This lot is closed. Bidding ended on 12/5/2007.
Ted Williams was a larger than life figure who combined exceptional eyesight and patience with strength and determination to become arguably the best pure hitter in the history of baseball. When Williams came to the Major Leagues with the Red Sox in 1939, he made an immediate impact as he led the American League in RBIs, the first rookie to do so. On the last day of the 1941 season, Williams opted to play in both games of the day's doubleheader and got six hits in eight at bats, raising his season average to .406; no one has reached .400 since. Though twice interrupted by military service (five years, WWII and Korea) as a Marine Corps pilot, Williams had a glorious 19 year career with the Red Sox, appearing in 17 All-Star Games. He led the league in batting average, runs and total bases six times, and won the Triple Crown (1942, 1947) and the American League Most Valuable Player (1946, 1949) twice, in four separate years. Ted Williams retired from the game in 1960 and hit a home run in his final at-bat, on September 28, 1960, in front of only 10,454 fans at Fenway Park. At the time of his retirement, he had played in 2,292 games and had a career batting average of .344 with 521 home runs. Manuf: H&B, Model: W166, Length: 35 in, Weight: 32 oz, Wood: Ash, Condition: Uncracked, bat rack streaks on the right and top barrel, two small mounting holes on the knob and top barrel that have been professionally repaired. Bat shows no game use. The model number is stamped into the knob end. Accompanied by a LOA from PSA/DNA.