[Big Six]

287 10th Avenue, S.E.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Miss Mary Catherine O’Farrell
12 Lowell Road
Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts

June 5, 1938

Dear Mary Kate,

Your letter arrived yesterday, and I was very glad to read that things are going so well for you. Congratulations on another successful year at Mount Holyoke! I know Mom and Dad must be very proud of you, and I am too. I’m also glad to be able to write with lots of good news myself.

I pitched yesterday against Toledo, and won my fifth game of the season. I only allowed two runs in nine innings, and for the second straight game I only walked one batter. My manager, Donie Bush, is very pleased with my improvement between this year and last. I’m not walking nearly as many hitters, and I’m striking out a few more. I’m also allowing a lot fewer hits than I did last year with the Millers. Finally, pitching in the American Association feels as comfortable to me as pitching at Notre Dame or in the Southern Association.

Nobody has said anything about me moving up to the major leagues yet, but that’s just fine by me. Of course, I’d like to play for the Red Sox; all of us here would. I suppose I’m just confident that my chance will come, and I want to make sure that when it does, I’ll be ready.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that because Dad is who he is, I’ll be given an opportunity. On the other hand, it also means that if I don’t pitch well, some of the fans will probably lose patience with me pretty quickly. That’s one reason why I want to come to Boston only when I’m ready to play well. I don’t want to let anyone down, embarrass Dad, or face the razzing I’ll get if I get knocked around.

For the most part, I really like the guys I’m playing with this year. I’d say the most interesting character of the bunch is a player I’m sure you’ve heard about, Ted Williams. To say that Ted is confident would be an understatement. He can be one of the cockiest guys I’ve ever met. Don’t get me wrong; he’s a very, very good ballplayer, and without a doubt he’s the best hitter in the whole league right now. The thing is, Ted is fully aware of this fact.

The other afternoon, Ted was in the clubhouse after a game in which he’d had four hits, two of them home runs. He started boasting, and when he saw me, he said, “See that guy over there? His dad was the best hitter the Red Sox ever had. One day, I’ll be better than he was.”

The guys and I just laughed. I doubt any of them had to be told I’m Pat O’Farrell’s son, or that Dad could hit a little bit. I took advantage of the chance to kid around with Ted a little, too. “That’s because we’ll be teammates, and you won’t ever have to hit against me.”

For a second, Ted frowned, and I was afraid he was going to come after me. Then he grinned, and we all had another good laugh. I suppose it’s easy to be in a good mood when you’re hitting over .400!

I need to close this letter now, because we need to catch the train to Louisville. One more thing, though: I got a phone call from Nile Kinnick the other night, and he asked specifically about you. I thought I’d pass that information along to you, Sis.

Take good care of yourself, and tell everybody hello for me. I miss all of you very much, which might be the biggest reason why I hope I'll be in Boston soon.

Love, your brother,
Mike

Note: In 57 games with the Millers, Ted Williams is hitting .407, with 19 home runs and 52 RBI. The Kid leads all AAA hitters in each of these categories, and only Cleveland’s Luke Easter (16 home runs) is anywhere close in any of them.

I took some time deciding what I would do about Williams, who didn’t actually make his major league debut until 1939. I decided that if the Red Sox were in a hot pennant race—which might be likely, as you’ll see in my next post—I’d seriously consider bringing him up. After all, the “real” 1938 Red Sox might have done the same thing if they’d been battling for the pennant.