeaking past the Orioles 4-3. The MVP candidate went 4-4 and scored three of the Red Sox runs. He homered in the second, then scored after his ground-rule double in the fourth. Leading off the sixth, Greenwell tripled on a misplayed fly ball and scored to put the Red Sox ahead.

The Last Twenty-Five Years

Scott Cooper hit for his at Kaufmann Stadium as part of a 22-11 rout of the Royals. In just the eighth game of the 1994 season, on April 12, Cooper went 5-6 with 5 RBI, doubling twice in the cycle. Read about the game and watch the video of his cycle here.

John Valentin homered in the first, tripled in the third, singled in the fourth and doubled in the sixth, all off Joe Magrane. The Red Sox beat the White Sox 7-4 on June 6, 1996. Valentin was 4-4 as he didn’t receive any other at-bats. Take a look.

Brock Holt became the first Red Sox to hit for the cycle in nearly two decades on June 16, 2015. Holt batted leadoff that day, getting three of his hits off Atlanta starter Julio Teheran. He tripled in the eighth off Sugar Ray Marimon to complete the achievement. The Red Sox beat the Braves 9-4.

Mookie Betts accomplished the feat just the other night, and it was seemingly just a matter of time. The Red Sox lost the game, but it is always fun to see someone on the hometown team attain this. Mookie’s homer in the ninth gave us joy during a loss.

 

Ted Williams Documentary Is a Smashing Hit

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American Masters aired a documentary on PBS Monday night to chronicle the life of Ted Williams. The film didn’t introduce any revelations, but they did have new color footage of Ted Williams homering in his final at-bat. Even without bringing anything new to light, the documentary was definitely worth a watch. Scanning film on one of the best hitters of all time and hearing people talk about him will never grow boring.

Playing Days

Ted Williams famously hit .406 in 1941, his third season in the big leagues. The film discussed the famous story of his refusal to sit out the final day of the season. Going into that final day, his average would have finished at .400 if rounded up. Given the option to sit and take the .400, Williams opted to play and proceeded to go 6-8 on the doubleheader, raising his average to .406.

Another famous story, which will never grow old, was when Williams returned from Korea. After not having held a bat in 456 days, Williams took batting practice at Fenway Park upon his return. After a couple line drives, Williams started launching home run after home run. At one point, he homered on 13 consecutive swings. When he returned to the playing field, Williams batted .407 and hit 13 home runs in only 91 at-bats. His OPS was an astounding 1.410. All of this was accomplished after just coming back from fighting a war.

The Final At Bat – In Color

Williams played injured in 1959 and had the only poor season of his career. Not wanting to end his career like that, Williams was determined to come back. When Tom Yawkey offered him the same pay, Williams rejected it and said he hadn’t earned it with his play, insisting on a pay cut. Can you imagine any modern player arguing for a pay cut? Williams proceeded to have an excellent season in 1960, on way to his best HR/AB ratio of his career. In his final major league game, the weather was cold and dreary and the balls weren’t traveling well. Williams had two deep fly outs in the game that likely would have cleared the fence on a warmer, dryer day. In his final at-bat, he rocked a homer. This documentary aired never before seen color footage of that home run.

Lasting Legacy

Williams was a proponent of hitting fly balls and being selective at the plate. The modern “fly ball revolution,” as it’s been termed, can be traced back to Ted Williams. Wade Boggs was interviewed in the film and gave an interesting ode to Teddy Ballgame. Boggs was struggling his senior season. He then read Ted Williams book, “The Science of Hitting.” After reading that book, Boggs batted .485 the rest of the season and was drafted by the Red Sox.

When Williams was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1966, he included in his speech notes about great Negro League players and why he hoped to see them join him in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The people at the Hall of Fame saw these notes ahead of time and asked him not to read them when he spoke. However, Williams didn’t listen. He championed the great Negro League players during his induction speech and within a few years, some of them were elected.

Ted Williams giving his Hall of Fame speech in 1966.

Personal Life

The documentary covered what a difficult person Williams was to live with. He didn’t treat his wives very well, he wasn’t a tenderly parent, and he mostly did his own thing. However, it also showed what a good person he could be. The most touching part of the film was the stories of visiting sick kids at the hospital. Teddy Ballgame refused to allow the press acknowledge his presence at these visits, which speaks to his true character. Williams always donated generously to the Jimmy Fund and visited the sick children. There was one story in particular that stood out; one day when visiting a sick child, the child gripped Ted’s finger and wouldn’t let go. Instead of forcing himself away, Williams had a nurse pull up a cot for him and he stayed by the child’s side, letting the child hold his finger until he fell asleep.

Working off of that, Williams would often go to fellow retired ballplayers, asking for donations to the Jimmy Fund. If one happened to be down on their luck, Williams would ask that they just write a ten dollar check. Once he had the check, Williams would take the account numbers from the check and have $1000 deposited into their account.

