When Did Ted Williams Play Baseball?
The great Ted Williams is considered one of the best baseball players of all time. Many fans wonder when he played the sport.
Early Life
Theodore Samuel Williams was born on August 30, 1918, in San Diego, California. He was the only child of Samuel Stuart Williams and his wife, Clara Bell Williams. Samuel Williams was a photographer for the San Diego Union newspaper, and he also worked for the city’s water department. Clara Williams was a homemaker. Theodore Williams was named after his maternal grandfather, Theodore Samuel Williams.
Born in San Diego, California
Theodore Samuel Williams was born in San Diego, California, on August 30, 1918. He was the eldest of three children born to Samuel Stuart Williams and his wife, May Venzor Williams. His father, a soldier in the U.S. Army during World War I, was of Welsh descent; his mother was of Mexican ancestry. When Ted was two years old, his family moved to San Bernardino, California, where he grew up playing sandlot baseball and dreamed of becoming a major league ballplayer.
Grew up in poverty
Ted Williams was born Theodore Samuel Williams in San Diego, California, the only child of Samuel Stuart Williams and May Venzor. His father, a shipyard worker of Welsh descent, had immigrated to America at age 18. His mother, of Mexican ancestry, had emigrated as a child. Ted’s parents divorced when he was only a year old, and his mother soon married Howard Titus, who brought Ted two half-siblings: Danny and Peggy. The marriage failed however, and Howard Titus died when Ted was four or five years old. May then remarried Claude Hattan, a physical education teacher and baseball coach who encouraged his stepson’s love of baseball and oversaw his early development as a player. Claude Hattan died in an industrial accident when Ted was nine years old.
Military Service
Ted Williams, who is widely considered one of the best hitters in baseball history, put his baseball career on hold to serve in the military during World War II and the Korean War. Williams served as a Marine Corps pilot and saw action in both wars. He flew a total of 39 combat missions during World War II and was shot down twice. In all, Ted Williams lost nearly five years of his baseball career to military service.
Ted Williams was drafted into the United States Navy in 1942, during World War II, where he served as a pilot in the Marine Corps until 1946. He Serve d two hitches in Korea and was recalled to active duty during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. He retired from the Marines with the rank of colonel in 1964. Williams holds the record for the most games played by a Major League Baseball player who also served in the military during wartime.
Served as a pilot in the Korean War
Ted Williams interrupted his Hall of Fame career twice to serve as a pilot in the United States Marine Corps. He missed nearly five full seasons while performing combat duty in World War II and the Korean War. Williams flew a total of 39 combat missions during World War II. He was awarded the Air Medal with 18 clusters, earned the rank of colonel, and was decorated three times by the South Korean government.
Major League Baseball
Ted Williams played baseball for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960. He was a left-handed hitter and is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time. Williams was also a two-time AL MVP and a five-time batting champion. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
Debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 1939
Ted Williams is considered by many to be the greatest hitter who ever lived. He played his entire 22-year career with the Boston Red Sox, from 1939 to 1960. Williams was a 19-time All-Star and a two-time MVP. He won six batting titles, and his .406 batting average in 1941 is the last time anyone has hit over .400 in a season.
Won the Triple Crown in 1941
Ted Williams won the Triple Crown in 1941, when he led the American League in batting average (.406), home runs (37), and runs batted in (120). Williams repeated as batting champion in 1942 and 1949, becoming the only player in major league history to win four batting titles in a row. In addition, he won the home-run title six times (1940, 1941, 1942, 1947, 1948, 1950) and the RBI title three times (1939, 1942, 1949).
Later Years
From 1957 to 1960, Ted Williams played baseball with the Boston Red Sox. After his playing days were finished, Williams became a manager for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins. Williams managed the Senators/Twins for four years, before resigning in 1968.
Retired from baseball in 1960
Ted Williams retired from baseball in 1960, with a batting average of .344, 521 home runs, and 1839 RBIs. He was the last player to hit over .400 in a season, batting .406 in 1941. He is considered one of the greatest hitters of all time.
Suffered from substance abuse problems
Williams\ homeless man in Boston
Suffered from substance abuse problems
Alcohol and drug addiction
Entered rehabilitation several times
In his later years, Williams became a homeless man in Boston, and he Suffered from substance abuse problems. He entered rehabilitation several times, but he was never able to stay sober for very long. Williams struggled with alcohol and drug addiction until the day he died.
