61 years ago today - Ted Williams' last home run

[scooter729]

September 28, 1960 - 61 years ago. Ted Williams hit his famous home run in his final at bat, at Fenway Park on a rainy afternoon. My dad was at the game, and nearly ended up with the home run ball! It was headed right for him, right behind the Red Sox bullpen - but hit the fence above the bullpen and landed in the pen. The front page of the Boston Globe from the next day shows where the ball landed in the pen - my dad is the one I highlighted in the red box.

Included here as well are a ticket stub and program from that final game, along with the program for Ted's first game at Fenway in 1939, a pre-season exhibition in April vs. the crosstown Braves.

Dad is now 86 and going strong, and still speaks vividly about that day. He got me started on my love of Williams and vintage baseball.

Let me see some Williams items in honor of today's anniversary!

[ALBB]

wow, thats cool

and didnt Boston press make a big deal out of Williams refused a curtain call or acknowledgment from cheering fans ??

[irv]

Great story, Scott. Thanks for sharing.

Sorry, not a lot of Ted Williams stuff as I have mostly been collecting 52's Topps cards, which, unfortunately, Ted isn't in.

[scooter729]

Originally Posted by ALBB

wow, thats cool

and didnt Boston press make a big deal out of Williams refused a curtain call or acknowledgment from cheering fans ??

Correct - Williams spent most of his career feuding with the Boston media (and at times with fans as well). Fans wanted a curtain call from Ted after the final at bat, but Ted didn't do it. John Updike famously wrote at the time, "Gods do not answer letters."

In later years he went on to say he regretted not tipping his cap after that home run.

[egri]

I don’t have anything from that day, but I always reread John Updike’s piece about that game around this time of year: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1...-bid-kid-adieu. Fitting that the Red Sox are playing the Orioles tonight as well.

[GasHouseGang]

A 1950 Bowman of The Splendid Splinter.

[tedzan]

Hi Scott (scooter729)......Really great story.

I'm a Yankees fan since 1947, mainly because my nearby neighbor 2 blocks away was Phil Rizzuto. Forward to 1984, when I met Ted Williams in Cooperstown on HOF weekend.
We had a great conversation for an hour. I started by telling him......"as a very young Yankees fan I always rooted for you to hit a HR in the RF upper deck at Yankees Stadium"
Which he did quite often back in the 1950's.
Ted looked at me seriously and said....."I don't undertsand, why did you root for me, since you are a Yankees fan ?"
I replied....."Because your name is Ted (like mine), and it didn't matter because I knew the Yankees would win the Pennant, anyway". Ted cracked up laughing.
And then, he became very serious as he said to me....."If the "Scooter" was on our team all those years, we may have been the American Lge. Champs instead of the Yankees."
Ted really admired the way Rizzuto played the game.





TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[scooter729]

Thanks for sharing, Ted - must've been a great experience to have such a conversation with Williams!

I was fortunate enough to have one chance to meet him - at an autograph show in Boston in 1988. As a 14 year old, I thought it was crazy to spend $20 to get an autograph, but my dad insisted I would appreciate it someday. As always, Dad was right.

[DeanH3]

What a great story! Really cool to have such a personal connection to that event. Only if he had not missed so much time to Military service. I think sometimes Williams gets a little lost in the All Time Greatest conversations.

[JollyElm]

What a frickin' cool event to have a tie to, and your dad appearing in ink the next day to boot??? Come on now!!! Awesome story!!!!

1954bowman66tedwilliams.jpg

[ALR-bishop]

[daves_resale_shop]

A rain check!

[GasHouseGang]

The bookends of the 1954 Topps set.