Ted Williams is responsible for several of the greatest individual seasons in Boston Red Sox history. While he ranks among the elite in most offensive categories from the numbers he piled up over 19 seasons with the franchise, his legacy would have been even more impressive if he hadn’t missed nearly five years of his prime to serve in the military.
The United States joined World War II in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. Williams was initially drafted with a 1A status but received a deferment because he was the sole supporter of his mother.