Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow

by Dave Heller

Perhaps familiar today as an answer to sports trivia questions, Ken Williams (1890-1959) was once a celebrity who helped bring about a new kind of power baseball in the 1920s. One of the great sluggers of his era (and of all time), he beat Babe Ruth for the home run title in 1922, and became the first to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season that year. Later recognized for his accomplishments, he was considered for but not inducted into the Hall of Fame. This first-ever biography of Williams covers his life and career, from his small town upbringing, to his unlikely foray into pro baseball, to his retirement years, when he served as a police officer and ran a pool hall in his hometown.

Genres: Baseball

280 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2017

Reviews

[Steve]

Full disclosure. I am the author's brother. If you are a baseball fan, then it probably won't matter. Dave did some incredible research on this book and it shows. I love reading any book about baseball history and how the game was played and, more interestingly, how it was reported back then. This book gives great insight and detail into both. Ken Williams was a great player, sadly overlooked by time (and the fact that he played on the Browns, not the Yankees). Also fun was reading that baseball players and fans are pretty much the same today as they were back then. Even back in the 20's retired players were complaining about how the game was better back in their day. If you like baseball history then you will like this book.