From the 1986 Old Timers game at Fenway Park, this is the three plate appearances made by Ted Williams in the game. Sadly, we were robbed of the Williams vs Mark Fidrych matchup by a pitching change.
We need to bring back the Old Timers games. I remember me and my dad went to one that Mantle was in, he was my dads favorite player. Never saw my dad cry before or after that day.
My dad brought me too a old timers game .. 67 Mantle was at 1st base his legs were shot but anyway my dad got the security guard to let me walk down to 1st row & slowly walk looking at Mick he never turned around but I’ll never forget that day for the rest of my life.
There was one other "old timers" plate appearance by Ted Williams in September of 1972. I happened to be in Boston on business and it was "Jimmy Fund" night at Fenway Park and Red Sox owner Tom Yawkey donated the gate proceeds for the Friday Night game to the Jimmy Fund. The Washington Senators were the visiting team that night and Ted Williams was the manager. There was a little hitting contest before that game with some Red Sox old times like Johnny Pesky and local Boston celebrities participating. At the end of the contest while the MC for the evening, a local Boston DJ as I recall, was wrapping up the night and thanking the crowd for coming, a chant started and grew in intensity until it became deafening and the crowd was pounding their feet on the Fenway Park stadium floor yelling in unison "We want Ted." I was sitting in Right Field and could see a large man walking back and forth in the dugout and finally he grabbed a bat and walked to the plate. It was Ted Williams. Recently retired Lee Stang was the pitcher and after a few pitches that Ted didn't swing at, Ted motioned to Lee Stang to put some zip on the pitch, which Stang did and Ted started to hit the ball like it was still 1960. A memorable night I will never forget. David
Arguably...the greatest hitter that ever lived!... he would have had all the records, if he didn't go to those wars.....he missed 5 years of his prime.
He was so much better than DiMaggio but Williams was a vet DiMaggio wasn't. In fact he never served. Besides, I would have loved to see him be able to get his 56 game hit streak when most of the vet ball players went to serve in WWII.
@@walterkoziol3822 DiMaggio served in WW2 & missed 3 years, rising to the rank of Sargent. He just never saw combat. Joe was a better all around player, excellent defense, but yes given his hitting Williams was even better. "So much better" likely betrays a fan bias, lol! And it would have been *easier* to rack up numbers like the hitting streak when many quality & great players-like DiMaggio-served their nation.
Yea, but he didn't really miss them. Ted was allowed to kill people with an airplane, that was probably the best days of his life.... excluding that week in Thailand with all that opium and those shaved boys.
@@ZDiddy7777 Whaaaa? Williams was a was hero in an actual justified war to not have the world dominated by Nazis, there is no reason to lie that he was bloodthirsty. And making up that he was a drugged out pedophile is supposed to be a cool joke? That is sick & cruel.
I remember Ted Williams when he was the manager of the Washington Senators and he used to take batting practice, planting balls over the right field wall in old RFK Stadium. Truly one of the best hitters the game has ever known.
Um, in 2019 due to cryogenics, I don’t think Ted Williams had a strike zone, or the ability to swing the bat. So he would walk every at bat, and once he arrived at 1st, he could be pinch run for. How exactly he would go about reaching 1st base unassisted is a bit of a mystery though.
B Modlin Sure, can. My question for you however is can you? I understand in 2019 Baltimore had a less than stellar year. I’m just piling absurdity on top of absurdity by pointing out the potential obstacles of assigning the task of DH to Ted considering his disabilities in the year 2019.
The Greek I can accept that your response was s joke. Why are you not accepting that my response was also humor? Maybe my humor was too subtle for y’all. I didn’t say your opinion was wrong and that you should keep it to yourself. Where did all of this negativity come from?
@Val Venus You're obviously in junior high....Why are you even watching a video about Ted Williams? Go watch Southpark, it's more at your level. Good day.
@Jeff -66 I did some calculations years ago and figured that had Williams not missed 3 1/2 seasons in his prime he would have finished with 660 homeruns, same as Mays.
@Jeff -66 Have you looked at Adam Dunn's career stats? He was a very productive .237 BA hitter. In Dunn's peak years he and his .237 average were more productive than Tony Gwynn's .338 average. Go figure!!!
