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
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.
@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.
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?
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 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.
@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.
Wrong! Babe Ruth was a pull hitter with a short porch. Ted Williams was a pull hitter with long straightaway left field. Ruth had better players around him. Williams gave up FIVE years to military service. Please give an argument other than, 'wrong, r e t a r d'. Or can't you spell?@Don-rl1sm
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.
@@CazMas7777 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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!
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
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!!
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.
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.
@@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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@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 . . .
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
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 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, 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.
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:-)
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?"
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!!!!!!!!!
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 - th-cam.com/video/QaIe4aquLrg/w-d-xo.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.)
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?..
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.
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.
Greatest hitter in my opinion Musial #2. Gwynn #3. Cobb#4. #5Carew -- 5a. Boggs. Brett is in top 10. And Thank you Ted for your Military service Remarkable tough so unique and. What a Fisherman RIP Ballgame
Solid rankings. I've always thought Williams the greatest hitter of all time. Historical Statistical Relevance lists the greatest hitters (in terms of average) as follows: 1. Carew, 2. Hornsby, 3. Gwynn, 4. Williams, 5. Cobb, 6. Musial, 7. Boggs, 8. Dave Orr, 9. Nap Lajoie, 10. Pete Browning. Miguel Cabrera right behind. In terms of power, HSR ranks them 1. Ruth, 2. Aaron, 3. Bonds, 4. Mel Ott, 5. Mays, 6. Schmidt, 7. Reggie Jackson, 8. tie- Ted Williams, Frank Robinson and Alex Rodriguez. So combined average and power, nobody beats Ted Williams.
As far as pure hitting goes for the Modern Era that's George Brett, I have seen that said by many...I never saw him play but I take many of the experts word for it. Older Era Either Cobb, Hornsby, Or Williams probably.
I remember this game, you should have put Williams's left field catch in this video. He wasn't particularly known for his fielding and in this game it was one of his better plays. What's really great is left field was covered for 40 years by two players Williams and Yastrzemski. My dad watched Williams in his day and I grew up watching Yastrzemski. That's when baseball was clean.
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.
great info Carlton thanks. u have great data. hornsby ive read was a real historically great hitter. hes respected by me im gonna youtube him and watch. I love hitting did u ever see the video of Williams watching 16yr old Piazza hit in his home cage? in circa 1981
Sorry just now getting back on this thread after all this time. Never did see the video of which you speak, but I will look for it. I remember watching a show where Williams and Tony Gwynn were talking about hitting and Gwynn actually seemed relieved when Williams agreed with him on a certain subject. Gwynn knew if Williams disagreed with him then he was wrong, no doubt. It was actually funny and quite telling.
I'm thankful for getting to see two of the greatest hitters of all time during my life on earth in Pete Rose and Tony Gwynn. I feel cheated though in not getting to see Ted Williams career.
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.
Now that is a good pace/speed of game! There wasn't any stalling or posturing between either pitcher or hitter... Admittedly, would have wanted to see Mr. Williams place the ball into the stands, but it is refreshing to see how quick the at bats were.
If I was in right field I would have slowly turned around and JUST miss that fly ball. There’s no way in hell that I would make the final putout against freaking Ted Williams.
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
I've read about that one. It must have been great to see!
I would have had goosebumps if I was there. How awesome
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.
Yes they should do it again with David Wright and Derek jeter
Mick was all those guys favorite player. I’m from Indiana and you had to see the way my grandpa’s eyes lit up when he talked about seeing Mantle play.
Cool video. Don’t know why they had to run the vacuum cleaner during the broadcast though.
@Val Venus Offense taken.
@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.
GRB Major lol South Park is literally the funniest show on television. Boomer.
@Michigan fan sufisticated...
@Val Venus "Spilt"? "Offence"?
Why are you even watching an American game?
He could have be the clean up hitter for 2019 for the Orioles at age 68
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.
Mike White can you take a joke?
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?
That last hit was crushed for how old he was. Could you imagine if he could have put it out. The place would have gone insane.
I am sure the place would have erupted if he hit one in the gap.
About 350' yeah? That's a solid wallop.
Luke Appling once hit a home run in an Old Timers Game at the age of 72.
@@evrbody hmmm. He did?
@@jimspencer5746 Yup. You can find the video on here too.
.344 in 19 seasons. Plus he went to war... twice. That's just wow.
Even more impressive, career OBP leader, at .482. Also highest average for anyone with 500 HRs
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.
