Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth
Ted Williams was at .399 with one doubleheader to play, although technically it would have rounded up to .400. It was suggested he sit out the doubleheader, which after all was meaningless. That was not Ted Williams' way. He played and went something like 6 for 8, and Connie Mack had ordered his pitchers not to groove any.
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I always liked Umpire Bill McGowan's actions in Teds first at-bat of the double header.
"Williams was batting cleanup, and Fowler retired the side in the first, so Ted led off the top of the second. “Bill McGowan was the plate umpire, and I’ll never forget it,” Ted recalled. “Just as I stepped in, he called time and slowly walked around the plate, bent over and began dusting it off. Without looking up, he said, ‘To hit .400 a batter has got to be loose. He has got to be loose.’”[fn]My Turn At Bat, 90.[/fn]
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