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The lost art of hitting .400: few players have flirted with the historic plateau since Ted Williams completed his .406 campaign 64 years ago.
THE STRIKE ZONE SHRUNK. SO DID ballparks. Muscles grew. So did technology.
No one hit .400. Still.
Of baseball's hallowed numbers, a .400 batting average tantalizes as much as any. Yet with all of the built-in advantages the game gives hitters today', .400 remains as elusive as ever, an afterthought to even one of baseball's best hitters during the 2005 season.
"No one should spend time thinking about hitting .400," said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, whose average dropped from .395 on June 23 to .349 through August 28. "Because it's going to get to you. And chances are, it isn't going to happen."
Hasn't since 1941, when Ted Williams hit .406. Hasn't been seriously threatened in 25 years, when George Brett took a .400 average two-thirds of the way through September. Has only 13 times in modern history, with Rogers Hornsby and Ty Cobb doing it three times apiece and George Sisler twice.
Oh, hitters have tried. Todd Helton flirted with .400 late into August 2000. Ichiro Suzuki batted .429 in the second half last year. Nomar Garciaparra and Larry Walker and Andres Galarraga bumped their heads on the .400 ceiling. All five finished with averages in the .370s. Tony Gwynn came the closest at .394 during the strike-shortened 1994 season.
"I don't ever try to think about hitting .400," Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner said, "because frankly, it's not within reach."
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...grandchildren. Arrangements by Springfield Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home. Eugene Nelson COTTAGE GROVE - Eugene Monroe "Gene" Nelson of Cottage Grove died Dec. 14 of age-related causes at age 86. He was born March 9, 1921, in Tularosa, N.M., to...
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Source: HighBeam Research, The lost art of hitting .400: few players have flirted with the...