Ted Williams had a great career, but did this 1950 injury hurt him more than the two interruptions for military service during World War 2 and the Korean War? Three full years and close to two more years were cut short from his baseball career, yet a mid-career injury might have affected him more.

The missing years often are said to have cost him the chance to have higher career totals and preventing him from getting to 3,000 hits and 600 home runs,

In 1950 at the All-Star Break, after 70 games, Ted has 25 home runs and 83 RBIs, well on track for career highs.  However, on that summer day, July 11, 1950, in the 1950 All Star Game at Chicago's Comiskey Park, fate intervened.

Going after a high drive by Ralph Kiner in the 1st inning, Ted crashed into the wall and scoreboard. Staying in the game, Ted singled in a go-ahead run in the 5th inning, but afterwards, his elbow had swollen up, and it was discovered that it was broken. This sidelined him until mid-September when he was able to return after the Red Sox were well out of contention for the pennant.

With the hot summer months still to come, Ted perhaps even had a chance also of challenging for Babe Ruth's then single season home run mark of 60. Also denied was the chance to win back-to-back MVP awards to follow up his 1949 MVP season.

This elbow injury lingered on through the next year and had Ted contemplating retirement before the season start. Ted had said that he was never the same hitter after that elbow injury. 

So if Ted Williams had not gone after that high drive by Ralph Kiner with such alacrity, he may have been even better.