Contributed by: Davenport Sports Network
On September 28, 1941 The idea of his .39955 batting average being rounded up to .400 doesn’t sit well with Ted Williams. So, on the final day of the season, Williams refuses to sit out and risks his “.400” average. The 23-year-old Boston Red Sox cleanup-hitter raps his major league-leading 37th homer and three singles in five at-bats in the opener of a doubleheader against the Philadelphia Athletics, raising his average to .404. “The Splendid Splinter” doesn’t sit out the nightcap either, getting a double and single in three at-bats in a game called after eight innings because of darkness. He finishes the season at .406, the first player to hit .400 since Bill Terry in 1930 and the last to do it this century. He goes 185 for 456 with 120 RBIs. He also leads the majors with 135 runs and 145 walks while striking out just 27 times. Williams did not win the MVP in 1941, as Joe DiMaggio had captured the hearts of the writers with his 56-game hitting streak. Williams’ 1941 campaign is among the greatest of all time to not win the MVP – along with his astronomical average, Williams led the league in walks, runs, home runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. He even posted ten fewer strikeouts (27) than home runs (17).⚾️
