Is Ted Williams' on-base streak the most overlooked record in baseball? 

If Ted hadn’t missed so much time because of wars he would be talked about more as the greatest hitter of all time

Joe Sewell’s 3 total strike outs for one season with over 500 ABs is truly phenomenal and NEVER talked about!

I had breakfast with Mr. Williams AND Smokey Joe Woods brother in Keene NH...And went fly fishing with Ted for 2 hrs..What a blessing !! 1984

Most impressive record by Ted Willaims is 17 consecutive at-bats without getting out. Imagine going up 17 times, and getting on 17 times. Unreal

THANK YOU for showing some love for possibly the greatest hitter of all time. If only he wasn’t _ALSO_ an American hero who fought as a pilot in two wars and lost 5 years during his PRIME!

And William's OBP in 1949 (.490) was only his 8th best of his career, outside of service connected years.

Ted Williams was also a USMC fighter pilot in both WWII and Korea. A key to his aviation success is also why he was such a great hitter--20/10 vision.

Thanks for posting this; I didn't know what the record was, either. He started that season with a 38-game streak, followed by two straight games without reaching base, although he drove in a run in game 39. The successful pitchers were Bob Lemon and Early Wynn, respectively. Williams had only 6 of his 155 games in 1949--5 in June--in which he didn't reach base. The other pitchers to keep him off the bases were Red Embree and Chuck Stobbs of the Browns; Vic Raschi of the Yankees; and Ray Scarborough of the Nationals. He had an RBI in 2 of those 6 games.

You're right. I had no idea. 84 games in a row is mental!

Thanks for posting this. I was unaware of this record. However, I'm not surprised that Teddy Ball Game holds the record! My biggest thrill in baseball was meeting Ted Williams and having a conversation with him about hitting and both of us being Marines when I was in spring training many years ago. We spoke about Ted missing 3 full years due to World War II and the majority of 2 seasons due to the Korean War. I also asked him why he didn't tip his cap when he hit a home run in the last at bat of his career off of Jack Fisher in 1960. He said that he really wanted to, but he didn't. When I replied. "Why not?" He said, "Because I'm Teddy F------ Ballgame." It was hilarious! One more thing to think about is that Ted Williams won the Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947. He did not win the A.L. MVP Award. He finished second in the voting, just like he did in 1941 when he hit .406. In all 3 of those years, the MVP came from the New York Yankees. There was no one that knew as much about hitting as Ted Williams. He was "the Greatest Hitter that ever lived!"

I loved reading about Teddy Ballgame. I loved his blunt, no bs comments. I didn't get into baseball until about '65. But I always enjoyed reading about him and all the other all time bb greats. Now of course we have other sources. It always irked me when Joe D was announced as 'the greatest living ball player" at certain events. He lost 5 yrs of his bb life because of duty to his country. Think of the all coulda beens.

Williams was the best hitter ever. Great video!

I think baseball's most overlooked streak is Eddie Murray's 75+ RBI in each of his first 20 seasons. What makes it incredible is he was able to get to 75+ in 2 strike shortened seasons, '81 and '94, and also while he was on 2 of the worst teams in MLB history, the '88 Orioles and '93 Mets. He's the only player to accomplish this feat. Honorable mention to Kazuo Matsui's streak of hitting a home run in his first at bat of his first 3 seasons.

Williams went .371/.518/.695 during his run. In 1980, George Brett had a 72 game stretch where he went .453/.508/.725 and reached base by hit or walk in 71 of 72 games.

His .406 is more impressive than DiMaggio's hit streak. A Hit streak is like hitting for the cycle. Kinda flukey. A whole year batting over .400. That's impressive.

The man was a GOAT in Baseball and a badass fighter pilot in 2 wars ,like I said a GOAT!!!!

Great video, man! Glad I got to learn something new about the great game of baseball almost everyday, because of people like you. Thank you 🍻

I love this because OBP has always been my favorite stat.

Amazing! Was not aware of this. Ted was pure baseball. Thanks for the post. BTW, Please don't mention McGuire or Sosa in future posts.

