Quote of the Day: Ted Williams Delivers Ultimate Baseball Lesson

The Boston Red Sox have had several legends, but none more prolific than outfielder Ted Williams. The San Diego native finished his career with a .344 batting average, 521 homers, 1,839 RBIs, and an MLB-record .482 on-base percentage.

Williams played for the Red Sox from 1939 to 1942 before pausing his career to serve in World War II through the 1945 campaign. The two-time AL MVP then returned to Boston and played from 1946 to 1960.

Williams was a complete hitter, as he won six AL batting titles, led the league in homers four times, and led in RBIs four times. He also won the Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947.

Ted Williams Describes The Difficulty of Hitting

Baseball is a game defined by constant failure, as even the best MLB teams lose tens of games every season. Every pitcher has a bad outing at some point, every hitter goes through slumps, and every player makes a defensive mistake.

Batting is especially hard, as the majority of hitters average under three hits every 10 at-bats. Williams used that truth to describe what makes baseball special.

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of 10 and be considered a good performer.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 8:50 PM.