Ted was four for four and batting .4048. He could go hitless five straight times and still be at .4004.
On his final time at bat, he hit a ground ball deep in the hole, which was fumbled by the second baseman for an error.
Safely above .400 now, Ted still refused to sit out the second game. As he came to the plate against Fred Caligiuri, another rookie, the Philadelphia fans paid him a roaring tribute. He answered with another base hit, a ground single to right. Up again in the fourth inning, he blasted what Ted – and almost every Boston writer – called the hardest ball he had ever hit in his career, a line drive that streaked into right-center field, rising as it went, and was still on the rise when it rocketed off one of the loudspeaker horns on top of the wall. The ball came back onto the field, and Ted had to settle for a double. Connie Mack had to have the horn replaced over the winter, so badly was it dented.
Ted finally popped up, just before the game was called because of darkness. For his final day, Ted had come through with six hits in eight times at bat, to post a final average of .406.
Ted was twenty-three years old when the season ended. He was just beginning to come into his full strength. He knew the pitchers. Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby had hit .400 three times. George Sisler had done it twice. Joe DiMaggio had come close only two years earlier.
It was not looked on then as such a monumental achievement. There
was no sense that his was the last face that would be carved upon
Mount Rushmore, or even that a .400 batting average was going
to qualify as the Mount Rushmore of baseball royalty.
The
proceeding text is from chapter viii of Ed Linn's:
Hitter: The Life and Turmoils of Ted Williams by Ed Linn (A Harvest Book)
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Amazon.com Editorial Review
This
definitive biography of Ted Williams provides a balanced portrait
of the man, the ballplayer, the war veteran, and the hitter. This
last side of Williams -- the man in the batter's box, the last player
to hit .400, the Splendid Splinter -- is the most widely and fondly
rememebered. But Linn also gets beneath the varnish on the bat,
examining the Williams known by teammates and sportswriters as difficult
and moody. Finally, this is an assessment of a ballplayer who was
frequently ignored by the press, despite accomplishments the likes
of which we may never see again on a professional diamond.
The Authoritative History of Ted Williams Reviewer: Louis H Griffel from New Jersey - July 8, 2002
This
is an absolutely FABULOUS book. It details not only the career,
but also the life of the greatest hitter who ever lived. I am generally
not a big book reader, but I could not put this one down, reading
it in a little over a day. I guarantee that if you are a baseball
fan, you will love this book! -- This text refers to the Hardcover
edition.
The Authoritative History of Ted Williams
