Ted Williams

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Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager.

He spent his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War.

Williams, nicknamed The Kid, The Splinter, Teddy Ballgame, and The Thumper is one of baseball's finest hitters. Williams, a two-time winner of the American League's Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion, and a two-time Triple Crown winner, was a 19-time All-Star and a two-time champion.

He finished his playing career with a.344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a.482 on-base percentage, the highest on record ever.

His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was primarily in the live-ball era, and he currently ranks seventh all-time (with Billy Hamilton). Williams, who was born and raised in San Diego, played baseball all his youth.

He made the Red Sox's debut in 1939 as one of the sport's best hitters.

Williams had a.406 batting average in 1941, making him the first MLB player to bat over.400 in a season.

He dominated his first Triple Crown in 1942, winning his first Triple Crown.

During World War II, Williams was forced to stop his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. Williams earned his first AL MVP Award and appeared in his first World Series after returning to baseball in 1946.

He won his second Triple Crown in 1947.

Williams was deployed in active military service for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War.

He was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth times between 1957 and 1958, respectively. Williams retired from playing in 1960.

In 1966, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

From 1969 to 1972, Williams was the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise.

He produced a television show on fishing and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame.

Williams' participation in the Jimmy Fund raised millions of dollars for cancer care and education.

President George H. Bush awarded Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991, the highest civilian award bestowed by the US government.

In 1997, he was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team and the 1999 Major League Baseball All-Centure Team.

Early life

On August 30, 1918, Williams was born in San Diego and named Theodore Samuel Williams after former president Theodore Roosevelt as well as his father, Samuel Stuart Williams. He later modified his birth certificate, deleting his middle name, despite the fact that he came from a maternal uncle (who had been killed in World War I). His father, a soldier, sheriff, and photographer from Ardsley, New York, was a soldier, photographer, and photographer, while his mother, May Venzor, a Spanish-Mexico-American from El Paso, Texas, was a soldier and lifelong soldier in the Salvation Army. Williams remembered his mother's long hours in the Salvation Army, and Williams and his brother were horrified when they returned to the Army's street cornerer revivals.

Williams' paternal ancestors were a blend of Welsh, English, and Irish. Williams's ancestors, both Spanish (Basque), Russian, and American Indian roots were very mixed, with Spanish (Basque), Russian, and American Indian roots. "If I had my mother's name, I have no doubt I would have had trouble in those days" he said, despite the prejudices people had in Southern California."

Williams lived in San Diego's North Park neighborhood (4121 Utah Street). Saul Venzor, his uncle, taught him how to throw a baseball at the age of eight. Saul was one of his mother's four siblings, as well as a former semi-professional baseball player who pitched against Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe Gordon in an exhibition game. Pepper Martin of the St. Louis Cardinals and Bill Terry of the New York Giants were two of Williams' heroes as an infant. Williams graduated from Herbert Hoover High School in San Diego, where he played baseball as a pitcher and was the team's captain. He also played American Legion Baseball during this season, winning the 1960 American Legion Baseball Graduate of the Year award later this year.

Despite getting offers from the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees when he was still in high school, his mother felt he was too young to leave home, so the San Diego Padres joined him.

Personal life

Williams married Doris Soule, the daughter of his hunting guide, on May 4, 1944. Barbara Joyce ("Bobbi Jo"), Williams' daughter, was born on January 28, 1948, while Williams was fishing in Florida. They divorced in 1954. On September 10, 1961, Williams married Lee Howard, a socialite model, and they were divorced in 1967.

In 1968, Williams married Dolores Wettach, a former Miss Vermont and Vogue model. On August 27, 1968, their son John-Henry was born, followed by their daughter Claudia on October 8, 1971. They were divorced in 1972.

Williams lived with Louise Kaufman for a decade before her death in 1993. Cramer called her the love of Williams' life in his book. Her sons filed a lawsuit after her sons' death to retrieve her furniture from Williams' condo as well as a half-interest in the condo they claimed he had given her.