An Odd Interview

There was a peculiar moment caught on camera with Ted Williams’ daughter, Cindy. An interview with her on many topics was included in several instances of the film. She always looked into the camera, answering questions and telling stories. However, when asked about and then discussing Ted Williams “wanting” to be frozen, she never looked at the camera. The whole time she spoke, she gazed downward at the table and at her hands. It certainly gave one pause. Could there be an untold story here?

Overall Grade

The documentary was as enlightening as it was entertaining. While much of the famed folklore was recounted, some interesting glances into Williams’ personal psychic were also allowed. For any Red Sox fan, it’s a must-see. For any baseball fans, it’s a must see. Once again, the story of the greatest hitter who ever lived has been brought back to life.

Final Grade: 4.5/5 stars

Top 10 Red Sox All-Stars in Franchise History (Players 5-1) (@ELJGON)

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Yesterday it was announced that Chris Sale will be starting for the AL team and will be joined by his teammates Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez in the starting lineup. Of course, Mitch Moreland and Craig Kimbrel will likely make an appearance as well, but there is no doubt that the Boston Red Sox are well represented in this seasons Mid-Summer Classic. My first installment of this list, which consisted of the top ten through six ranked all franchise All-Stars had some great names on it. However, we are getting to the top five All-Stars in Red Sox history.

5-1999-all-star-game

5. Pedro Martinez (98, 99, 00, 02)

Originally I thought Joe Cronin belonged in this spot. However, I spent some time thinking and this is the right choice. Everyone knows Martinez as one of the most dominant pitchers to ever live and made a living out of making batters look silly. However, in 1999, he did something spectacular. Sure, he started the All-Star game as many pitchers typically do. This instance is more about the way he started it. He struck out five out of six batters faced over two innings. Those batters were Barry Larkin, Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Jeff Bagwell. In what is considered one of the best All-Star Game performances of all-time. He also won the ASG MVP after that game. When talking about franchise All-Stars, Pedro must be mentioned.

bobby-doerr-hall-of-fame-second-baseman-boston-red-sox

4. Bobby Doerr (41, 42, 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 50, 51, 88**)

All-time Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr was no stranger to the All Star Game, having started in five of them for the AL. The Red Sox purchased Doerr for $75,000 in 1935 and started for the team when he was 19 years old. A lifetime batter of .288 with 2042 hits, Doerr spent all 14 seasons of his career with the Red Sox. Doerr most likely would have been an All-Star in 1945, but he opted to join the Army instead. After serving his country he returned to the club in 1946 and, despite a dip in batting average, drove in 116 runs. Bobby Doerr sadly passed away at the age of 99 on November 14th 2017, but his legend will be remembered always.

ortiz-1st-base-06

3. David Ortiz (04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 16)

What’s a Boston Red Sox top ten list without David Ortiz? Everyone knows the huggable slugger and Yankee killer that Ortiz became. He always had an overpowering presence when at the plate, regardless of who his opponent was. He meant more to Boston than almost any other player in the franchise’s history. Ortiz has one homer and a .294 average in all ten All-Star games, including seven starts. However, his most memorable moment came during his last All-Star game in 2016, when he was pulled out in the first inning to a standing ovation and salutations from all of his major league peers. He even had a friendly exchange with former Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez, which makes all the more reason to get emotional.

1970 Topps Carl Yastrzemski AS MVP

2. Carl Yastrzemski (1963, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72,
73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 82, 83, 89**)

Yaz is probably second in everyone’s mind when it comes to best Sox players to ever live. The accolade is well deserved, as he had a lifetime batting average of .285 with 3419 hits and played all 23 seasons with the Red Sox. However, not many know of his All-Star Game heroics. Yaz hit his only ASG home run off Tom Seaver in 1975. He also robbed Johnny Bench of a home run in the 1969 All-Star Game and had a .294 average in 14 games. He represented the Red Sox almost as best as anybody else. Almost.

Ted Williams ALl Star

1. Ted Williams (1940, 41, 42, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)

Teddy Ballgame is the best hitter ever. His stats are mind-boggling (lifetime .344/.482/.634/.1.116), but these numbers carried over to the All-Star Game realm as well. Batting .304 with four home runs in 16 All-Star Games, he continued to make a name for not only himself, but for the Red Sox as well. In a roster that was just dripping in hall-of-fame talent such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio of the likes, he always stood out. Williams had a walk off home run in the 1941 All Star Game off of pitcher Claude Passeau of the Chicago Cubs. Adding to the fact that Williams also hit .406 the same season, this was just icing on the cake.

Williams would have probably had five home runs in All Star Games, but was robbed of a homer by Willie Mays in the 1955 affair. There was also the matchup against Rip Sewell in 1946, when batters would call his eephus pitch “nearly unhittable”. In true Ted Williams fashion, he ripped it out for a home run. Ted was truly one of the best to ever play the game year-round.

