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How Baseball HOFer Ted Williams Scammed Warren Spahn So He Could Hit a Home Run Years Later

Mind games between two MLB stars ended up with one making the other feel foolish

Andrew Martin
4 min readJul 29, 2023

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Left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn was one of the best hurlers to ever play baseball. Durable and consistent, he was an ace for more than two decades, churning out high win totals and effective performances. However, he wasn’t infallible, and sometimes hitters got the best of him. One of his most embarrassing experiences came when fellow legend Ted Williams conned him so badly that it led to the slugger belting a home run off him years after he set his trap in motion.

Over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned 1942; 1946- 1965 (He missed three full seasons due to military service), Spahn amassed an impressive array of statistics and accomplishments. He was a 17-time All-Star and won the Cy Young Award in 1957, the year the award was first introduced. His signature pitch, a devastating fastball, complemented by a sweeping curveball and a crafty changeup, made him an intimidating force on the mound.

His most significant success came with the Boston/ Milwaukee Braves. During his time with them, he reached the milestone of 300 career victories, finishing with an incredible 363 wins, the most by a…

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Andrew Martin
Andrew Martin

Written by Andrew Martin

Dabbler in soccer, history, investing & writing. Master’s degree in baseball history. Passionate about history, diversity, culture, sports, film and investing .

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