Williams had a great admiration for General Douglas MacArthur, referring to him as his "idol." MacArthur sent Williams a oil painting of himself with the words "To Ted Williams," not only America's greatest baseball player, but also a great American who served his country. Douglas MacArthur, your neighbor. The United States General Stores in the United States consists of four groups. Army "Army" is a service.

Williams, a Republican, was described as "to the right of Attila the Hun" by one biographer, but not so much when it came to Civil Rights. Although one writer had a liberal view on civil rights in the 1960s, another writer pointed out that he was way ahead of him on other cultural topics of the day, calling him "ultraconservative in the tradition of Barry Goldwater and John Wayne."

After Nixon lost to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 United States presidential race, Williams campaigned for Richard Nixon in Cape Cod, and after Nixon turned down multiple invitations from President Kennedy to meet together in Cape Cod, he turned down multiple invitations from him. He praised Nixon again in 1968 and as Senator George Kennedy's chief, kept a picture of him on his desk, regularly visiting the President while negotiating the team. Nixon referred to Nixon as "the greatest president of my lifetime" in 1972, including George H. W. Bush in 1988 (who also campaigned for in New Hampshire), and George W. Bush in 2000.

Williams was an atheist, and it influenced his decision to be cryogenically frozen, according to a friend. "It was like a religion, something we could have faith in," Claudia said, no different from the belief that you will be reunited with your loved ones in heaven."

Danny Williams' brother Danny and his son John-Henry died of leukemia.

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Professional career

Williams said over his career that he had aspirations to him, and that "There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who has ever lived."

Williams played back-up behind Vince DiMaggio and Ivey Shiver of the San Diego Padres in the (then) Pacific Coast League. Williams played with future teammates and acquaintances, Dom DiMaggio and Bobby Doerr, who were with the San Francisco Seals in the Pacific Coast League in 1936. Williams was on the lookout when Shiver revealed that he was planning to become a high school football coach in Savannah, Georgia. In 42 games for the Padres in 1936, Williams had a.271 at bat average on 107 at bats. When Collins was scouting Bobby Doerr and shortstop George Myatt in August 1936, he knew him, despite Williams' discovery of the Boston Red Sox's general manager, Eddie Collins, who wasn't aware of Williams. "It wasn't difficult to find Ted Williams," Collins later said. In a field of white cows, he stood out like a brown cow." Williams finally broke into the lineup in the 1937 season after graduating from Hoover High in the winter, when he hit an inside-the-park home run to help the Padres beat 32-0. The Padres captured the PCL championship, while Williams hit.291 with 23 home runs, while Williams earned the trophy. Collins, on the other hand, stayed in touch with Padres general manager Bill Lane, calling him two times during the season. During the winter meetings, Lane and Collins signed Williams to the Boston Red Sox and gave Lane $35,000 and two other minor leaguers, as well as two other minor leaguers.

Due to a flood in California that suspended the railroads, the 19-year-old Williams was ten days late to spring training camp in Sarasota, Florida. Williams had to borrow $200 from a bank to travel from San Diego to Sarasota. Williams was also dubbed "the Kid" by Red Sox equipment manager Johnny Orlando, who arrived in Sarasota for the first time, "The Kid" has arrived. Williams "the Kid" is still popular in Orlando 20 years, and the name remained with Williams for the remainder of his life. Williams was in big league spring training for about a week. Williams was then sent by the Minneapolis Millers to the Double-A-league. Williams was in the Millers training camp for the springtime when he collided with Rogers Hornsby, who had hit over.400 three times, including a.424 average in 1924. Hornsby, a Millers' assistant, gave Williams helpful tips, including how to "get a good pitch to strike." Williams, who also spoke to Hugh Duffy in 1894, Bill Terry, who hit.404 in 1930, and Ty Cobb, who said a batter should strike the ball, would follow a pattern.

