On September 29, 1942, just one day after closing out the regular season with a win over the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox superstar Ted Williams made his way to Hartford, Connecticut. “The Kid” was set to headline a special appearance with Bill Savitt’s semi-pro squad, the Savitt Gems. That day, the Gems squared off against the New Britain Cremos, who had star power of their own—Brooklyn Dodgers battery mates Hugh Casey on the mound and Mickey Owen behind the plate.
Williams put on a brilliant display during batting practice for a crowd of about 2,500 people at Bulkeley Stadium. The game would prove to be a pitchers duel. Hartford native Monk Dubiel and Hugh Casey kept the bats at bay for 5 scoreless innings. The Gems scraped in a run in the 6th inning. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Williams stepped up and cracked a dramatic home run over the centerfield wall off of Casey and the Gems won, 2-1 over the Cremos.
When he appeared for the Gems, Ted Williams was 23 years old and in his prime. He was coming off an amazing 1941 season with a .406 batting average. In 1942, he led the majors in home runs, RBI and batting average – earning his first Triple Crown. While visiting Hartford, Williams revealed publicly that he planned to enlist in World War II as Navy flying cadet. He served heroically and would be recalled into the Korean War in 1952 and 1953.
Known to many as “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived” Williams manned left field for the Boston Red Sox for 19 years, becoming an All-Star in every season. By the end of his career, he was a 2-time recipient of the American League Most Valuable Player Award, a 6-time AL batting champion, and a 2-time Triple Crown winner. He retired with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage, the highest of all time. The Kid’s career average is the highest of any MLB player in the live-ball era.
Ted Williams, the Kid himself, leader of both leagues in batting, home runs, and runs batted in, is coming to Hartford September 28th to play center field for the Savitt Gems in a game with a Connecticut semi-pro team to be named. The Red Sox slugger was a little backward about coming at first. Bill Savitt offered him $500 to appear, but Ted declined. Next day, Savitt offered him $750 but got no answer to his wire. Well, Bill told me about it. I suggested offering Williams a $1,000 war bond, same outlay to Bill, $750, but who could refuse a $1,000 bond? Bill wired the offer; Williams wired acceptance within one hour. Till next time, this is Bob Steele in Hartford, saying so long, men.“
Bob Steele, Radio Announcer, September 24, 1942
Sources
1. Hartford Courant database on Newspapers.com
2. CTExplored.org
I Am Trying To Find Articles Of The 1929 Hartford Red Sox. Also, My Father-In-Law And His Brother Bernes And Ronald Bockus Played On The Team. Babe Ruth Played An Exhibition Game With Them. Any Help Will Be Appreciated.
We can do a story on the Hartford Red Sox soon. What evidence do you have of Ruth’s game with them? I have not seen a newspaper clipping on this. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, but can you give us any leads? Thanks!