Great video. Ted’s stats are incredible. Amazing what he did with all the interruptions in his playing career. And only two mvp awards. Both of his triple crown seasons he did not win the mvp. He should have had 5 of the things. I just wish there was more footage of him playing. Like that clip you have of him charging in and throwing the ball in. I haven’t seen much footage like that. The one where I believe he’s got those flip up glasses on. Haven’t been able to find much of him hitting, either.

Ted Williams was purely amazing! I agree this record should be right up there with DiMaggio's hit streak. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. Ted Williams is in my top 3 all-time greatest hitters and IMHO the smartest hitter ever hands down. If you are young high school player, read his book "The Science of Hitting" you won't regret it!

I can just visualize the comic box on the back of any American League pitcher's baseball card: "YOU, AGAIN! as he looks toward Williams a base. Ted was the greatest hitter I ever saw and I'm proud to have met him in 1983. His on-base streak came in my birth year which also pleases me. War hero, great ballplayer and critic of the Fourth Estate, he did it all.

Could Ted Williams repeat his feat batting against today's pitching? I say YES!

I'm surprised Ichiro didn't make a run at this at some point... that 262 hits season! Being in the lead-off on a good team, getting 700 plate appearances! But I guess he didn't draw many walks as he hit .372 but OBP was .414, which is to say he only drew 49 BB compared to 262 hits -- Williams had twice as many walks in those 84 games!!

That footage of the home run being hit into the second deck of left field at polo grounds was amazing. I don’t know how that’s the first time I’ve ever seen that footage

If Williams didn't miss all of that time due to military service he would have had all the records offensively and would have won a world series at least once. Sweetest baseball swing of all time...Williams and Griffey Jr

One day your channel is gonna blow up my guy youre the best and all these videos will make you money in back views 1000% chance

This IS a tremendous record, unlike so many "records" pulled from the behinds of so many (those being like Canseco's 40/40, which was used to hype it up). The only similar record to Williams is, for me, the most unbreakable of all. 40/.400, held by Rogers Hornsby. During the 1922 season, Hornsby hit .401 while amassing 42 HR. He almost reached it again in 1925, hitting .403 with 39 HR. Williams came close in 1941, hitting .406 with 37 HR. Ruth's closest was in 1923 hitting .393 with 41 HR. No one else even comes close.

I'm shocked Barry Bonds didn't beat this record when he was getting intentionally walked almost every at bat.

Ted Williams' on-base streak is not the most overlooked record in baseball to anyone who watches MLB Now on the MLB Network. Any time a current baseball player has any sort of on base streak, Brian Kenny whips the “chasing history” segment about Ted Williams’ on base streak.

of course it is Ted lol. who else could it be.

Short Answer: Yes, it is. I told Sean McAdam this a few years ago. It's crazy, and frankly more impressive than DiMaggio's. And Williams career was so much better than DiMaggio's it's not even worth debating.

Ted Williams had a better batting average during DiMaggio's streak. Also, in 1980, George Brett hit safely in 53 games in a 56 game stretch, batting .468 during that stretch.

Thanks for this! I grew up idolizing The Splendid Splinter based on stories my Dad told me about watching him play and anything I could get my hands on to read about him despite being born almost 2 decades after his career ended. I’ll never forget getting his autograph and how he looked me right in the eye and shook my hand even as a snot nosed little kid. I believe he was an even better man than hitter, and that’s saying something!

I feel like Orlando Cabrera is going to be an immaculate grid answer in a few days lol

We fans of the game are blessed to have had the privilege of seeing two of the finest pure hitters to ever grace a ballpark. The " Splendid Splinter " and " Joltin' Joe " did as much for the game as anyone, in a time when there were no TV contracts, no free agency, and no ESPN.

Great job. Thanks for doing this.

How come we never hear of this streak. To me it is just as impressive as DiMaggio's hit streak. Imagine going more than a half season reaching base in every game.

DiMaggio's record of 56 games was certainly amazing, but let's not forget that Williams batted 406 in that same year and no one has come close to matching that since.

Ted Williams was an amazing human being.

Great video. I must say, I did not know this.....ty for the content!