Williams was a hit on Minnesota right away and quickly became the team's captain. In the Millers' first game of the season, he hit his first and second home runs, as well as his first and second home runs in his third game. Both were inside-the-park runs, with the second carrying an estimated 500 feet (150 m) across the fly to a 512-foot (156 m) center field fence. Williams later had a 22 game hitting streak that spanned Memorial Day to mid-June. Though the Millers finished in sixth place in an eight-team tournament, Williams was.366 with 46 home runs and 142 RBIs. He was awarded the Triple Crown by the American Association and came in second place in the poll for Most Valuable Player.

Williams arrived in spring training three days later in 1939, due to Williams' transfer from California to Florida, as well as respiratory issues, the former of which would plague Williams for the remainder of his career. Even though Chapman was hitting.340 in the previous season, the Red Sox cut right fielder Ben Chapman to the Cleveland Indians to make room for Williams on the roster in the winter. "Not since Joe DiMaggio broke in with the Yankees by "five for five" in St. Petersburg in 1936, has any baseball rookie been rewarded the national exposure that has been owed to Theodore Francis [sic] Williams," Boston Globe sports writer Gerry Moore joked. In comparison to Williams' number 5 in the previous spring preparation, Williams inherited Chapman's number 9 on his uniform. On April 20, he made his major league debut against the New York Yankees, going 1-for-4 against Yankee pitcher Red Ruffing. This was the only game in which Williams and Lou Gehrig were able to compete against one another. Williams' first game at Fenway Park was a double, a home run, and a triple, the first two against Cotton Pippen, who gave Williams his first strikeout as a professional while Williams had been in San Diego. Williams was hitting just.280, but he was leading the league in RBIs by July. Johnny Orlando, Williams' cousin, gave Williams a quick pep talk, reminding Williams that he could reach.335 with 35 home runs and 150 runs. If this all came true, Williams said he would buy a Cadillac in Orlando. Williams finished fourth in MVP voting with a score of.327 runs and 145 RBIs, leading the league in the latter division, the first rookie to lead the league in RBIs and fourth in MVP voting. He also led the AL in walks with 107, a rookie record. Despite the fact that there was no Rookie of the Year award in 1939, Babe Ruth named Williams as the Rookie of the Year, a distinction that Williams later stated was "good enough for me."

Williams' salary doubled in 1940, from $5,000 to $10,000. The bullpen was "obviously designed for Williams" with the addition of a new bullpen in Fenway Park's right field, which reduced the distance from home plate to 380 feet. Williams was then switched from right field to left field, because the sun will be less visible in his eyes, and it would give Dom DiMaggio a chance to play. Williams was eventually flummered in the order with Jimmie Foxx, with the hope that Williams would get more pitches to hit. Pitchers, on the other hand, were not afraid to walk him to the 33-year-old Foxx, and then to the 34-year-old Joe Cronin, the player-manager. Williams made his first appearance in 1940 at All-Star Game, going 0-for-two. Although Williams batted in at.344, his batten and runs batted in were down from the previous year, with 23 home runs and 113 RBIs. Williams sparked controversies in mid-August when he branded his salary "peanuts," as well as claiming he looted Boston and reporters, causing journalists to lash out at him, saying he should be fired. Williams said he had the "absolute joy" in 1940 when he pitched the last two innings against the Detroit Tigers in a 12–1 loss, allowing one earned run on three hits, while striking out one batter, Rudy York.

Williams fractured a bone in his right ankle in his second week of spring training, limiting him to pinch hitting for the first two weeks of the season. Williams' season would be based on his right foot, according to Bobby Doerr, who said it would put less emphasis on his right foot for the remainder of the season. In extra innings against the Chicago White Sox on May 7, Williams begged the White Sox to hold the White Sox because he was going to hit a home run. Williams' prediction came true in the 11th inning as he sparked a massive explosion to help the Red Sox win. Some claim that this was the longest home run in Comiskey Park ever, with others estimating it was 600 feet (180 meters). Williams' average gradually increased in the first half of May, and he started a 22-game winning streak on May 15. Williams batted.536, from May 17 to June 1, with his season average increasing to.430 on May 25 and then to.430. Williams was hitting.406 with 62 RBIs and 16 home runs by the All-Star break.

