April 30, 1952. Ted Williams' last game before rejoining the Marine Corps. In his final at bat hits a two run homer in bottom of the 7th to win the game. Williams missed the 1943, 1944 and 1945 seasons while serving as a Marine pilot during WW2, first learning to fly and then serving as a pilot instructor.
Upon reentering the service in 1952, Williams was trained as a jet fighter pilot and sent to Korea where he served as wingman for John Glenn, flying 37 combat missions. On February 19, 1953, after his F9 Panther Jet was damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire, Ted managed to return to his airfield and crash landed, escaping without injury.
Glenn later recounted:
“(During his crash) he was on fire and had to belly land the plane back in. He slid it in on the belly. It came up the runway about 1,500 feet before he was able to jump out and run off the wingtip.
“Much as I appreciate baseball, Ted to me will always be a Marine fighter pilot.”
Williams was discharged on July 28, 1953. In his first appearance with the Red Sox on August 6 he popped out as a pinch hitter. Three days in his second at bat, also as a pinch hitter, Ted hit a home run to deep right field. In 37 games that season, Williams would hit .407.
Ted Williams missed most of five seasons due to military service during his prime years, ages 24 through 34. His first full season back in 1954 he was 35 years old. Over the next four years he batted .345, .356., .345 and .388. and hit a home run in his last at bat in 1960.
I wish we had more role models like Ted today. My grandfather met Ted fly fishing in Northern New Hampshire. I will always remember listening to a wavering signal on a transistor radio at a Maine beach as Ted was introduced during the 1999 MLB All Star game at Fenway. My Red Sox number 9 hat is my go to when working. RIP Ted and all of that generation that were the antithesis of this current "I'm a victim" psychology.
ReplyDelete