Williams Wins 1957 Batting Title
Ted Hit a Remarkable .388 to Mickey Mantle's .365.
Ted Williams knew that time was running out. "I want this batting title so badly that I can taste it."
In 1957, Ted Williams, at the age of 38, batted .388, slugged .731, and hit 38 home runs in only 420 official at bats. It was a remarkable season by baseball's greatest hitter since Babe Ruth.
Williams Decided to Hit to Left Field
For most of his career, left handed hitter Ted Williams pulled the ball to right field. In 1946, when Indians' manager Lou Boudreau devised the defensive shift that placed three infielders on the right side of the diamond, Williams refused to alter his swing, but now, at age thirty-eight, Williams knew that time was running out. "I want this batting title so badly that I can taste it." Williams started to hit to left field, not too often, but often enough to keep the defense honest. It was a significant change.
Williams and Mantle Battle for the 1957 Batting Lead
In 1957, Mickey Mantle and Williams vied for the batting crown, with Williams leading most of the way, but with Mickey close on his heels. Wiliams was a slow runner who didn’t get many infield hits. Mickey Mantle was the fastest runner in the game’s history who got many infield hits. Mickey could bunt, which meant that the third baseman and first baseman would sometimes play in closer, making it easier for Mickey to hit a ground ball past one of them.
Mickey and Ted Miss Playing Time
On August 30, Ted's thirty ninth birthday, he managed only an infield single to barely stay ahead of Mickey, .3768 to .3764, but a few days later, Mickey went in front when he pinch hit a single. On September 6, Mickey was admitted to Lenox Hill Hospital with a case of shin splints. He had been playing with the condition for more than a month, which aggravated the condition. Mickey trailed Williams in the batting race, .376 to .369. Williams also had missed playing time at the beginning of September due to a severe chest cold. There were even rumors that he was finished for the season, but Ted returned with a vengeance.
Williams Clinches the Batting Title
On September 22 at the Stadium, Ted Williams saw fifteen pitches. Only one was a strike. Williams hit that strike into the right field stands for a grand slam home run. The next night at Washington, Ted walked three times, was hit by a pitch, and singled in his only official at bat. Ted was hitting .383 to Mickey’s .365. A less stubborn Ted Williams, who decided that occasionally taking a pitch to left field would provide the reward that he wanted so badly, won the batting race.
References:
- "Red Sox Triumph Over Orioles, 8-1 -- Crowd Cheers Williams on his 39th Birthday." New York Times. 31 August 1957, p.10.
- Daley, Arthur. "Sports of the Times; A Remarkable Effort Change of Direction." New York Times. 4 September 1957, p.45.
- Drebinger, John. "Williams Excels; Hits Grand Slam Drive in Red Sox' Six Run Second at Stadium." New York Times. 22 September 1957, p.203.
Ted Williams at Baseball Reference
Mickey Mantle at Baseball Reference