Williams placed fourth in the 1941 All-Star Game, defeating Joe DiMaggio, who was in the middle of his record-breaking hitting streak, having played in 48 consecutive games. Williams doubled up in the fourth inning to drive in a run. Williams was knocked out in the eighth inning of the National League (NL) as a leader 5–2 in the National League (AL) revival. The AL also trailed 5-3 in the ninth innings; Ken Keltner and Joe Gordon singled; Cecil Travis walked to load the bases. Billy Herman, who was attempting to complete a double play, was grounded to the infield and Billy Herman threw wide of first base, allowing Keltner to score. Williams homered with his eyes closed to win 7-05 AL with a score 5–4 and runners on first and third. Later, Williams said that winning home run "remains to this day the most exciting hit of my life."

Williams was hitting.402. Williams said that "just about everybody was rooting for me" to reach.400 on the season, including Yankee fans who gave pitcher Lefty Gomez a "hell of a boo" after walking Williams with the bases loaded after Williams had three straight hits in one game in September. Williams was cruising at.413 in mid-September, but a game from then on was halted for a point. He was batting.39955, which would have been officially rounded up to.400, in his final two games against the Philadelphia Athletics on September 28, a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics. Joe Cronin, the Red Sox's boss, told him he could not be on the final day, but he turned down. "I'm going to be a.400 hitter," he said at the time, "I want more than my toenails on the line." Williams went 6-for-8 on the day, ending the season at.406. According to contemporaneous game reports, critic flies were counted as at-bats in 1941; under today's guidelines, Williams would have scored between.411 and.419. After the game, Philadelphia fans came out to surround Williams, causing him to shield his hat from being stolen; his teammates assisted him in getting into the clubhouse. Williams also hit 37 home runs and batted in 120 runs in 120 runs, missing the triple crown by five runs, despite his.406 average.

Williams' 1941-19 season is often regarded as the best offensive season of all time, although DiMaggio is likely to receive the MVP award. The.406 average, which is his first appearance in six batting championships, is also the highest single-season average in the major leagues since 1924, and the first time a major league player has surpassed.400 for a season. "I had no idea" it would be so big," he recalled in 1991. Williams' on-base percentage of.553 and slugging percentage of.735 were both the highest single-season averages in Red Sox history. The.553 OBP was a major league record before being broken by Barry Bonds in 2002, and his.735 slugging percentage was the highest in the major leagues between 1932 and 1994. He hit 1.287 this year, a Red Sox record, in the major leagues from 1923 to 2001. Despite playing in only 143 games this year, Williams led the league in scoring and 37 home runs, and he came in third with 335 total bases, the most home runs, runs scored, and total bases for a Red Sox player since Jimmie Foxx's 1938 debut. Williams came in second in MVP voting, with DiMaggio winning 291 votes to 254, highlighting his record-breaking 56-game hitting streak and league-leading 125 RBI.

Williams was accepted into the service in January 1942, just over two years since World War II began, and was categorized into Class 1-A. Williams' primary advocate, Michael Williams, suggested that Williams consult the governor's Selective Service Appeals Agent, since Williams was the sole advocate of his mother, who argued that Williams should not have been reclassified to Class 3-A. Williams was reclassified to 3-A ten days later. Nevertheless, the public opinion was generally critical during the 1942 season, when only four All-Stars and one first-line pitcher joined military service. (Many more MLB players will join service during the 1943 season) (Many more MLB players will join service during the 1943 season)

Williams, and Williams, who had previously enjoyed Quaker products "all the time," have never been able to afford him before Quaker Oats stopped funding him.

