Information Density: Ted Williams Official – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

HomeRon Heaton2025-01-22T14:56:07-05:00
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Welcome to the Official Site of Ted Williams #9!
[IMG: Ted Williams Official]
Member MLB Hall Of Fame, 2x Triple Crown Winner, 2X AL MVP, 19x All-Star, 6x AL Batting Champion, #1 MLB All-Time Career OBP of .482, 4X AL HR Leader, 4x AL RBI Leader, 9x AL Slugging Percentage Leader, .406 BA In 1941, Career .344 Batting Average, Career .634 Slugging Average, 521 Career Home Runs, MLB Player of the Decade (1950’s), 5X The Sporting News’ Player of the Year, Member-Boston Red Sox (1939-1960), Presidential Medal Of Freedom Recipient, 5 Years Active Service (WWII & Korea) During His Baseball Career, Lifetime Supporter of The Jimmy Fund (Children’s Cancer), Avid Fisherman (International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame Member), and Author (The Science of Hitting).
AKA “Teddy Ballgame”, “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter”, “The Thumper”, and “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived”…
[IMG: Ted Williams Official]
Ted Williams Life and BiographyMLB CAREER/STATS/AWARDSLEGACY, INTERESTS & FOUNDATIONS
[H3] “A man has to have goals – for a day, for a lifetime – and that was mine, to have people say, (There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.)”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “God gets you to the plate, but once you’re there you’re on your own.”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “Baseball gives every American boy a chance to excel, not just to be as good as someone else but to be better than someone else. This is the nature of man and the name of the game.”
Ted Williams, #9

About Ted WilliamsRon Heaton2021-04-16T15:26:02-05:00
[H2] Ted Williams (1918-2002)
Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed “Teddy Ballgame”, “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter”, and “The Thumper”, Williams is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history.
Williams was a nineteen-time All-Star, a two-time recipient of the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion, and a two-time Triple Crown winner. He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage (the highest of all time). His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was played primarily in the live-ball era, and ranks tied for 7th all-time.
Born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. After joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport’s best hitters. In 1941, Williams posted a .406 batting average; he is the last MLB player to bat over .400 in a season. He followed this up by winning his first Triple Crown in 1942. Williams was required to interrupt his baseball career in 1943 to serve three years in the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II. Upon returning to MLB in 1946, Williams won his first AL MVP Award and played in his only World Series. In 1947, he won his second Triple Crown. IN 1949, he won his 2nd AL MVP Award. Williams was returned to active military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War. In 1957 and 1958 at the ages of 39 and 40, respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth time.
Williams retired from playing in 1960. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, in his first year of eligibility. Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1969 to 1972. An avid sport fisherman, he hosted a television program about fishing, and was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame. Williams’s involvement in the Jimmy Fund has continued to help raise millions in dollars for cancer care and research. In 1991 President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government. He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
[Source: WikiPedia]
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Overall MLB Career Statistics
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
TB
XBH
BB
AVG
OBP
SLG
OPS
FLD%
2,292
7,706
1,798
2,654
525
71
521
1,839
4,884
1,117
2,021
.344
.482
.634
1.116
.974
View More Statistics
[H2] MLB Career
At the time of his retirement, Williams ranked third all-time in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and seventh in batting average. His career batting average of .3444 is the highest of any player who played his entire career in the live-ball era following 1920.
Williams’s baseball season of 1941 is often considered favorably with the greatest seasons of Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. As a further indication, of the ten best seasons for OPS, a popular modern measure of offensive productivity, four each were achieved by Ruth and Bonds, and two by Williams.
In 1999, Williams was ranked as number eight on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he was the highest-ranking left fielder.
[Source: WikiPedia]
Read More…
At the time of his retirement, Williams ranked third all-time in home runs, seventh in RBIs, and seventh in batting average. His career batting average of .3444 is the highest of any player who played his entire career in the live-ball era following 1920.
