Teddie Ballgame Hits His 500th Home Run

June 17, 1960 Red Sox vs. Indians Boxscore
On this day in 1960, Ted Williams would become the fourth player in history to hit his 500th career home run. The Boston Red Sox were in Cleveland to take on the Indians and rookie pitcher Wynn Hawkins.  It was a cold night and Ted Williams always had trouble hitting in cold weather.  Williams was 41 years old and in his final season of what would be a 19-year career.  The combination of the cold weather, advanced age and recently coming back from injuries to his neck and leg caused him to have trouble loosening up before the game.  He was unsure if he was going to be able to play and even asked manager Pinky Higgins for the day off.  However,  in true guts and grit determination that had come to epitomize Ted Williams' work ethic, he was ready to go when the line-up card was posted.

Williams had started the season with 492 career home runs, which placed him fifth on the all-time list and only one behind Lou Gehrig.  Ahead of him were Babe Ruth (714), Jimmie Foxx (534), and Mel Ott (511). It was expected that Williams would have reached the 500th milestone the year before in 1959, but that season he only hit 10 home runs, which was the lowest full season total of his career.  On April 18, opening day, he did not disappoint the fans when he smashed out number 493 at Griffith Park off of pitcher Camilo Pascual.  The following day with the Red Sox back in Fenway Park he hit another one off of New York Yankees' pitcher Jim Coates.  He was now ahead of Gehrig and it looked like 500 would come sooner rather than later.

Days after Ted went into a slump as he began to battle injuries and a virus. He was regulated to coming off the bench for pinch hitting duties and went hitless in seven at-bats between April 22 and May 20.  In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer journalist Hal Lebovitz, Williams admitted that he was close to walking away from baseball during this stretch of games because he was down on himself.  He felt he was unable to help the team.  After the game of May 22 against the Detroit Tigers his injuries would force him to sit out, and he did not start another game until June 5.  However, when he came back, he came back stronger than ever and ready to chase down his 500th home run.  Over the next 12 days in 37 at-bats, Williams would crush five home runs, plus historic number 500.

495 - New York Yankees, Ralph Terry at Yankee Stadium
496 - Chicago White Sox, Russ Kemmerer at Fenway Park
497 - Chicago White Sox, Early Wynn at Fenway Park
498 - Detroit Tigers, Jim Bunning at Tiger Stadium
499 - Detroit Tigers, Hank Aguirre at Tiger Stadium

It took Harmon Killebrew 16 days to go from home run number 499 to 500, and it took Hank Aaron and Ken Griffey Jr. a week to do the same.  Williams did not seem to feel any of the pressure of reaching the historic milestone as he did it the very next day after hitting number 499 off of Aguirre.
Next up was 24 year old rookie pitcher, Wynn Hawkins who was three years old when Williams hit his first major league home run on April 23, 1939. Hawkins was picked by the Indians to pitch the opening game of the series against the Red Sox, in what would be only his 11th major league game. His previous start had also come against the Red Sox; he had gone seven innings and gotten the win. But only a month later he would be back in the International League pitching for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Hawkins would find his way back to the Indians in 1961, and for three games in 1962, but that would be the end of his major league career.  He had one memorable moment with the Indians, and it was that he surrendered Ted Williams 500th home run.

During the first inning of the June 5 game, Williams came to bat and grounded out to second baseman, Ken Aspromonte.  He came to bat again in the third inning with the game tied at 1-1 and Willie Tasby on first base.  Hawkins worked the count to 1-2 and then he threw a high and outside slider that Williams connected with.  The ball traveled on a low arc out to left field through the gloomy, misty sky.  Indians left fielder, Tito Francona thought he might be able to make a play and then realized it was just going to make it over the fence.  It was a rare opposite field hit for Williams, and journalist Jim Schlemmer called it a historically significant home run but also one of the cheapest.  The small crowd of 9,765 cheered as Williams circled the bases, and in typical Williams fashion, he never acknowledged them.  Once he was back in the dugout, he took a seat on the bench and tried to hide any type of emotion, but it was obvious that he was excited.

In the seventh inning, Hawkins walked Williams and it was the last action either player saw for the day.  Hawkins was replaced on the mound by Johnny Klippstein and Williams was replaced by pinch runner Lou Clinton.  Before the inning was even over Williams was in the clubhouse talking on the phone to reporter Joe Reichler about his momentous day. Williams recognized it as a major milestone and admitted he was happy, but he also said, "It was nothing compared to the home run I hit with two out and two on in the ninth to win the 1941 All-Star game.  That has to remain as my greatest thrill." He also commented that he wished he was celebrating his 600th home run instead of his 500th home run.  American League president and Williams first manager with the Red Sox, Joe Cronin like many fans also wondered what type of statistics Williams might have had if he had not missed five years while serving in the Marines.
Williams poses with a list of players to hit 500 HRs and his 500th HR ball.

The baseball landed in the Red Sox bullpen and was retrieved by a security guard or usher, who gave it to relief pitcher Dave Hillman.  The next day in the locker room, Williams is photographed with the famous baseball.  When asked what he planned to do with the ball he said he would either add it to his small collection of baseballs or donate it to the Jimmy Fund to raise money for the charity. It is unclear what he decided, but the ball ultimately found its way to Cooperstown, New York and is a part of Baseball Hall of Fame collection.


Williams would hit 29 home runs that year and retire at the end of the season with 521 career home runs.  At the time of his retirement his 521 home run runs placed him third on the all time list behind Babe Ruth and former teammate Jimmie Foxx.  In the era of juiced baseballs and juiced players his home run total has been passed many times and he is currently tied with Willie McCovey and Frank Thomas for 20th on the all-time list.


Sources

Associated Press. “Circleville Herald, The.” Circleville Herald, The, 18 June 1960.
Lebovitz, Hal. “Sporting News.” Sporting News, 29 June 1960.
Schlemmer, Jim. “Akron Beacon Journal.” Akron Beacon Journal, 18 June 1960.
Reichler, Joe. “Daily Reporter, The.” Daily Reporter, The, 18 June 1960.
Wancho, Joseph. “June 17, 1960: Ted Williams Wallops 500th Career Home Run in Cleveland.” Society for American Baseball Research, sabr.org/gamesproj/game/june-17-1960-ted-williams-wallops-500th-career-home-run-cleveland. 
https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE196006170.shtml

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