Hank Aaron:

While “Hammerin Hank” is currently known as MLB's all time Home Run King with 755 Homers, few people know that his first major league appearance resulted in a relatively mundane 2-5 performance, in which Vic Raschi made his National League Debut for the Cardinals against Aaron's Braves. Aaron's 2-5 performance helps lift the Braves to a 7-6 victory with Warren Spahn getting the Win for the Braves.

Another interesting fact about Aaron's early career is that his first home run in the big leagues actually came in a spring training game against the Braves farm team in which the Braves lost 2-1, managing only five hits in the nine inning affair.

Willie Mays:

“Say Hey” or maybe say “Oh $%I!” the Say Hey kid went 0-5 in his ML Debut, a victory for his Giants against the rival Phillies. Philadelphia right hander Bubba Church whiffs him in his first at bat. Three days later, Willie collects his first ML hit, a home run against the Braves left handed great Warren Spahn. An auspicious beginning for the man many baseball fans still consider the ideal player for all time.

Pete Rose:

All time career hits (4,256) and singles (3,215) leader, Pete Rose started out his major league career by going 0-4 against Philadelphia on April 9th , 1963. Rose actually started his major league career 0-11 until he tripled off Pirates Bob Friend on April 13th of that year. The April 13th performance by Friend also featured 4 balks.

Mickey Mantle:

Triple crown winner and possibly the greatest switch hitter of all time, Mickey Mantle, less than a month after hitting a 660 foot bomb in a pre-season exhibition, seemed to help the Yankees set the tone for the next two decades of their rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. In the season opener on April 17th, 1951 Mickey had a hit and scored a run as Vic Raschi shut out the Red Sox 5-0.

Roberto Clemente:

Clemente's debut against the Dodgers was a rather dull 1-4 as the Dodgers defeated his Pirates 10-3 on April 17th, 1955. Interestingly, few know that both he and Willie Mays hit a homer in a Feb. 12th game in the Caribbean Series of the same year. The two homers led Puerto Rico to a victory over Venezuela.

Joe Dimaggio:

Where to start with the “Yankee Clipper”? Joe was always a fast starter, as evidenced by a 61 game minor league hitting streak early in his career, or a 12-20 spring training for the Yankees before his rookie season. In his first regular season game, Smokin Joe has three hits, including a triple, scores three runs and drives one in. Some say he never looked back. Yankees fans tend to agree.

Babe Ruth:

The Babe struck out in his first at bat on July 11, 1914 for the Boston Red Sox. However, given that the Bambino started out as a pitcher, the Sox are pleased that his performance on the mound leads to a 4-3 triumph over Cleveland. Dutch Leonard saved the game for Ruth as Duffy Lewis pinch hit for him in the 7th inning. It's ironic, isn't it, that arguably the greatest power hitter of all time got pinch hit for in the seventh?

Ty Cobb:

The man who once hit five homers in two games by altering his batting grip just to prove a point, and finished his career with the all time highest batting average, doubled in his first at bat off Jack Chesbro, helping Detroit to a 5-3 victory over New York. This is the first of Cobb's 4,191 hits. This was one of few bright spots in Cobb's first season, one which included a prolonged absence for surgery for stomach ulcers.

Ted Williams:

The Splendid Splinters debut game versus the Yankees is the only time he and Lou Gehrig appear in the same game. He strikes out twice before doubling off Red Ruffing. Ruffing and the Yanks get the win, 2-0. In that game, Gehrig put up an o'fer, including hitting into two double plays and making an error.

Lou Gehrig:

The Iron Man, the Yankee who played 2,130 consecutive games and once drove in 184 runs in a season, among other staggering figures, and who spent much of his career over shadowed by Babe Ruth, his first big league appearance was an obscure pinch hitting detail in 1923. It would be nearly two full years before Gehrig was entrusted with a full time position and could get started on his consecutive games streak and begin to his his major league record of 23 career grand slams. What a man and player he was until that fateful day when he retired due to ALS.