Williams’s baseball season of 1941 is often considered favorably with the greatest seasons of Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. As a further indication, of the ten best seasons for OPS, a popular modern measure of offensive productivity, four each were achieved by Ruth and Bonds, and two by Williams.
In 1999, Williams was ranked as number eight on The Sporting News’ list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, where he was the highest-ranking left fielder.
[Source: WikiPedia]
[H2] Military Service
Williams served as a Naval Aviator during World War II (1942-44) and the Korean War (1952-53). Williams joined the V-5 program to become a Naval aviator. Williams was first sent to the Navy’s Preliminary Ground School at Amherst College, where he achieved a 3.85 grade point average.
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Williams served as a Naval Aviator during World War II (1942-44) and the Korean War (1952-53). Williams joined the V-5 program to become a Naval aviator. Williams was first sent to the Navy’s Preliminary Ground School at Amherst College, where he achieved a 3.85 grade point average. Williams completed pre-flight training in Athens, Georgia, his primary training at NAS Bunker Hill, Indiana, and his advanced flight training at NAS Pensacola. He received his gold Naval Aviator wings and his commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps on May 2, 1944.
On May 1, 1952, Williams was recalled to active duty for service in the Korean War. He had not flown any aircraft for eight years but he turned down all offers to sit out the war in comfort as a member of a service baseball team. Williams flew 39 combat missions in Korea, earning the Air Medal with two Gold Stars in lieu of second and third awards, before being withdrawn from flight status in June 1953. While the absences in the Marine Corps took almost five years out of his baseball career, he never publicly complained about the time devoted to service in the Marine Corps.
Honors: Air Medal with two Gold Stars, Navy Unit Commendation, Presidential Medal of Freedom, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with bronze star, World War II Victory Medal, Navy Occupation Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
[Source: WikiPedia]
[H2] Personal
Ted Williams was married three times (Doris Soule – with whom he had a daughter “Bobbi Jo”, Lee Howard, and Dolores Wettach, a former Miss Vermont and Vogue model – with whom he had a son John-Henry and a daughter Claudia). Williams lived with Louise Kaufman for twenty years until her death in 1993.
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Ted Williams was married three times (Doris Soule, Lee Howard, and Dolores Wettach, a former Miss Vermont and Vogue model – with whom he had a son, John-Henry, and a daughter, Claudia).
Williams was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966. From 1969 through 1971, he managed the Washington Senators and stayed on as manager when they moved and became the Texas Rangers in 1972. His autobiography, My Turn at Bat, written with John Underwood, was published in 1969. The two men also wrote The Science of Hitting (1971)—in which Williams described his famous swing, which was known for its speed and efficency—and Ted Williams’ Fishing “The Big Three”: Tarpon, Bonefish, and Atlantic Salmon (1988). In 1991, to commemorate his .400 season, the Boston Red Sox hosted a Ted Williams Day. After a brief speech, Williams tipped his cap to the cheering Boston fans.
Williams remained active and outspoken in baseball after retiring to Florida. Despite three strokes in his 70s that left him partially blind, he led a petition campaign to get Shoeless Joe Jackson into the Hall of Fame. In 1994, Williams established the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando, Florida, and established his own annual Greatest Hitters Award. The Museum is currently situated at Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1995, Boston named a tunnel under Boston Harbor after him.
In his last years, Williams suffered from cardiomyopathy. He had a pacemaker implanted in November 2000 and he underwent open-heart surgery in January 2001. After suffering a series of strokes and congestive heart failure, he died of cardiac arrest at the age of 83 on July 5, 2002, at Citrus Memorial Hospital, Inverness, Florida, near his home in Citrus Hills, Florida. Claudia Williams is his only surviving heir.
[Partial Source: WikiPedia]
[H3] “I hope somebody hits .400 soon. Then people can start pestering that guy with questions about the last guy to hit .400.”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “Hitting is the most important part of the game. It is where the big money is, where much of the status is, and the fan interest.”