You should consider doing a video on Jimmy Rollins MVP season in 2007. His numbers are ridiculous and the fact he did it with more plate appearances in a season than any ever has had is really impressive

You said that in 1999 we had "no way" of tracking every play-by-play of every game ever played, but that "now, of course, we CAN track that". How can they track it now? Great video!

Great stuff. Thanks for posting. Great RU-vid channel. Great RU-vid video. 🕺🏼💃🕺🏼💃

I run a fantasy baseball league and do a weekly trivia question. I asked who had the streak and how many games it was: only one guy got Williams right and none knew the number of games. I definitely didn’t know until I was searching for questions.

Post 1900 MLB. Babe Ruth 1921, 154 games, 177 runs scored. That's a record that remains obscure.

If I’m not mistaken Ted also reached first base 16 consecutive times

my jaw dropped when I saw this his OBP during the streak was only 36 points higher than it was over his entire career!

The man was like John Wayne in cleats. He's bigger than life in so many ways. You could write about (and books have been written about) just one part of about ten chapters in his life: War Two Fighter Pilot, Korea Fighter Pilot, Baseball, Manager, Salesman, Actor, Cryo Patient, and on and on. I first remember seeing him as the kind fisherman in The Baseball Bunch. Johnny Bench said, "That fisherman might be the greatest hitter in baseball history". As great as 84 straight games is, I still think DiMaggio's 56 is the more impressive of the two. It's a pure accident of mathematical improbability, something computers can't even duplicate with a million simulations of the season. It's that hard to accomplish. But, as the video said, Williams "only" had a .512 On-Base during this streak...in other words, it's just a typical day at the office for Ted. What a man.

Incredible content

Ted Williams spent some of his best playing years in WWII and in Korea. Furthermore, he played half of his games in a park (Fenway) that favored right-handed hitters. Imagine what his lifetime record would have been had he not gone to war in either of those two instances

Talk about plate discipline! If Ted Williams' goal was to walk down the street and have it said, "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived" - he came pretty damn close. DiMaggio was no slouch either: if I recall, Joe DiJoe had more home runs than strikeouts - like 325 to 323. Times have changed - and I believe the game is harder now - but guys like Williams and DiMaggio would have starred in any era.

The New York Press grabbed attention for DeMaggio. Teams were less likely to pitch to Williams, so a continuous hitting streak was tougher for him.

Also remarkable: Thumper’s .482 career OBP; getting on base nearly every other time he came to the plate. “Asterisk” guy Bonds wound up at .444 and he got 537 more walks, 281 more hits and played three years longer than Williams. Seven hundred homers was likely sans three years and two wars (in which he distinguished himself, particularly Korea). Of course if Ted had played then, the OBP might not have been as high, but .450 was not out of the question. Certainly no disrespect toward Pete Rose and Tony Gwynn, but Ted Williams probably was “the greatest hitter who ever lived.”

344 lifetime hitter who missed 4 years in his prime serving in the wars. His last at bat was a home run amazing player

Glad to see this posted . About time. 209 times reaching base in 84 games is !!!! But how many times did Joltin Joe reach base in 74 games ? " A walk is as good as a hit " was a refrain heard on the sandlots of mý youth. So how many did joltin Joe accumulate those are the numbers I'd Ike to further compare the two bb immortals .

Phenomenal record!

Very cool video it's hard to imagine getting on base that many times in a row

He and DiMaggio stepping in the box without helmets too.

THANKS FOR ALERTING US--

Subbed. More vids avout great ball players please

Regarding intentional walks, I think this anecdote is about Don Drysdale. I think it was somewhere on-line that someone said Drysdale would just hit the batter on purpose, rather than throw 4 pitches. I also heard that he once threw at the batter in the on-deck circle.

Ted Williams was a 'REAL AMERICAN HERO'. A baseball sports hero and a war hero as well. Makes me proud to be an American.

This might only be tangentially related but I think one of baseball's biggest problems right now from a marketing standpoint is the colossal disconnect between how organizations and players approach the game and how fans and media members do so; the latter is several decades behind the former in a majority of cases, I've noticed!

Yes. The most overlooked record. Thank you for this

Players are being taught to swing and try to hit it at a high launch angle as opposed to waiting out your pitch and being more selective

What might be even more amazing was his reaching base in 16 consecutive at bats streak!

