On This Date in Baseball

1961 - The Boston Red Sox announce that rookie Carl Yastrzemski will start the regular season in left field, succeeding the legendary Ted Williams. Yastrzemski will remain a fixture in the Red Sox' lineup for the next 23 years and will gain election to the Hall of Fame in 1989.

1981 - Toronto Blue Jays third baseman and All-American basketball player Danny Ainge drives the length of the court for a lay-up with two seconds to play, giving Brigham Young University a 51 - 50 upset victory over seventh-ranked University of Notre Dame in the NCAA East Regional semifinals. Ainge will hit .187 in 86 games for Toronto this season, retire, then sign to play for the NBA Boston Celtics.

On This Date in Baseball: June 9

1946 - Ted Williams hit a 502-foot-long home run off Fred Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park in Boston. This is the longest home run on record at Fenway. Legend has it that the ball crashed through the straw hat of the man sitting in the seat — Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21. The seat in the right field bleachers is painted red to mark the spot.

Quote of the Day

No player has hit .400 in 67 years. Here's something to think about as Chipper Jones of the Atlanta Braves currently sits on a .418 batting average a third of the way through the season.

"I hope somebody hits .400 soon. Then people can start pestering that guy with questions about the last guy to hit .400."
-Ted Williams in 1980 (39 years after he hit .406)

Probably not anytime soon, Ted.