1960: Ted Williams says goodbye with a home run in his last time at bat.
It’s still a classic. Writer John Updike’s description of Ted Williams’ last major game in 1960 is without peer as a literary work of art and tribute to one of the greatest hitters of all time. Here’s the box score of the game in which Teddy Ballgame struck his last career home run in his last time at bat in the 8th inning. It was Ted’s 29th HR of the season and the 521st of his career and, at the time, it was good enough for 3rd place all time behind Babe Ruth (714 HR) and Jimmie Foxx (534 HR).
When you have time to read and savor its timeless descriptive prose, hope you enjoy “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” by John Updike:
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml
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| Game played Wednesday, September 28, 1960 / Fenway Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Game played on Wednesday, September 28, 1960 at Fenway Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As a side note, the events of this day also supply us with a Houston baseball related trivia question:
Question: What future member of the Houston Colt .45s took Ted Williams’s place in the field after the great Red Sox hitter took his position on defense in the top of the 9th inning?
Answer: Carroll Hardy, who later played outfield for the 1963-64 Houston Colt .45s.
The Pecan Park Eagle 
July 8, 2013 at 1:43 pm |
Hardy also played one season in the NFL (1955) for the San Francisco 49ers, catching four TD passes from Y.A. Tittle
July 8, 2013 at 2:17 pm |
Updike’s account is one of my favorite pieces of baseball writing. It was republished in a slim volume in 2010. In its preface, Updike explained that “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” was “a five days’ labor of love.”
He went on to say: “For many years, especially since moving to Greater Boston, I had been drawing sustenance and cheer from Williams’ presence on the horizon, and I went to his last game with the open heart of a fan. The events there compelled me to become a reporter. As I hurriedly composed this account, the facts were all in me, ready to be plucked, fifteen years’ accumulation.”
In 1960, when Updike wrote the article, he was 28 years old. The same year, his acclaimed novel “Rabbit, Run” was published, and three years later he won the National Book Award for “The Centaur.” He won that award again, as well as the Pulitzer Prize, for “Rabbit Is Rich” (1981). In 1990, he received his second Pulitzer Prize, this one for “Rabbit At Rest.”
“Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu” was a perfect match: a great hitter and a great writer.
July 8, 2013 at 2:56 pm |
What a wonderful piece of writing. Thanks for providing the opportunity to read it again. The box score speaks volumes to an old Orioles’ fan…the two-run lead going into the bottom of the 8th evaporated, and an unearned run was the difference in the outcome.
Only three RBIs for Boston, one by Willie Tasby! Mercy.
Also, check out the time of the game and the attendance. What a
difference a “few” years make. Thanks again.
July 8, 2013 at 10:04 pm |
I remember seeing the TV sports report of that day on the News ,It featured the last at bat homer by Ted, the low attendance at the game ,and Ted finally tipping his hat to the fans as he crossed home plate. An exit from a career like no other.
July 9, 2013 at 1:11 am |
But of course, as I believe the article makes clear, Williams didn’t tip his hat. And it may make less clear that this wasn’t the Red Sox last game of the year. Ted just decided to start his retirement early rather than accompany the team to NY. This wasn’t the first time he did something like that.
July 9, 2013 at 7:07 am |
A timeless classic. I rank this article as one of the top five baseball stories I’ve ever read. My # 1 is Roger Angell’s “The Web of the Game”, as Angell narrates his experience watching the tremendous pitching duel between Frank Viola of St. John’s University and Ron Darling of Yale while sitting and talking with Smokey Joe Wood, who was 91 at the time.
July 9, 2013 at 7:09 am |
Cliff … this wasn’t the first time Williams decided to end his career with a homerun? Or it wasn’t the first time he opted to skip the last series of the season?
July 11, 2013 at 1:29 am |
It wasn’t the first time he let his teammates down by sitting out games due to selfish reasons. (And I love Ted Williams.)
July 11, 2013 at 3:38 pm |
I’m not a Ted Williams expert so I’ll defer to your knowledge about his sitting out games for not good reasons, but I think his decision about when to retire probably can be slotted into a different category. He put in his 20+ years, fought in two wars and was almost killed in the second one, and opted to miss a final road trip and go out with a homer. I suspect few among his teammates would begrudge him that. Most guys at 41 aren’t contributing that much to their teams. He gave the 1960 Red Sox and their fans something special to remember. Also, don’t forgot that he returned his 1960 contract to the Red Sox and told them he wanted a pay cut, because he didn’t feel like he deserved what they offered based on his 1959 performance. They gave him a contract for $135,000, he returned it, and asked for and signed a contract for $90,000 – a 30% pay cut. When is the last time you heard of a professional baseball player doing that? Selfish is not a word that really fits a person who does something like that.