Ted was born in San Diego as Teddy Samuel Williams. He was named after his father Samuel Stuart Williams. His birth certificate was changed to Theodore, but everyone called him Teddy still. Him and his family were a mix of Welsh and Irish. He lived on San Diego's North Park at 4121 Utah Street. He attended Herbert Hoover High School. He played baseball at his high school. While in high school he had offers from the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. He didn't go to play with them because his mother thought he was too young to leave home, so he signed with the Padres, a local minor league team.

Main Accomplishments

Ted played for the Boston Red Sox and was accepted in 1939. He caused the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. He was on the all-time and all-century team. He was given the American League MVP Award. He was in the 500 home run club. His number was retired in 1984 and he was elected it into the baseball hall of fame in 1966.

Goals

The main goal on Ted Williams was to be the best hitter in baseball, and he was. He was successful because he made his goal a reality. He was influenced to keep going to baseball because he was very good in his high school baseball career.

Major Influences

He influenced kids to be very good at baseball and possibly even influence people to make it to the major leagues. He made people try and copy his swing. He influenced people to come and watch him play because he was such a good ball player. He also influenced pitchers to throw very aggressively, in order to strike him out and not let him get a hit.

Personal Opinion

I think that this person was very successful in his life. He was one of the best baseball players in the history of baseball. He was successful because he made his dreams reality. He made many baseball accomplishments, like MVP, got his number retired, etc. His accomplishments show how much of a good baseball player he was in his lifetime.

1. Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth could play ball. Besides his fantastic hitting, he pitched pretty well too for some of his career. He hit homeruns and could get a high average at the same time. Especially in 1923 with the Yankees, he won MVP with a .393 batting average, 41 homeruns, and 131 RBI's. He played 22 seasons, and in those 22 seasons he hit 714 homeruns. He was at the top of the homerun list until Hank Aaron passed him.
2. Ted Williams. Some people put hitters into two categories. Contact and power. Well Williams could be one of the best hitter with a good mix of both. Babe Ruth was like that too but with more homeruns. However Williams won himself 2 MVPs in his career. He ended his career with a .344 batting average and 521 homeruns. This guy could hit.
3. Ty Cobb. Ty Cobb could be described as one of the best contact hitters of all-time. At the end of his career he had a .366 batting average; this average is still the best of all-time. He also went over a .400 average in some seasons.
4. Lou Gehrig. Lou Gehrig career was interrupted when he got sick. If he did not then maybe his stats would be even better than they are now. He ended his career with 493 homeruns, and a .340 batting average
5. Jimmie Foxx. Jimmie Foxx was a fantastic hitter. He won himself 3 MVPs in his career. At the end of his career he totaled 534 homeruns, a .325 batting average, and 1,922 RBIs. Jimmie Foxx may go down as one of the greatest all around hitters in the history of the game.
6. Josh Gibson. Josh Gibson has been said by some to be the best hitter of all time. Some even go as far to think he should be the homerun king. Why the dispute? He was in the Negro leagues. His exact career stats are unknown, but it is said he hit over 800 homeruns. How would he have done in the MLB? We may never know.
7. Hank Aaron. What can I say about Hank? Well, he had the most career homeruns, until Bonds broke that. 755 career homeruns. A career batting average of .305. He was one of the greats.
8. Willie Mays. Willie Mays is fourth as of now May 12, 2008 on the career homeruns list. He has 660. Not to mention a career batting average of .302. He won Rookie of the Year and two MVPs.
9. Alex Rodriguez. A lot of you may not agree with this one but its here anyway. Whether or not you want to believe it, it seems like A-rod could break the homerun record by the end of his career. That's not set in stone, but possible. He was the youngest player to 450 homeruns, 500, homeruns and maybe even more later. Do you see a pattern?
10. Stan Musial. Stan played 22 seasons in his career, all with the Cardinals. He ended his career with 475 homeruns. He also had .331 batting average. He was one of the greats.