Ted Williams

Ted Williams was a Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Boston Red Sox for his entire 19 season career. Williams achieved baseball's Triple Crown twice, in 1942 and 1947, and was the last player to hit over .400 in a season.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: August 30, 1918
2. Birthplace: San Diego, California
3. Two-Time AL MVP
4. Achieved Triple Crown twice
5. Six Batting Titles
6. Nicknames: Splendid Splinter; Teddy Ballgame
7. 1966: Inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame
8. Died: July 5, 2002

Brief Biography

Born in San Diego, Williams claimed that at an early age he had expressed his desire to be the greatest baseball hitter who ever lived. After briefly playing on the then-minor league San Diego Padres, he signed with the Red Sox and made an immediate impact on the game. In his first season, in 1939, Williams led the league in RBIs. In 1941, Williams finished the season with a .406 batting average, and no player since has ever hit over .400 in a single season. He won the Most Valuable Player Award in the American League twice. Williams playing career was abbreviated twice by stints as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps, serving in both World War II and the Korean War. Williams finished his career with a stunning .344 career batting average, and 521 home runs. After retiring in 1960, he managed the Washington Senators from 1969 to 1971, and the Senators new incarnation in the Texas Rangers in 1972. Williams died of cardiac arrest in 2002, and upon his death, according to his final wishes and those of his children, his head was separated from his body and put into cryonic suspension at the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona.

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