@@paulsimovich9157one of the greatest players ever. If not THE greatest player ever. Or of course. Hitter.
@@paulsimovich9157We needed him flying during those wars. Look up his combat record it’s impressive!
Once a hitter always a hitter
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.
you were one when this was on tv. Crazy you made the majors. I could only dream.
You already know.
3 plate appearances. 3 outs. I’m not impressed!
FLexxxtreme im drawing an idiot. stand still
He still has the highest lifetime On-Base Percentage at .483, reaching base nearly half the time he came to bat in his entire career! That's insane!
Billy Hamilton's career OBP is .293
@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
What happened to your comment about "sliding Billy Hamilton..."?
@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.
You can tell that his mind and spirit is still geared to perform, but his body wasn't quite able to follow. Best hitter that ever lived.
Give him back the war years and he hits 700 hr 3-500 more rbis and probably a few batting titles maybe a ring at that time? THE NATURAL
The National League's answer to Stan Musial, and vice versa.
Agreed. @@felixmadison5736
I SURE agree that he was the best hitter ever.
Wrong! Babe Ruth was a pull hitter with a short porch. Ted Williams was a pull hitter with long straightaway left field. Ruth had better players around him. Williams gave up FIVE years to military service. Please give an argument other than, 'wrong, r e t a r d'. Or can't you spell?@Don-rl1sm
Ted had 521 home runs and
missed almost 4 prime years because of WWII.
Correction, he missed almost 5 prime years, if you count WW2 *and* serving in Korea.
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.
@@CazMas7777 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.
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.
.344 career BA. That is insane
Julius Ulit he hit over .400 in 1941
.482 OBP is insane
His #'s could of been way better had he not missed 3 years serving in WW2.
@@theb3654 He actually missed 5 years...would have had 650+ homers easily and been the leader in most other categories
He was a compiler.
Ted was 68 then and looks better than my Mets now.
Jack smith I love my Yankees
Especially when facing little league pitch speeds.
Mets doing better now, I bet we could kick his 68 year old ass YEAH BABY LOOK OUT!!! :p
Jack smith That would have been impressive had you not said Mets.
Steven You probably love cocaine too.
I was hoping he would have hit a home run. C'mon, you were hoping so too.
Only reason I watched it....with that hope....lol
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.
@@TheFaithfulAtheist Luke Appling hit one in an old timers game at 75 years old. It might have been fences in a bit but not much. Its on TH-cam.
He went about 350' in the fly-out. That's further than 99.99% of the population can hit a baseball.
@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.
clicking this i never thought i'd see 3 outs.
68 and still hits one about 300 feet....best hitter of all time.
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.
If I was an ump and Williams took a pitch, I'd call it a ball. His eye is probably better than mine.
I read a story where Williams could read the lable on a record as it was going 78 rpms. WOW!!!
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.
Tom Hall his eye sight was 20/10
@@krosnest0713 That's amazing. Like seeing around corners. He certainly saw around curveballs.
He hit a home run once every 15 at bats or so. And never struck out over 100 times in a season. Ever.
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 agree. They should bring Old timers games back for sure
I totally forgot they used to do this!!! Love it! Wish they still did this.
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.
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!
He hit that last ball about 360 feet and doing so at 68 years old. That would have been gone in Yankee stadium. What a beautiful swing.
330
he popped it up not even close to a hit
FENWAY is the smallest park in MLB. Nice try
I was fortunate enough to see Ted play as a kid
stopthe BS you old fart
No body gives a fuck
@WesIsaLeo LOL! Thought the same thing!
Nobody with cellphones or cameras or any tech device. Just enjoying the game and the Legends.
Funny how I grew up in R.I . And hearing Ted Williams, Yaz, Orr ,Russell. Those were the days my friend.
Brady, Ortiz, Chara, Pierce ain’t bad.
Granddads favorite player. . . and he was in Central Illinois.
@@benjaminmorton9436 You forgot Bird.
thank you for the buzzing noise it was very enjoyable!
The best hitter of all time. He is the reason I've been wearing #9 every season since I was a kid
That's also why Robert Redford wore uniform number nine in The Natural.
@@robertboydiiido-bolsa7531 such a great movie
We need these back and televised.
Ted Williams and Ken Griffey Jr have the two best swings in the history of baseball.
Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio and Griffey, Jr ain't even close.
mark grace and will clark
Barry. Bonds.
Will Clark
Bonds and Williams.
That was thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks for posting.
