Ted Williams lived a remarkable life.
The former Boston Red Sox left fielder had his baseball career put on hold several times when he was called into active duty to serve in the US military.
Hall of Famer Williams lost close to five full seasons as a result of his service.
His professional career began in 1939 when he joined the Red Sox and emerged as one of the sport’s best hitters.
Williams’ quality on the field was demonstrated when he posted a .406 batting average in 1941.
He is the last player to bat over .400 in a season.
Williams’ .482 on-base average is the highest of all time, and he established himself as one of the sport’s greatest when, in 1942, he led the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted.
That would be Williams’ first Triple Crown, and he would go on to win another in 1947.
In the midst of being one of the best athletes in the country, Williams’ career came to an abrupt pause.
In 1943, he was required to serve in the US military, joining the United States Navy and Marine Corps during World War II.
Williams returned to baseball in 1946 and took no time getting back to his best as he won his first MVP award and played in the World Series.
However, Williams’ career came to a pause again when he returned to military duty for portions of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a Marine combat aviator in the Korean War
Williams returned to baseball in late 1953 and hit the ground running again.
In his first game back, he got a standing ovation from the crowd after hitting a home run in the eighth inning.
By the end of the season, Williams had hit .407 with 13 home runs and 34 RBIs in 37 games and 110 at-bats.
In the 1957 and 1958 seasons, at ages 39 and 40 respectively, he was the AL batting champion for the fifth and sixth time.
In 1960, Williams retired and was inevitably honored for his career in baseball and in the military.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.
In 1991, President George H. W. Bush presented Williams with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award bestowed by the United States government
He was selected for the Major League Baseball All-Time Team in 1997 and the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.
Baseball was not Williams’ only passion.
An avid fly and deep-sea fisherman, he was named to the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2000.
Williams died on July 5, 2002, at the age of 83.
