July 25, 1966

One was quick with the bat; the other was quick with the mind. Ted Williams, baseball's last .400 hitter, and Casey Stengel, who won 10 pennants and seven World Series in 12 years as New York Yankees manager, are inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Williams, who hit .406 in 1941, had been elected in his first year of eligibility. In his 19 seasons as the Boston Red Sox left-fielder, "the Splendid Splinter" had a lifetime batting average of .344 and won six American League batting titles. He hit 521 homers, drove in 1,839 runs, scored 1,798 runs and drew 2,019 walks (compared to striking out just 709 times). His .634 slugging percentage is second all-time to Babe Ruth's .690.

Stengel played 14 years in the majors (1912-25) with five National League teams, compiling a .284 lifetime average, but it was his performance as Yankees' manager that got him elected into the Hall. "The Ol' Perfesser" also managed the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves and New York Mets for 13 years, but none of these teams made it out of the second division. He had a lifetime record of 1,905-1,842.