Despite the difficulties with the draft board, Williams received a new salary of $30,000 in 1942. Williams captured the Triple Crown in the season with a.356 batting average, 36 home runs, and 137 RBIs. Williams also reached his 100th home run on May 21, his 100th home run. He was the third Red Sox player to reach 100 home runs with the club, following Jimmie Foxx and Joe Cronin. Despite winning the Triple Crown, Williams came in second in the MVP voting, losing to Yankees Joe Gordon. Williams said he should have given the Triple Crown more consideration, and he believed that "the reason I didn't get more attention was because of the time I had with the draft [boards]].

Williams, who volunteered in 1942, went on active service in 1943 and was designated as a Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps on May 2, 1944. After eight weeks in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the Civilian Pilot Training Course, Williams and his Red Sox teammate Johnny Pesky were also on the baseball team in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in pre-flight training. Williams was sent back to Fenway Park on July 12, 1943, to play on an All-Star team coached by Babe Ruth while on the baseball team. As Babe Ruth finally met Williams, she said, "Hiya, kid," the newspapers reported. You remind me a lot of things about myself. I love to hit. You're one of the best ballplayers I've ever seen. And if my record is ruined, I hope you're the one to fix it" Williams later said he was "flabbergasted" by the incident, because "after all, it was Babe Ruth." Williams scored a 425-foot home run to help the American League All-Stars beat the Red Sox 9-8.

Lt. Williams was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, waiting for orders as a replacement pilot on September 2, 1945, when the war came to an end. Williams played baseball in the Navy League while in Pearl Harbor. Joe DiMaggio, Joe Gordon, and Stan Musial were among the eight-team league players. Each game, the Army versus the Navy was a hit at the Service World Series in the United Kingdom. It was even better than the actual World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago Cubs last year.

Williams was discharged by the Marine Corps on January 28, 1946, just in time to start planning for the forthcoming pro baseball season. He joined the Red Sox in 1946, signing a $37,500 contract. On July 14, Williams had three home runs and eight RBIs in his first game as a doubleheader, and Lou Boudreau, inspired by Williams' consistent pull to right field, created what would later be known as the Boudreau shift (also Williams shift) against Williams, with only one player on the left side of second base (the left fielder). Williams walked twice, doubled, and grounded out to the shortstop, who was sandwiched between first and second base, ignoring the change. The All-Star Game was held in Fenway Park during 1946. Williams homered in the fourth inning against Kirby Higbe in the fifth inning, singled in the seventh inning, and led to a three-run home run over Rip Sewell's "eephus pitch" in the eighth inning, helping the American League win 12–0.

Williams had 38 home runs and 123 RBIs on the 1946 season, leading the Red Sox to a pennant victory over the Red Sox on September 13. Williams won in September 1–0, but in June, he became the first inside track in his Major League career, at 522 feet (153 m) and then recognized with a lone red seat in the Fenway bleachers. In the MVP poll, Williams emerged as the king of the race. Williams was struck in the elbow by a curveball by Washington Senator Mickey Haefner during an exhibition game in Fenway Park against an All-Star team in early October. Williams was immediately dismissed from the game, and X-rays of his arm showed no harm, but Williams said his arm was "swelled up like a boiled egg." Williams could not swing a bat again until four days later, one day before the World Series, when he described the arm as "sore." Williams batted.200, going 5-for-25 with no home runs and just one RBI in the series. In the last game, the Red Sox lost in seven games, with Williams going 0-for-4. When asked what one thing he'd have done differently in his life, Williams replied, "I should have done better in the '46 World Series." I would, thank you very much." The 1946 World Series was the first World Series Williams to compete in.

In 1947, Williams signed a $70,000 deal. In 1947, Williams was almost traded for Joe DiMaggio. Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey and Yankees owner Dan Topping decided to trade the players in late April, but Yawkey demanded that Yogi Berra be transferred to DiMaggio the next day. Williams was hitting.337 in May. Williams won the Triple Crown in 1947, but Joe DiMaggio was named MVP in the MVP competition, down by 202 points to 201 points. Williams was left off the ballot by one writer. Williams thought it was Mel Webb, whom Williams referred to as a "gruesome old guy," but it now appears that it was not Webb.

