Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox was named the American League Most Valuable Player on this date in 1949. It was his second MVP, his first coming in 1946. He led the league in homers and RBI, and nearly won his third Triple Crown, losing the batting title by .0001 points to George Kell of the Tigers. Even so the vote wasn’t unanimous. Five other players, including two other members of the Red Sox, received first-place votes.