Great video! New material is always needed. Crazy to think Orlando Cabrera has come the closet to Ted’s record. As a BoSox fan I got to see Cabrera up close quite a bit and he was never really known for his hitting/walking/getting on base prowess. I wonder if he even knows about this lol

Best hitter the game has ever seen.

Don’t give credit to “increased velocity” and better relievers. The reason hitters don’t approach this record now is because they aren’t good hitters. They try more for home runs than getting on base. They don’t care about striking out. If today’s hitters were so good, the league wouldn’t have had to ban shifts-good hitters can adjust, todays hitters couldn’t.

I'm surprised that Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs or Rod Carew didn't have on base streaks that would put them in contention for this title. These guys were renown for putting the ball in play and not having bad at bats.

Thanks for this... I'd always wondered (but never googled lol) the answer to this question... And, of course it was Ted Williams lol

Haven't heard of this until JUST NOW.

Nice video. Have you read the book: Summer of '49 by David Halberstam. I have, 3 times and not sure if he mentioned this streak. Great book, not to be missed. His other also. October 1964.

I admit today's 3 to 5 or more pitchers per game makes getting on base tougher than in the last century.

I remember when Mark Maguire broke Roger Marris' home run record. Mrs. Marris was in the stands and they asked her about the record being broken. She said the ballplayers are better today. The announcer said "Why do you say that?" / "Because in the past they didn't have a fresh pitcher being brought in all the time". / When a person is right - they are right!

Barry Bonds had an OBP above .600 in 2004. No one else has ever reached above .600 in the history of baseball.

I give this video a very rare like. I would like to see the acomplishments of the past brought to light. I believe that sports leagues should dedicate resources to researching contemporary accounts of historical games, and to be more accepting of considering the data from those eras. An example would be the NFL's refusal to accept pre-1982 sack statistics as official. They are well researched and can be verified, but the NFL will not accept them because they say there are too many gaps in the data because records from a few games can't be found or authenticated.

I get so tired of all the useless crap on RU-vid. With that said, I think this video was superb. Great content I can't easily find elsewhere and I learned a lot from it. Great job. 5 stars

Imagine what Williams would have accomplished if he had not gone to war.

Ted williams is the greatest baseball player of all time. just imagine if he didnt serve in world war 2 and the Korean War? his number would eclipse guys like barry bonds and hank aaron.

5:05 - "This _raises_ the question..."

Wow, impressive

Orlando Cabrera wow never would have guessed that may be a record in and of itself

DiMaggio made it 76 games in a row

....and Ted, Thank you for your service Captain Williams.

Este men con origenes🇲🇽🇺🇸

What’s the streak for most consecutive times to reach base?

What's overlooked is that he did that chasing hits, not on-base percentage and he rarely struck out.

As they teach you starting in Little League… “a walk is as good as a hit”.

Recency bias and people not knowing their history...i feel like Ted Williams should be mentioned more as possibly the greatest hitter of all time

probably, its insane, though the true most overlooked record is probably something i dont know

I read a Sports Illustrated article years ago in which there was an interview with Williams alongside Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly, both the latter being the hottest hitters at the time. Williams asked Boogs if he ever smelled his bat after a sharp foul ball. Boogs hadn't any idea what he was talking about. Williams told him that when he was on groove, he could smell his bat burn when he fouled a good fastball straight back to the wall/screen.

Im curious, how many games in a row did bonds have in 2001?

In 1941 when Ted Williams batted .406 sacrifice flies were counted as an at-bat. By today's rules, Ted Williams would have actually hit .413 in 1941.

People overlook that Fergie Jenkins had OVER 300 innings pitched and around only 40 walks per year!! I get tired of announcers saying what great control modern pitchers have.

Its like Miami Dolphins perfect season that will never be broken and ted williams record😁

It is absolutely shameful that there has never been a Funko Pop issued of this great man. Let your voice be heard: DEMAND A TED WILLIAMS FUNKO POP.

What is the record for most games reaching base? Some guys with 50+ in a row might've miss one or 2 games and started another streak.

Teddy Ball Game is the Greatest Patriot ever to play professional sports.