(born Aug. 30, 1918, San Diego, Calif., U.S.—died July 5, 2002, Inverness, Fla.) U.S. baseball player, one of the greatest hitters of all time. Williams began playing professionally at age 17. He became an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox in 1939 and remained with the team until his retirement in 1960.
Tall and thin, he was dubbed “the Splendid Splinter” but was also known more simply as “the Kid.” A left-handed hitter, he compiled a lifetime batting average of .344, the eighth highest on record. He batted .406 in 1941, becoming the last .400 hitter of the century. His career slugging percentage (.634) is second only to that of Babe Ruth. Williams is the only player besides Rogers Hornsby to have twice won the batting Triple Crown (best average, most home runs, and most runs batted in in the same season). Despite losing five years of his career to service as a flyer in World War II and the Korean War, he hit a total of 521 home runs, capping his career with a home run in his final at bat. After retiring as a player, he managed the Washington Senators (1969–72) and became an accomplished fisherman.
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