Ted was a great fighter pilot WWll and Korea! Plus one of the best fly fisherman fresh and salt.
He did not see combat in WWII.
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!
@@danfuller478 yeah..so what's your point?
Just that he was still waiting for his assignment to the Pacific Theatre when the last out in the ninth was made on WW II.
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
Ted was old, fat and couldn't rotate his torso anymore but man, those hands were still lightning quick.
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!!
I liked how he ran the ground ball out to first.
@@ericjohnson9929 Wonder if anyone showed that to Manny Machado.
@suny123boy1 That was my point.
Ted Williams was an animal. Fought in two world wars and still came back to play major league ball. Just a monster of a man
Why isn't this a thing anymore?
Love the high quality audio!
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.
Maybe... maybe... the best hitter........ but best player was Babe Ruth!
Sorry you're a white Sox fan! I am, too. This season was the most painful.😢
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.
Same with Mays
And, when he was in the service he was an ace fighter pilot in the skies over Korea
I remember this game. Old timer games were always fun to watch. Now I'm an old timer.
Yeah, somehow I also became an old timer.
Lol! An old timers game today would be players from the late 90s early 00s ..
A bunch of juiced players lol
I’d watch!!
I'd still pay to watch bonds play! Not sure abt the rest of them, but bonds was the best player, juiced or not, ever!!
@@emr6153 LMAO. Yeah ok
@@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.
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.
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.
This is great!! Just realized I was at this game.
Jake Parsons you and 102,000 others. 😂
@@davidmackay2353 .... I was lucky in that I WAS there: Sat., 5/17/86.
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.
Really, wow, my hero too ted Williams
Where's that video? Would love to see it. I saw DiMaggio rip a line drive double off the wall at Shea in his last ever at bat. 1974 I think.
Wow, that must have been amazing. Nobody will ever touch DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. 56!
Would love to see that video but kind of amazed an Old Timers game from 1986 actually aired.
TW was an American Hero, not just a baseball player… He fought for our freedom….. A very rare man indeed…..!
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.
MLB needs to bring back the old timer games!!!!!! Love this!!!!!
He hit 29 homers his last season at the age of 42. He could have DH'd into his 50's today.
The Splendid Splinter Ted Williams the Greatest Hitter That Ever Lived!!
There is a video on here of 75 year old Luke Appling hitting a home run in an old timers game. Pretty cool.
Man, they need to bring Old-Timers game back period, nothing but Entertainment
A popup,a ground out,and a fly out.Still one of baseball's all time greatest hitters.
I was there at Fenway that day. It was pretty cool!!
I was there, too. The only other thing I remember about the game is Bob Montgomery's homer into the screen.
@@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!
Did Ted Williams and the rest of the old timers take batting practice that day? That would've been cool to see.
@@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 . . .
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
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 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.
Did you record this during an air raid?
would love to see a Yankee/Redsox legends game
what i would do for that foul ball he hit on the first base side.......lucky guy. wonder if he still has it?
Yeah from the late 1990s and early 2000s with the exception of maybe Yastrzemski, Guidry, Rice, (Definitely no Clemens or Arod ASSHOLES AND CHEATERS)
Cee Wills on The Legends are all gone the truly great ones at least
@John W I bet if we got a legit answer of how many guys doped back then it would be in the 70-80% range... they’re just the ones that got caught...
...with Torrez facing Dent
Good stuff. Why would anyone dislike this clip?
The splendid splinter! Awesome video
He was 68. That was considered old at one time now not so much.
The best hitter that ever lived.
Second best. Let's not forget Roy Hobbs.
Babe Ruth was the best, by far.
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.
Almost got that last one! 💕👍
Williams was 68 years old here ..... and was still very strong !
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:-)
Back in the good old days, when Ted had a head.
that one made me laugh, I always wonder if Ted gets ice cream headaches....
His head is up the street from me in Scottsfale
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?"
You could see him getting locked in a little more with each swing.
What classic to watch! Thank you 🙏
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!!!!!!!!!
1986 = good times.
70 yrs old. Almost hits it to warning track effortlessly. Man, it sucks to get old. When we gonna start treating age like a disease and cure it?
They need to do this old timer game again i think its awesome for fans and baseball.
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 - th-cam.com/video/QaIe4aquLrg/w-d-xo.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.)
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.
T C You're grandpa was completely wrong. Everyone knows it was Willie Mays
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?..
Yastrzemski was the best left fielder ever. Even Williams was ashamed that he hadn't worked on his defense as fanatically as Yastrzemski had.
