Stanley Frank Musial (Born Stanislaw Franciszek Musial November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013), nicknamed "Stan the Man", was an American outfielder and first baseman in Major League Baseball who spent his entire career from 1941 to 1963 with the St. Louis Cardinals, interrupted by a year of service in the United States Navy during World War II. Widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball history,[1] he batted .331 over his career and set National League (NL) records for career hits (3,630), runs batted in (1,951), games played (3,026), at bats (10,972), runs scored (1,949) and doubles (725), most of which were later broken by Pete Rose; his 475 career home runs then ranked second in NL history behind Mel Ott's total of 511. His 6,134 total bases remained a major league record until surpassed by Hank Aaron, and his hit total still ranks fourth all-time, and is the highest by any player who spent his career with only one team. A seven-time batting champion with identical totals of 1,815 hits at home and on the road, he also is considered to be the most consistent hitter of his era. He was named the National League's (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times, and led St. Louis to three World Series championship titles. He shares the major league record for the most All-Star Games played (24) with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Musial was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. He was also selected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014. Ted "The Splendid Splinter" Williams baffled pitchers with his unprecedented ability to place a batted ball seemingly anywhere he wanted. Ted Williams inspired a generation's worth of fans while setting the foundation for one of the greatest eras in baseball history. Williams was an obsessive student of hitting. He famously used a lighter bat than most sluggers, because it generated a faster swing. The hitting prowess of Williams allowed him to amass over 500 home runs, win 2 MVPs, become the last player to hit over .400 in a season, and be inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first ballot. Williams holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His best year was 1941, when he hit .406 with 37 HR, 120 RBI, and 135 runs scored. His .553 on base percentage set a record that stood for 61 years. Williams ended his career dramatically, hitting a home run in his very last at-bat on September 28, 1960. Ted Williams is one of only 29 players in baseball history to date to have appeared in Major League games in four decades.

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