@Jeff -66 I think it was four, if not another half or full season. I'm pretty sure it was five...right in his prime when he was hitting 35-37 HRs a year. He'd have been right at 700 HR and probably a couple points higher on already insane career batting avg, and slugging pct would've really gone up. DiMaggio missed three after the best start anyone had had in their first seven seasons. Never was quite the same for his last six, and more injury riddled.
he looked ridiculously comfortable at the plate for somebody who was 68 at the time, sure there throwing slow, but the guy hasn't hit in literal decades and he still looks like he knows the strike zone perfectly, he even roped 2 balls, even if they did end up being outs, legend.
Always liked the story about when he was managing the Washington Senators and got annoyed about the swings he was seeing during battle practice and grabbed a bat, laced a bunch of frozen ropes, and said *that's* how you do it. He could probably have DH'd another five years.
What a great player and patriot. I remember as a young kid, I was outside in the yard playing catch with my uncle when another uncle said hey, "Ted is about to bat". We immediately went inside to watch him on TV hit a homer at his last time a bat. What a great ending for a storied career. RIP Mr. Williams.
I saw an old timers game at Busch Stadium in the 90s and Bob Gibson hit a legit home run over the left field wall. Probably a cake pitch, but it was still cool.
@Mitchell Heath the fence is about 383 right there. 320'? Gtfo. Also, most 14 year olds cannot hit a baseball 320. Perhaps 14 year olds (and up) who play baseball, but that is a small minority out of 330,000,000 people.
Paul M His eyes tested at 20/13. Normal is 20/20. In effect, this means he could see an object at twenty feet that an ordinary person wouldn't be able to distinguish until it was moved to a distance of thirteen feet. He could pick up the ball earlier and with more definition than an average hitter, and combined with his analytical knowledge, he had a significant advantage. He was physically gifted, and he worked very hard to apply those gifts productively.
I used to love watching old timers games when I was a kid in the 1990s, those games came on Saturday nights and it was a great opportunity to see classic players in action.
Probably the greatest all around hitter who ever played the game. If you would give him the 5 years back he lost in WWII and Korea, and average a reasonable 35-40 Homer's for each of those seasons, he probably would've had 650-700 Homers. I mean, the guy won back to back batting titles at 39 and 40 years old!!!!!!
Saw him 56 or 57, plAYED HOOKEY That day, standing on 1st base, Jack Sandfor pitching and he threw a fast ball, Ted still waitng for the ball and as it crossed home plate he swung and the ball left the bat toward 2nd base but then it started up and wound up 400 feet in the woods. greaT Day for me, TL
Teddy Baseball. This man missed 5 seasons of Baseball while serving our country in two wars....and he still hit over 500 HRs!!! Arguably the greatest Baseball player of all time. And I'm a White Sox fan.
While attending his baseball camp in Lakeville, MA, I had the honor of meeting him, taking some tips from him, had a picture taken with him, and shaking his hand. He was as great off the field as on. A true class guy!
Ted Williams' first game was against the Yankees with Lou Gehrig. It was the only time they faced off as Gehrig retired ten days later. In the 2nd inning Gehrig lined out to Williams in right field, and later Ted Williams doubled and passed by Gehrig. As far as I know those two plays are the only time the two encountered one another.
Thanks for this. I really miss you old timers games. That was a time where one could watch their old Heroes still swing the bat and catch the ball and pitch. I saw Warren Spahn in The Dugout. That was pretty cool even though it was only his backside. He was one of the greatest pictures of all time in my book and I was never a Braves fan. He used to take it to the Yankees all the time back in the day when I was a Yankees fan.
I’m a Yankee Fan but you have to admit this guy is all world. Missed almost 5 years to military service otherwise would have been top 10 in hits when he left and well over 600 home runs. What is fascinating about his stats, and rarely mentioned is how they pitched around him. Look at his walk totals in his prime for 154 game seasons. It’s insane.
Can't remember his name but I think it was Curt Gowdy. But anyway he said that Ted Williams is the one who really is John Wayne. He went on to say Ted was great at anything he tried no matter what it was. And it's true some people are like that and Ted was one of them.