Williams was one of seven major league players to have had at least four 30-home run and 100-RBI seasons in their first five years, as well as Chuck Klein, Joe DiMaggio, Ralph Kiner, Mark Teixeira, Albert Pujols, and Ryan Braun.

Williams was third in MVP voting in 1948 under new manager Joe McCarthy. Williams hit his 200th home run on April 29 in his 200th home run. He was only the second player to reach 200 home runs in a Red Sox uniform, alongside his old teammate Jimmie Foxx. Williams scored his 222nd home run against the Yankees on October 2, tying Foxx for the Red Sox all-time record. The Red Sox defeated the Yankees (to result in a one-game playoff against the Cleveland Indians) and Williams was on base eight times out of ten plate appearances in the Red Sox's final two games of the regular season. Williams went 1-for-4 in the playoffs, with the Red Sox losing 8-3.

Williams received a new salary of $100,000 ($1,139,000 in modern dollar terms) in 1949. He hit.343 (losing the AL batting title by.02 to George Kell of the Tigers, thus missing the Triple Crown this year), hitting 43 home runs, his career high, and driving in 159 runs, tied for the most in the league, and helping him win the MVP award in 84 straight games, an MLB record that still stands today. Williams made his 223rd home run in his Red Sox uniform on April 28, smashing the record for most home runs in a Red Sox uniform, surpassing Jimmie Foxx. Williams is also the Red Sox's most successful home run leader. However, despite being ahead of the Yankees by a single game before a two-game series against them (last regular-season games for both teams), the Red Sox lost both of those games. In 1949, the Yankees won the first of what would be five straight World Series titles. The Yankees won nine pennants and six World Series titles over the course of Williams' career, while the Red Sox never finished higher than third place.

Williams was playing in his eighth All-Star Game in 1950. Williams got a line drive by Ralph Kiner, slamming into the Comiskey Park scoreboard and breaking his left arm in the first inning. Williams played the remainder of the game, even singled out for a chance to give the American League the lead in the fifth inning, but by that time, Williams' arm was a "balloon" and he was in great pain, so he called it off. Both of the doctors who X-rayed Williams had no desire to recover fully. For two hours, the doctors were on Williams. When Williams first started his cast off, he could only reach his arm to within four inches of his right arm. In 1950, Williams played just 89 games. Williams' elbow hurt so much that he considered retirement, as he feared he would never be able to strike again after the baseball season. Tom Yawkey, the Red Sox's owner, then sent Jack Fadden to Williams' Florida home to speak with Williams. Williams thanked Fadden for saving his career later in life.

Williams "struggled" to finish at.388 in 1951, with his elbow already hurting. Williams also appeared in 148 games, 60 more than Williams had played in the previous season, 30 home runs, two more than he had reached in 1950, and 126 RBIs, twenty-nine more than 1950. Williams made the All-Star squad despite his lower-than-usual output at bat. Williams made history by becoming the 11th player in major league history to reach 300 home runs on May 15, 1951. Williams earned their 10th position on May 21 after beating Hornsby for ninth place, and Williams defeated Al Simmons for his eighth place all-time in career home runs. Steve O'Neill was fired after the season, but Lou Boudreau replaced him. All Red Sox players were "expensible," according to Boudreau's first announcement as boss, including Williams.

