Ted Williams Hits a Walk-Off Home Run to Win the 1941 All-Star Game

On July 8, 1941, Ted Williams hit a three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning at Briggs Stadium in Detroit, giving the American League a 7-5 victory over the National League in the All-Star Game. The 22-year-old Red Sox left fielder, already batting .405 on the season, later called it "the most thrilling hit of my life."

The National League had taken a 5-2 lead after Arky Vaughan hit two-run homers in the seventh and eighth innings. The American League scratched out a run in the bottom of the eighth to make it 5-3, and trailed by two heading into the ninth.

Ken Keltner led off the ninth with an infield single off the chest of shortstop Eddie Miller. Joe Gordon singled to right. Cecil Travis walked to load the bases with no outs. Joe DiMaggio hit into a force play at second, scoring Keltner and putting runners on first and third with one out. After another out, Williams stepped in with two on, two out, and the AL trailing by a run. Claude Passeau of the Chicago Cubs worked the count, and Williams connected on a high fastball, driving it deep into the upper deck in right field. Williams clapped his hands near first base and bounded around the bases. His teammates mobbed him at home plate.

Williams entered the 1941 All-Star break as the biggest story in baseball. He was chasing .400 for the season, a barrier no one had crossed since Bill Terry hit .401 for the Giants in 1930. Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak was also underway, giving the summer of 1941 two simultaneous assaults on history. Williams would finish the season at .406, becoming the last player in the major leagues to hit .400.

The All-Star home run crystallized Williams's reputation as a hitter who rose to the biggest moments. At 22, he had already become the most feared left-handed hitter in the American League. The walk-off at Briggs Stadium added a flair for drama to that resume.