Ted Williams, #9VIEW MLB STATS/AWARDS

Ted Williams MLB StatsRon Heaton2025-01-22T14:58:18-05:00
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Ted Williams MLB Stats (1939-1960)[Source: MLB.com]
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Career Statistics
[IMG: Ted Williams MLB Stats]
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MLB Awards
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Hall Of FameInducted 1966 – Boston Red Sox – AL
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Uniform # Retired1960 – Boston Red Sox – AL
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AL MVP1946 & 1949 – Boston Red Sox – AL
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Red Sox MVP1941, 1946, 1949, & 1955
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AL All-Star1940 – 1942, 1946 – 1951, 1953-1960  – Boston Red Sox – AL
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TRIPLE CROWN – AL1942 & 1947 – Boston Red Sox – AL
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PLAYER OF THE YEAR1941, 1942, 1947, 1949 & 1957
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AL BATTING TITLE1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1957 & 1958
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AL HOME RUNS1941, 1942, 1947, & 1949
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MLB Assorted RecordsNote: Ted Williams served in the Armed Forces (WWII & Korea) for almost 5 full seasons during his career, which makes his career stats all the more remarkable.
Wins Above Replacement – 6X (14th All-Time)  |  On Base Plus Slugging – 10X (2nd All-Time)
Slugging Percentage – 9X (2nd All-Time)  |  Runs Scored – 6X (20th All-Time)
Hits – 2,654 Career  |  Total Bases – 6X (25th All-Time)  |  RBIs – 4X (15th All-Time)
Walks – 8X (4th All-Time)  |  Runs Created – 9X (6th All-Time)
.406 Batting Average (1941)  |  .388 Batting Average (1957)
MVP Season – 142 Runs, 38 HRs, 123 RBIs, 156 BBs, 343 TBs, .342 BA (1946)
MVP Season – 150 Runs, 43 HRs, 159 RBIs, 162 BBs, 368 TBs, .343 BA (1949)
[H3] “Baseball’s future? Bigger and bigger, better and better! No question about it, it’s the greatest game there is!”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “Hitting is fifty percent above the shoulders.”
Ted Williams, #9
[H3] “If I was being paid thirty-thousand dollars a year, the very least I could do was hit .400.”
Ted Williams, #9

LegacyRon Heaton2025-01-22T14:57:57-05:00
[H2] Legacy, Interests, & The Jimmy Fund
[H2] Fishing
Whether fishing for Tarpon, Bonefish, Atlantic Salmon, or anything else that moved in the water, Williams generally hit a home run. His fishing prowess earned him a spot in the International Game Fish Association’s Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Whether fishing for Tarpon, Bonefish, Atlantic Salmon, or anything else that moved in the water, Williams generally hit a home run. His fishing prowess earned him a spot in the International Game Fish Association’s Fishing Hall of Fame in 2000. He became one of only three athletes to be inducted into two professional halls of fame–Jim Brown (Pro Football Hall of Fame and Lacrosse Hall of Fame) and Carl Hubbard (Baseball Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame). Notably, Williams has also been honored as an Inductee of the marine Corps Sports Hall of Fame, and the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame (where he played for the Minor League Padres). Williams also raised millions of dollars for cancer care and research through the Jimmy Fund. His overall contributions to his fellow man through athletics and charity work prompted President George H. W. Bush to award Williams the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991. While Williams would agree that all of the accolades bestowed upon him were magnificent, you must know by now that nothing meant more to him than fly fishing for Tarpon, Bonefish, and Atlantic Salmon near his homes in Islamorada and along the Miramichi River.
[Source: The Sports Historian – Read More]
[H2] The Jimmy Fund
Ted Williams was a hero in the ballpark, on the battlefield, and in the hearts of millions of children suffering from cancer. Famous for his extraordinary batting record during his decades-long career with the Red Sox, Ted also displayed heroism as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his tireless efforts on behalf of the Jimmy Fund.