@@danfuller478 True, but had the war went on you can bet your life he would've! He wasn't happy about going but he was a real man, a real patriot, unlike the wimps we have today running around like a bunch of sissies!
The greatest trade that never happened DiMaggio for Williams . The short right field in Yankee Stadium and the Green Monster at Fenway . They both could have hit 700 home runs !
One drunken night it almost happened they agreed on the trade and the next morning they called it off that's when two men could make a trade over a bottle:-)
ANYTIME, anyone criticizes ballplayers such as Ruth, Gehrig or Williams saying nutty things like they couldn't play in today's game. I simply look at them in the eye and ask them do you think Aaron, Mays, or Mantle could play today and the answer is always a resounding yes! So then I throw it back at them and casually, albeit hard to explain, try and explain it here. You see, Williams played great, when DiMaggio was playing great, in turn DiMaggio was playing great when Gehrig was playing great for a few years before ALS took his life. And of course Gehrig was playing great when Ruth was playing great ... you see where I'm going ... they all intertwine. And Williams is the key because he played from 1939 on up to 1960. Guess who else was playing around that time, you guessed it, Aaron, Mays, and Mantle. And guess what? Statistically, I'm not going to get into the weeds here but you can go to Baseball-reference.com and check it out if you want to, as you can section off years to compare a players performance. Anyway Williams actually performed waaaay better in every single important sabermetric stat than Mantle, Mays, or Aaron. And note, to be fair to all, I only compared Aaron's second year, 1955 on up through 1960 because it would be unfair to add his rookie season into the comparison. I compared Mantle's from '54-60, and Mays from 54 to 60, in other words I was helping them out to get the most fair comparison. So the Comparisons were Aaron's vs. Williams 55-60, Mantle and Mays vs. Williams both from 54-60 because Williams or Mays didn't have anywhere near a full season prior to those years. Anyway if you believe Aaron, Mays and Mantle could play today then you better believe Ruth, Gehrig, and Williams would be able to perform today as well.
if you ask me ted williams is in the top 5 baseball players of all time, and i’m a die hard yankee fan. he lost about 4 years of baseball IN HIS PRIME while fighting in WW2. he would probably be all time leader in walks, rbi’s, maybe runs. 600-700 homers, 3,500 hits. i’d honestly call him the best of all time but it’s hard to prove without the numbers. definition of a ballplayer
@@jcedars4784 Dude Giants could sign Bonds in left field today and he would provide more value for them than any other current left fielder could. They would make back their money instantly through TV ratings, attendance, and merchandising. Not to mention he would have a better OBP than whatever left fielder they put out there. Doubt he's any sort of fantastic baserunner or outfielder now, but he bikes all of the time and is still a physical specimen at like 55 years of age.
I purchased a old book by Ted called “my turn at bat” while paying for it at the antique shop in northern Michigan,the old man ringing me up ,pointed to the lady standing next to him and said she used to go out with Ted Williams. Wow really? He used to take her to the movies and ice cream shop in Florida, that’s where she used to live. Later while reading the book he explained how he couldn’t stand going to the bars to drink after the games but loved the movies and had a weakness for ice cream! I thought that was pretty cool.
I was there for that game. I like how Williams, just as he did when he was a player, got right up close to see Lee Stange's pitches. Like he was saying, "What's Stange got today?"
Ted was 67 when this was filmed. Ted is one of only two players in history to win the triple crown twice. Ted in 1942 & 1947. Rogers Hornsby did it in 1922 & 1925. Ted turned 68 in August of 1986
I saw him play in an old timers game in 87. He doubled off the Monster in left-center. The ball actually hit quite high up the wall. It was his only at bat in that game.
Wicked cool video my friend. I'm not complaining and I appreciate the upload. But is your original copy fuzzy in audio like this one is? If not then maybe I can help you upload it with better sound. Again, I appreciate you uploading this.
I was there, my Dad took a photo of one of his at bats which I had blown up and framed. Williams, Pesky, all 3 Dimaggio's, and a host of other legends that day
That was the last time those three DiMaggio brothers were together. Vince died about six months afterwards. Joe had become a recluse after his playing days, with the exception of his TV spots for "Mr. Coffee". Dominic, the youngest, was the last to 'check out'. I don't know when Tom and Mike died. Mike took over his father's fishing boat; and Tom, the oldest, had the restaurant in San Fran.. There were several daughters, too.