On January 9, 1952, Williams' name was selected from a list of inactive reserves to serve on active service in the Korean War. Williams, who was irate at his recall, had a physical exam scheduled for April 2. Williams completed his physical and technical preparations in May, after only playing in six major league games, began rehearsing flight preparation and qualifying before returning to Korea to serve. The Red Sox had a "Ted Williams Day" in Fenway Park right before he left for Korea. Williams' friends gave him a Cadillac, and the Red Sox gave Williams a memory book signed by 400,000 fans. Governor John Kerry and Mayor of Boston were on hand, as well as a Korean War soldier named Frederick Wolf who used a wheelchair for mobility. Everyone in the park erupted and sang "Auld Lang Syne" to Williams, a moment in which he later said "moved me a smidgeon." Private Wolf (an injured Korean soldier from Brooklyn) gave gifts from wounded veterans to Ted Williams. Ted choked and was only able to say, "OK boy" was the correct answer. The Red Sox won the game 5–3 thanks to a two-run home run by Williams in the seventh inning.

Williams trained with the Red Sox for ten days before playing in his first game and receiving a lion's cheer in the eighth inning. Williams was on.407 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in 37 games and 110 at bats in the season (not nearly enough plate appearances to qualify for the season's batting championship). Williams scored his 332nd home run on September 6, beating Hank Greenberg for his seventh all-time.

Williams fractured his collarbone while running on the first day of spring training in 1954 after a line drive. Williams was out for six weeks, and in April, he wrote an article for the Saturday Evening Post announcing that he planned to retire at the end of the season. Williams made the Red Sox squad on May 7, hitting.345 with 386 at bats in 117 games, but Bobby vila, who had hit.341, took the batting championship. Despite Lou Boudreau's attempt to bat Williams second in the lineup for more at-bats, it was still necessary that a batter need 400 at bats. With 136, Williams led the league in base on balls but didn't qualify under the rules at the time. He would have been the champion by today's (plate appearances) standards. The rule was modified shortly thereafter to avoid this from happening again. Williams won his sixth place on August 25, beating Johnny Mize for sixth place, and Williams defeated Joe DiMaggio for his fifth all-time home runs with his 362nd career home run on September 3. He had 366 home runs to start the season. After the Red Sox's last game of the season on September 26, Williams "retired" on September 26.

Williams was given the opportunity to lead the Red Sox during the offseason of 1954. Williams turned down, and Pinky Higgins, who had previously appeared on the Red Sox as the third baseman, was named team's manager. Higgins was hired as the Red Sox boss in 1955. Williams missed the first month of the 1955 season due to a divorce agreement with his wife, Doris. Williams signed a $98,000 contract on May 13. On the season, Williams batted.356 in 320 at bats, but Al Kaline won the batting championship over Al Kaline, who batted.340. While being named the "Comeback Player of the Year," Williams recorded 28 home runs and drove in 83 runs in 83 runs.

Williams became the fifth player to reach 400 home runs following Mel Ott in 1941, Jimmie Foxx in 1936, and Babe Ruth in 1927. Williams was suspended for missing a fly ball from Mickey Mantle on August 7, after Williams was booed for missing a fly ball from him; Williams was fined $5,000 for the incident. Williams was welcomed by a large ovation the next night against Baltimore, and he received even more when he struck a home run in the sixth inning to snap a 2–2 tie. The publishers created a "What Globe Readers Say About Ted" section of the Boston Globe in place of letters about Williams, which were either the sportswriters or the "loud mouths" in the stands. "I knew that people were for me from 1956 to 1970," Williams said years later. The writers had written that the fans should tell me they didn't love me, and I received the most ovation yet." In 1956, Williams lost the batting championship to Mickey Mantle.345 to Mantle's.353, with Mantle on his way to winning the Triple Crown.

Williams shot 3.388 to lead the majors in 1957, then signed a contract in February 1958 for a record-breaking $125,000 (or $135,000). He led the American League at 3.2 percent this season, his highest level in the league at 40 years old.

In 1959, Williams openly welcomed Green when Pumpsie Green became the first black member of the Red Sox, the country's last major league team to integrate—the first black player to join—in 1959.

In his last at-bat on September 28, 1960, Williams came to an end in his home run. After being recalled in left field by Carroll Hardy, he refused to salute the fans as he returned the field. This event is chronicled in an essay by John Updike for The New Yorker, "Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu."

Williams is one of only 29 players in baseball to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.

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