Philly Front Office

On Fridays, I like to have fun with an interesting non-Philly story. Recently in my literary travels, I came across something of an unoffical record. As cool as it is for a ballplayer to hit a home run in his final major leage at bat, did you know that one player actually did it twice? Pretty cool right? Wait, how is that possible?

The man was Ted Williams. Realistically, how could it be anyone else? As a little tip, if you are ever asked a trivia question involving hitting, Ted Williams is about as safe an answer as you could give. It’s because of stories like this one.

Teddy Ballgame

Williams and many others missed big chunks of their prime due to World War 2. Williams personally didn’t see combat and considering he was a pilot and a baseball player, didn’t really expect to. When he enlisted, there was a strong assumption that he would return to the field one day considering he was only 23 years old.¹

When the war ended, Williams had actually been shipped out to the Pacific and was about ready to see combat. Instead, he made it back to the field by 1946 and picked things up for the next 6 years. That’s when the Korean War broke out. When WW2 ended, Williams and all the other enlisted men had the ability to be discharged from the service. Most took the US Government up on the offer. Williams however struck a deal with the Marines to take a Reserve role on the handshake agreement that he would never be called again for active duty. In exchange, Williams would promote the military at events. The only problem was, when Korea broke out the promise was broken.

Not only was Teddy Ballgame a good recruitment tool, but he was also a damn good pilot. This time, he was definitely going to see combat and he had no idea when the war would end. At 33 years old this time, there was a very real chance that the greatest hitter of all time either wouldn’t make it back or would be too old to play if he did. Getting your skills back at 26 is much different than 36+. He started the 1952 season knowing that he would have to report to the Marines at the beginning of May but decided to play anyway.

Friday Fun: Baseball Quotes

On April 30th, 1952, the Red Sox played the Tigers at Fenway Park and Williams started in left field on what the Sox proclaimed as “Ted Williams Day.” Everyone in attendance was VERY aware that this could be their last time seeing The Kid. He didn’t disappoint. He singled in his first at bat, struck out on his second, and walked in his third. Then, he came to the plate with a man on in the bottom of the 7th with the score tied at 3. With the fans going nuts, he hit a Dizzy Trout pitch deep over the right field fence. Just like that, the showman gave everyone the best story of their lives and ended the career of the best hitter who ever lived.

Except, it didn’t. Williams went to Korea, flew his missions and was even shot down in combat. He survived but developed hearing loss from the incident. After a year and a half, he was discharged and cleared to return to baseball. He finished the year with the Red Sox and would go on to play 7 more seasons (he hit .337 with a 1.102 OPS during those seasons).

Still, his career had to end sometime. After 1959 had been the worst season of his career, he decided he could not go out like that and proclaimed 1960 to be his last. He managed to slash .316/.451/.645 in that final year at 42 years old. His swing and eyesight was still the best, but his body was getting old.

Friday Fun: The Best Hitter Alive

On September 28th, 1960 the Red Sox played the Orioles at Fenway Park and it would be the final game of Teddy Ballgame. He walked in the first inning, then flied out in the 3rd and 5th. When he came up in the bottom of the 7th, the crowd knew that this was it, the REAL final at bat. With one out, he took a pitch from Baltimore’s Jack Fisher and demolished it over the CF fence. At the end of the inning, he ran out to left field only to see teammate Carroll Hardy run out to him and relieve him of his fielding duties. He left to a standing ovation. It was now official, there would be no more at bats. The best hitter of all time had homered in the final at bat of his career…again.

Photo: That’s the real final HR

Stats: Baseball Reference

Inspiration: The Kid: The Immortal Life of Ted Williams

1. Another fun fact about Williams, he had two birthdays. For most of his life, his birthday was on October 30th. That’s what he told people and that’s when everyone celebrated. The only problem was that it was NOT his birthday. In reality, he was born on August 30th. When confronted about this late in his life, he simply said that he changed it. Most people can’t change their birthday, but Ted Williams can. When asked why he did such a thing, his answer was that his real birthday got in the way of baseball season. ↩︎