Nobody was more dedicated to the art of putting bat on ball than Ted Williams, a human hitting machine equipped with near-perfect eyesight, lightning reflexes, powerful forearms and unnerving patience. The "Splendid Splinter" also came with a heavy dose of arrogance and self-confidence, the most conspicuous traits of a baseball maverick who terrorized American League pitchers from 1939-60. If Williams wasn't the greatest pure hitter of all time, an acclaim which he fervently sought, he certainly was of his era. The Williams bottom line is filled with superlatives—two MVPs, six batting crowns, 2,654 hits, a .344 average, 521 home runs, four homer titles and five RBI crowns—numbers that could have been considerably higher if he had not lost four prime seasons to military service during World War II and the Korean War.
Williams used this bat during the 1953-54 period. Measuring 35” and weighing 32.9 oz., the signature model W166 shows evidence of excellent use with numerous ball marks on the barrel as well as blue and green bat rack streaks. Several small impressions are visible above and below the barrel stamping and there is a light coat of pine tar on the handle. Williams' number (9) is faintly visible on the knob in faded black ink. The bat has excellent overall display quality and possesses ideal features expected from a Williams gamer from the period.
The exceptional provenance of this bat is best expressed by the accompanying letter from Donna Clevenger that reads, “The enclosed game used bat was given to my husband Truman “Tex” Clevenger back in 1954 by Ted Williams himself when the two were teammates with the Boston Red Sox. Mr. Williams was 35 years old at the time and well on his way to a Hall of Fame career while my husband Truman was a 21 year old rookie with Boston. Truman was a big fan of Ted’s and Mr. Williams obliged by giving Truman one of his game used bats along with a signed 8x10 photo that read “To Truman, a great kid who should be just as good a pitcher, Ted Williams, 1954.” A copy of the inscribed photo is also included. LOA from John Taube of PSA/DNA (GU8).