Williams, Ted (Theodore Samuel Williams), 1918–2002, American baseball player, b. San Diego, Calif. At the age of 17 he began playing professional ball with the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League. In 1938 he tried out with the Boston Red Sox in spring training, and a year later he joined the club as a regular outfielder. Except for service (1943–45) in World War II and again (1952–53) in the Korean War, Williams played continuously for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 until his retirement in 1960. One of the greatest natural hitters the game has ever known, he batted well over .300 in 1939 and in 1940; in 1941, besides hitting .406 to win the batting championship, he led the American League in home runs (37). In 1942 the tall, rangy left-hander, known as the "Splendid Splinter," was again top batter in the major leagues with a .356 average, while leading the American League in home runs (36) and runs batted in (137).

Williams, controversial to some baseball fans due to his generally abrasive personality and frequently abusive behavior, helped lead the Red Sox to a pennant in 1946. Although opposing teams often employed the "Williams shift"—moving fielders toward right field, where Williams customarily drove his base hits—he continued to lead the league in batting in 1947 with .343, in 1948 with .369, in 1957 with .388, and in 1958 with .328. Williams had a lifetime batting average of .344 and hit a total of 521 home runs. He managed the Washington Senators from 1969 to 1971 and remained as manager when the franchise became (1972) the Texas Rangers but retired shortly afterward. After his death, Williams' body was the subject of highly publicized litigation among his children. His son and a daughter had had his body cryonically frozen, but their half-sister, who dropped her lawsuit after several months, asserted that Williams had wanted to be cremated.

Bibliography

See his autobiography, My Turn at Bat (1970, repr. 1988), and The Science of Hitting (1972), both coauthored by J. Underwood; biography by L. Montville (2004).

Williams, Ted

orig. Theodore Samuel Williams

(born Aug. 30, 1918, San Diego, Calif., U.S.—died July 5, 2002, Inverness, Fla.) U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest hitters of all time. Williams began playing professionally at age 17. He became an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox in 1939 and remained with the team until his retirement in 1960. Tall and thin, he was dubbed “the Splendid Splinter” but was also known more simply as “the Kid.” A left-handed hitter, he compiled a lifetime batting average of .344, the eighth highest on record. He batted .406 in 1941, becoming the last .400 hitter of the century. His career slugging percentage (.634) is second only to that of Babe Ruth. Williams is the only player besides Rogers Hornsby to have twice won the batting Triple Crown (best average, most home runs, and most runs batted in in the same season). Despite losing five years of his career to service as a flyer in World War II and the Korean War, he hit a total of 521 home runs, capping his career with a home run in his final at bat. After retiring as a player, he managed the Washington Senators (1969–72) and became an accomplished fisherman.

Williams, (Theodore Samuel) Ted (1918– ) baseball player; born in San Diego, Calif. During his 19-year career as an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox (1939–60), he hit 521 home runs and posted a lifetime batting average of .344, sixth highest in major league history; his career total walks (2,019) are second only to Babe Ruth's. In 1941 he batted .406, a mark not bested in over 50 years. He managed the Washington Senators (1969–71) and the Texas Rangers (1972). One of the finest hitters in the game's history, he lost five years of his baseball career due to active military service as a combat pilot in World War II and the Korean conflict. Nicknamed "the Splendid Splinter," he was elected to baseball's Hall of Fame in 1966.