On the morning of Sept. 28, 1941, American newspapers headlined the status of Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams' pursuit of a .400 batting average for the season, and these two were typical:
WILLIAMS DROPS BELOW .400, Washington Post
WILLIAMS AT .3996, New York Times
The previous day, 75 years ago this week, the Red Sox readied themselves for the final three games of the season against the Philadelphia Athletics in Philly's Shibe Park. One game was scheduled for Saturday Sept. 27 and a doubleheader on Sunday. Williams, batting .401, faced rookie pitcher Roger Wolff in Game 1 but went a disappointing 1-for-4. That dropped him to .3996, and, while that could be rounded up to .400, headline writers didn't see it that way. Even the Philadelphia Inquirer viewed Williams as faltering, WILLIAMS FALLS TO .399.
For much of the 1941 season Williams had batted near .400. If he achieved that mark at season's end, he would join seven other players who had posted that lofty average since baseball's modern era began in 1900. However, his quest for .400 had to battle for reporters' attention during the first half of the season with Joe DiMaggio's magical 56-game hitting streak. So with DiMaggio and the first-place Yankees safely holding a World Series ticket, sportswriters all over country focused on the 23-year-old Williams. The sportswriters echoed the question on every baseball fan's minds on the season's last day: Can Williams hold onto his .400?