Read More…
Ted Williams was a hero in the ballpark, on the battlefield, and in the hearts of millions of children suffering from cancer. Famous for his extraordinary batting record during his decades-long career with the Red Sox, Ted also displayed heroism as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his tireless efforts on behalf of the Jimmy Fund. Ted went everywhere to support the cause: American Legion banquets, temples and churches, Little League games, drive-in theaters, department stores for autograph sessions. Most memorably, he made countless visits to the bedsides of sick children at the Jimmy Fund Clinic.
As a kid, Ted dreamed of being a sports hero, but as an adult, he dreamed of beating cancer. His efforts over the years contributed to remarkable progress in the treatment of childhood cancers. When Ted started working with the Jimmy Fund in the 1940s, almost every child with cancer died. Today, three out of four children with cancer survive. “During his lifetime, Ted was uncomfortable when praised for all he did for the Jimmy Fund,” says Edward J. Benz Jr., MD, President Emeritus. “But, let me say now that his commitment to the Jimmy Fund and to the children facing cancer should go in the record books as among the most any professional athlete has done to advance a cause.”
“Ted signed on for life to the Jimmy Fund, helping make it the best-loved charity in New England,” adds Mike Andrews, former Boston Red Sox second baseman and chairman of the Jimmy Fund. “Ted’s name is synonymous with our battle against cancer.” Williams last visit to the children being treated for cancer at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic was in July 1999, just before Major League Baseball’s All-Star game at Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park. His first visit, and hundreds of subsequent ones, went unheralded, because as Williams said, “What I do for the Jimmy Fund, I do for the kids.”
[Source: The Jimmy Fund]
[H2] Legacy
Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 1966. In his induction speech, Williams included a statement calling for the recognition of the great Negro Leagues players: “I’ve been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson…”
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Williams was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25, 1966. In his induction speech, Williams included a statement calling for the recognition of the great Negro Leagues players: “I’ve been a very lucky guy to have worn a baseball uniform, and I hope some day the names of Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson in some way can be added as a symbol of the great Negro players who are not here only because they weren’t given a chance.” Williams was referring to two of the most famous names in the Negro Leagues, who were not given the opportunity to play in the Major Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. Gibson died early in 1947 and thus never played in the majors; and Paige’s brief major league stint came long past his prime as a player. This powerful and unprecedented statement from the Hall of Fame podium was “a first crack in the door that ultimately would open and include Paige and Gibson and other Negro League stars in the shrine.” Paige was the first inducted in 1971. Gibson and others followed, starting in 1972 and continued on and off into the 21st century.
On November 18, 1991, President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the US.
The Tampa Bay Rays home field, Tropicana Field, installed the Ted Williams Museum (formerly in Hernando, Florida, 1994–2006) behind the left field fence. From the Tampa Bay Rays website: “The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame brings a special element to the Tropicana Field. Fans can view an array of different artifacts and pictures of the ‘Greatest hitter that ever lived.’ These memorable displays range from Ted Williams’s days in the military through his professional playing career. This museum is dedicated to some of the greatest players to ever ‘lace ’em up,’ including Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris.”
[Source: WikiPedia]
[H3] “If it wasn’t for Ted Williams, I’m convinced that the Jimmy Fund would not be what it is today. He had made an impact, maybe more impact on fighting a disease than any other professional athlete in the history of this country.”
Mike Williams, Jimmy Fund Head
[H3] “Ted Williams realized his dream. He wanted to be known as the greatest hitter who ever lived and he was. No matter the score, people would stay just to see him hit once more.”
Plaque Honoring Ted Williams - Fenway Park
[H3] “All the bullets and all the bombs that explode all over the world won’t leave the impact, when all is said and done, of a dollar bill dropped in the Jimmy Fund pot by a warm heart and a willing hand. You should be proud and happy to know that your contribution will someday help some kid to a better life.”
Ted Williams, about The Jimmy Fund