Italics = started ASG; ** = managed ASG

@ELJGON

75 Years Ago Today – When Ted Met Babe at Fenway Park at the July 12, 1943, Military All-Stars Game

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The Story Behind the Picture, a Conversation with a Player Who Was There

Seventy-five years ago, two of the world’s greatest hitters met in person for the first time at Fenway Park when the U.S. Navy granted Ted Williams leave to play on an armed forces team managed by Babe Ruth. The Fenway Park exhibition, where Ruth’s “All-Stars” faced Casey Stengel’s Boston Braves, was arranged to purchase eye glasses, leg braces and artificial limbs for war victims along with milk and food benefiting underprivileged kids.

“Hi Kid!” Sporting News clipping with Ted and Babe at the July 12, 1943, charity exhibition at Fenway.

Other military stars on Babe’s team included former Boston Red Sox “Dom” DiMaggio, a naval trainee, as well as 95-year-old George Yankowski, a former catcher with the Philadelphia Athletics who became an Army sniper and helped win the Battle of the Bulge.

Yankowski stood behind the photographer when the iconic homecoming photograph was taken in front of the Red Sox dugout. He said it was a “hot … hot humid day” with reporters and photographers hovering around Williams and Ruth like “ants on honey.” Yankowski recalled that Ruth was “drinking cold beer out of white pitcher.” That day Yankowski wore his woolen Fort Devens jersey and Williams returned to Fenway in his 1942 Red Sox traveling uniform, baggy from months of intense physical training as a Navy cadet. According to recent discoveries, the Bambino is dressed in a pin-striped Yankees uniform made by Western Costume Company for his role in “The Pride of the Yankees,” which is currently displayed at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit, Babe Ruth: His Life and Legend.

As Williams beams with an exultant smile, another behind-the-scenes story unfolds—most revealing of his humble character.

In mid-1943, war raged in the Pacific where Navy fighters gained the advantage over the Japanese in the skies. That summer, the 24-year-old slugger was spending three months on a North Carolina Pre-Flight Naval Aviation training base, drilling alongside his good friend and Red Sox shortstop, Johnny Pesky. In a Southern heat wave, cadets slogged through the most difficult ground training program in the world for pilots—tackling feats the best athletes would struggle to complete today.

Like Pesky, Williams’s second job at Pre-Flight School was to play baseball on command and though he was exhausted, and bug-bitten from hikes, and stressed from long hours of studying, he never disappointed the crowds—especially the kids.

During the war most fans assumed that players like Williams yearned for the limelight. While the military was careful to limit appearances of celebrity athletes, the Red Sox slugger insisted on being treated like every other cadet in a dog tag, shunning perks and special attention. When the All-Star invitation to Boston arrived, Williams initially expressed a desire to remain on base to focus on his work, proving that his passion for flying equaled his aspiration to become the greatest hitter who ever lived.

When Williams came home to Fenway the media blitz was tremendous. In sweltering humidity, he swaggered up to the plate before a youthful crowd of 18,000 fans and knocked the hide off the ball. That day Williams smacked three home runs in a pregame contest against Ruth, with 20-year-old Yankowski, crouched behind the plate as the catcher. Then the Splendid Splinter belted a tie-breaking homer ten rows deep into the center-field stands in the exhibition game where Babe’s team beat the Braves, 9–8.  When the former Philadelphia Athletic catcher got a single at that game, (which knocked in the winning run) Ruth put his arm around Yankowski, and in a husky voice, he said, “Nice going Kid.” When we spoke by phone this week, Yankowski said, “I’ll never forget his words if I live to be 100, which I very well may.”

In the color Fenway Park image carried over the wires, Sporting News, and military publications around the world Williams is tanned and in the best shape of his life, shaking hands with a declining Ruth, who leans on a bat. With packed stands in the background, and music furnished by the U.S. Coast Guard and Army bands, Williams realized that he would soon return to rigors of training. He did not know if he would live through the war or step foot in another major-league ballpark. But for a moment he was home.

During WWII, ninety percent of baseball’s professional players put their careers on hold to serve Uncle Sam—driving tanks, flying airplanes, and fighting the war in many other useful capacities to win the biggest game of all. Less than 45 major-league WWII vets remain with us today, including Cambridge native, George Yankowski, who resides in Florida, where a Bronze Star, a Combat Infantry Badge and the French Legion of Honor award are framed on his hallway of fame.

Ted Williams, who would celebrate his 100th birthday on August 30, 2018, came to symbolize America’s ultimate major-leaguer and Marine Corps fighter pilot serving in both WWII and Korea. Baseball fans will forever speculate what further heights Williams may have achieved in his baseball career had he not stepped off the diamond to serve his country. But perhaps it was Williams’s voluntary absence from the game, his tireless work ethic, and his ability to step back up to the plate as a humble naval cadet, performing as if he had never left Fenway Park, that truly defined Williams’s legacy of greatness.

 

Anne R. Keene is the author of The Cloudbuster Nine, The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win WWII. Dozens of major-league baseball players trained and coached at these special Pre-Flight Naval Aviation Training Schools along with George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John Glenn and “Bear” Bryant and other members of the Greatest Generation. Today, less than 45 major-league World War II veterans remain with us, representing a generation of players who paused their baseball careers to serve their country.