People say Ted Williams is the only one to hit .400 in a season. But what about Ty Cobb? Didn't he do it like three times in his career? Was it because these season were strike-shortened or something? So they didnt count?
2007-08-12 04:04:29 · 8 answers · asked by onidestroyer 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Those people are greatly misinformed. Williams was the last (or, as I prefer to put it, "most recent") to hit a qualifying .400+ batting average, and that was in 1941. It was easier for the media to talk about Ted than the other guys because he was still with us until 2002, and was always willing to talk about baseball and give good quote.
Skipping past the 19th century CE guys, we have these men who hit .400:
Lajoie (HOF) once;
Hornsby (HOF) three times;
Sisler (HOF) twice;
Cobb (HOF) three times;
Jackson (ineligible) once;
Williams (HOF) his one time;
Heilmann (HOF) once; and
Terry (HOF) once.
Over a five-year period (1921-25), Hornsby batted .397, .401, .384, .424, and .403 -- for a .402 aggregate. (You can pick your jaw up off the floor now.)
Think how hard hitting .400 is, if it took Ted Williams at the peak of his skills to do it. I'd love to see it happen just once in my lifetime, but have no expectations it will. It would take someone with Bonds-class plate discipline in hitter-cuddly Coors Field to have a chance.
2007-08-12 04:37:09 · answer #1 · answered by Chipmaker Authentic 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ted was simply the LAST guy to do it, hitting .406 in 1941.
The closest since Ted has been Tony Gwynn's .394 in 1994. That was a strike shorten season though. The best full season mark since Ted has been George Brett's .390 in 1980.
You are correct; Cobb did it three times. And they all are legit. His highest season was .420. The best since 1900 has been Nap Lajoie's .427 in 1901. The pre-1900 ML record i believe is Hugh Duffy's .440.... heck if we go _way_ back you'll find one guy that hit ---hold on to your seat--- .492.
Big Ed Delahanty and Rogers Hornsby have done it three times also.
For a look at single season best BAs check out the link.
2007-08-12 05:12:05 · answer #2 · answered by harmonv 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, Ted Williams is the last MLB player to hit .400 in a season. Cobb did it several times and so did many others in his era. They count.
2007-08-12 04:12:18 · answer #3 · answered by lestermount 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Nobody says that Williams was the only one to hit .400 - just the last one. The .400 plateau has been crossed 28 times in MLB history, but only 8 times after 1920 and only once after 1930. Because of changes in the game (better balls, batter parks), hitting .400 in 1941 was much harder than hitting .400 in 1912.
2007-08-12 07:00:11 · answer #4 · answered by JerH1 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They don't say he is the only one to hit .400. They say he was the last one to hit .400. And he was the last one.
Cobb did it three times, but has been out of the game for 80 years and dead for 40.
All sorts of others have done it over the years as well.
2007-08-12 04:14:58 · answer #5 · answered by Victor Lebanon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ted Williams was the LAST person to hit .400, in 1941. Before that, there were many.
2007-08-12 04:14:39 · answer #6 · answered by Sarrafzedehkhoee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
NO WAY !! He was much better than Rose. Pete need 1000 AB more than Cobb to pass him. In Cobb's era he wasn't the only one with a AB that today would be 40 pts. better anybody Else's. Find me a player that enters the league and immediately is so far Superior to everyone else that his #'s surpass those of entire teams. That player is Ruth. He, in many seasons had, more HR's than the team total of many clubs. Now that's what I d consider "distancing yourself from the field"
2016-05-20 06:39:29 · answer #7 · answered by liana 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HE DID DO IT THREE TIMES. 1911 - .420, 1912 -. 409, 1922 - .401. HE LED ALL OF BASEBALL IN 9 OF HIS 24 SEASONS IN BATTING AVERAGE.
2007-08-12 07:24:56 · answer #8 · answered by fivethirty79 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