The Last Man to Hit 400 Gave Up 5 Years to Fight

He could have sat on the bench and hit .400. Instead, he risked it all in a doubleheader.

1941. Boston's Ted Williams was chasing a number no one had reached in over a decade. Going into the season's final day, his average rounded up to exactly .400. His manager offered to bench him to protect it.

Williams refused. 'If I'm going to be a .400 hitter,' he said, 'I want more than my toenails on the line.' Then he played both games of a doubleheader and went six for eight, finishing at .406.

No one has hit .400 since. And here's the part people forget: Williams then lost nearly five full seasons to military service. He was a Marine fighter pilot, and in Korea he flew 39 combat missions.

In Korea, he crash-landed a burning jet and walked away. Imagine the numbers if he'd never left. The greatest hitter who ever lived gave five prime years to his country.

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