Mark Uyehara I watched him play in an old timers game at Fenway the year after this video was shot. (Around May of 87). In that game he went opposite field and doubled off the wall. The ball hit quite aways up the wall. It was my very first time seeing a major league game. The Red Sox played the White Sox afterward. It was a great experience!!
We all know that Teddy Ballgame batted .406 in 1941, but what many people don't know is that if MLB had had sac flies in 1941 he would have batted .413.
@@MrHmg55 As we passed the Information booth at Fenway that day, I remember the buddy I was with saying we should go ask them when the Red Sox were going to win the pennant. Talk about foresight!
@@GMPGMP-jp5ut .... Many in the stands rushed up to the seats closest to the field, which blocked my view of batting practice, 'cause they were standing up..... selfish bimbos . . .
I went to an old timers game in 1982 that Ted played in...I was 13 years old...and don't recall what he did at the plate...but I DO remember him making a nice running catch in left field. I also believe Bob Montgomery hit a HR into the left field screen as well.
That Man was a Truly Great American!!!!!,A Veteran Fighter Pilot of Two Wars, WWII and Korea!!!,and The Greatest Pure Hitter in Major League Baseball History!,Imagine The Records he Would Have Set!,He Gave Up His Best Years to Defend The World From Tierney!!!!and Still Was The Best of All Time!!!!,A Man's Man!!!!!,One of The Best From The Greatest Generation!!!!!,Thank You Ted Williams for All That You Gave For America!!!!!!!!!
Awesome! This was my first ballgame. I think this was the last time Williams played in one of these. Rico Petrocelli hit a homer. As I recall, the Sox were playing Texas, and Oil Can Boyd was the starting pitcher. Good times.
My grandpa was a Yankee fan. I asked him who the greatest ball player of all time was and he said without hesitation, Ted Williams. That's all you need to know.
Lord Beasley Willie Mays, no doubt in the discussion but think of what Williams could have done if hadn't missed those years during the war, during his peak
If you think in terms of the 5 tools, it was Mays...His defensive ability and speed sets him apart from Williams...But in terms of just pure hitting stats nobody is even close to Ted. One thing people don't realize is the guy only had 7700 official at Bats. He also hit when the sac fly counted against your average...If he had only average speed he would have hit .400 3 times!..He won a batting title at 39! and missed hitting .400 that year by 6 hits!...How the hell do you do that?..
It was known around major league baseball during most of the time Williams played at the major league level that umpires would not call a pitch a strike if Williams did not swing at it. That's how much respect they had for Williams' eye for the strike zone. He wasa better fielder than he was given credit for, especially the way hehandled shots off the GreenMonster. He wasn't fast on the basepaths either. But he could hit and hit with power, and considering no team ever won a baseball game without scoring a run, Williams was likely the best of the best when it came to putting the ball in play safely and helping his team to put runs on the scoreboard. If I am not mistaken, he holds the career record for On Base Percentage, which is quite amazing for a fellow who hit over 500 homers. Not many players who hit for power and OBP.
he still is #1 in on base percentage. the first 9 on the list are left handed batters. of the first 20 there are 17 lefties 2 righties and 1 switch hitter in Mickey Mantle. 4 of the top 7 are huge power guys-williams ruth gehrig and bonds.
Wow, thanks for sharing! It's so fun to see le3gends like that, even years or decades later. I wonder if anyone has video of Bob Feller pitching in one in the '90s or later. (Edit: Found 1990 CLE-DET - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QaIe4aquLrg.html ) I was in Clearwater for an Old-timers game in 2007 and the man lobbed maybe a dozen balls over the plate at age 88! My great uncle had seen him for his 10th birthday 70 years earlier!!! (I don't know what was more amazing - the look on his face when I told him about seeing Feller or when I got into on the game from what he recalled, went to Retrosheet, and printed out the box score for the game in August of 1937! A complete game win where he walked 5-6 and "hitters were afraid to step into the batters box against him, he was so wild.") He carried that thing around showing it to people for quite a while.)
