Ted Williams

American baseball player

Born: August 30, 1918 · Died: July 5, 2002

SportsFamous Persons

Who was Ted Williams?

Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. Born and raised in San Diego, Williams played baseball throughout his youth. He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a 1.116 on-base plus slugging percentage, the second highest of all time. His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was played primarily after World War II, and it ranks 11th all-time. After joining the Red Sox in 1939, he immediately emerged as one of the sport's best hitters.

Historical significance

He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed "Teddy Ballgame", "the Kid", "the Splendid Splinter", and "the Thumper", Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Williams was a 19-time All-Star, a two-time recipient of the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award, a six-time AL batting champion and a two-time Triple Crown winner.

Sources and further reading

Use the dated article for the day-specific account; use these references to check the event record and explore its wider historical context.

Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Ted Williams.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/ted-williams/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

APA

Ted Williams. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/ted-williams/

Chicago

“Ted Williams.” thisDay. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/ted-williams/.

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