(Brearley Collection Photo from Opening Day 1947)

Red Sox slugger Ted Williams is last major league baseball player to hit above .400. (AP Photo)

AN APPRECIATION In baseball and beyond, Williams was a true American hero The death of Ted Williams signals the loss of the man who rivals Babe Ruth as the greatest hitter in baseball history and stands alone as the dominant sports figure of 20th-century New England — Hall of Famer, decorated Marine fighter pilot, champion of charity, oversized personality. Ted Williams's career statistics Read users' thoughts about Ted Williams DAN SHAUGHNESSY Unforgettable memories To the end, he loved to talk about hitting. Even after strokes and surgeries wrecked his once-powerful body, Ted Williams would still rise in his wheelchair and get loud and lucid if you raised the subject of hitting a baseball.

BOB RYAN His desire made wish come true We can cut right through the clutter and get right to a reasonably solid premise. The two greatest all-around hitters were Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

GLOBE EDITORIAL Bidding the kid adieu Great hitters, like great writers, can be obsessive about their craft, and in his playing days Ted Williams was the epitome of a perfectionist.