Greatest of all time is Ruth. You people are crazy.
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.
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.
In 2018 his frozen head could still hit about .168
that's cold... like -50
Lol
Funniest thing I've read all day
If you thawed him, I bet he'd break the Mendoza line
ROBLOX VIDS 2 That’s insulting to Ted, even his head would hit over 200.
Greatest hitter in my opinion Musial #2. Gwynn #3. Cobb#4. #5Carew -- 5a. Boggs. Brett is in top 10. And Thank you Ted for your Military service Remarkable tough so unique and. What a Fisherman RIP Ballgame
Solid rankings. I've always thought Williams the greatest hitter of all time. Historical Statistical Relevance lists the greatest hitters (in terms of average) as follows: 1. Carew, 2. Hornsby, 3. Gwynn, 4. Williams, 5. Cobb, 6. Musial, 7. Boggs, 8. Dave Orr, 9. Nap Lajoie, 10. Pete Browning. Miguel Cabrera right behind.
In terms of power, HSR ranks them 1. Ruth, 2. Aaron, 3. Bonds, 4. Mel Ott, 5. Mays, 6. Schmidt, 7. Reggie Jackson, 8. tie- Ted Williams, Frank Robinson and Alex Rodriguez.
So combined average and power, nobody beats Ted Williams.
As far as pure hitting goes for the Modern Era that's George Brett, I have seen that said by many...I never saw him play but I take many of the experts word for it. Older Era Either Cobb, Hornsby, Or Williams probably.
David DeConinck I throw Pujols high on that list. Ah, what he was before injuries.
people always seem to forget about DiMaggio
Gwynn is crazy overrated in that list.
Great audio. Crystal clear.
I remember this game, you should have put Williams's left field catch in this video. He wasn't particularly known for his fielding and in this game it was one of his better plays. What's really great is left field was covered for 40 years by two players Williams and Yastrzemski. My dad watched Williams in his day and I grew up watching Yastrzemski. That's when baseball was clean.
That shoestring catch made by Williams was in the 1982 old timer game.
Love how he batted with no helmet. Splendid Splinter is one of the best ever to step into a batter's box.
Still had back in 86. Awesome
thanks for upload
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.
CooterCoy stfu
CooterCoy On a lot of old VHS the audio is the first thing to go.
@@felmin809 Think you could do the job better?
great info Carlton thanks. u have great data. hornsby ive read was a real historically great hitter. hes respected by me im gonna youtube him and watch. I love hitting did u ever see the video of Williams watching 16yr old Piazza hit in his home cage? in circa 1981
Sorry just now getting back on this thread after all this time. Never did see the video of which you speak, but I will look for it. I remember watching a show where Williams and Tony Gwynn were talking about hitting and Gwynn actually seemed relieved when Williams agreed with him on a certain subject. Gwynn knew if Williams disagreed with him then he was wrong, no doubt. It was actually funny and quite telling.
I'm thankful for getting to see two of the greatest hitters of all time during my life on earth in Pete Rose and Tony Gwynn. I feel cheated though in not getting to see Ted Williams career.
Exactly! Can you imagine seeing Williams and DiMaggio play in their primes? Huge Tony Gwynn fan here!
Love how he’s not wearing a helmet.
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.
I was at this game! Remember it well.
Really nice touch to have Warren Spahn in a BOSTON Braves hat.
Now that is a good pace/speed of game! There wasn't any stalling or posturing between either pitcher or hitter... Admittedly, would have wanted to see Mr. Williams place the ball into the stands, but it is refreshing to see how quick the at bats were.
What a city. Boston, Ted, Yaz, Orr, Bird, Russell, Ortiz, Brady.
.. But only the Celtics were consistent winners.. in any given era.
If I was in right field I would have slowly turned around and JUST miss that fly ball. There’s no way in hell that I would make the final putout against freaking Ted Williams.
Sounds like Ned Martin is doing the announcing .
My dad pitched in those days.
He says TW is the greatest hitter he ever faced.
What was his name
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Foytack
I would have to guess this is him given his son's username.
It's a shame they don't have old timers games like this any longer.
Fidrych was a Worcester kid - I bet that would have been a lifelong dream for him. What a shame - so close.
Fidrych would have to throw batting practice to him to be fair. Fidrych was what, 30, and probably could throw 80+ mph.
I was at this game......Was played before the regularly scheduled game of the day......To see Ted was something===