Lou Boudreau
Encyclopedia
Louis "Lou" Boudreau was an American Major League Baseball
player and manager
. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
in 1970. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs
of the National League
.
In 1948, he won the American League
Most Valuable Player Award
and managed the Cleveland Indians
to the World Series
title.
Boudreau was an eight-time All Star Game
selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.
in Harvey, Illinois
. While at Thorton, Boudreau guided the "Flying Clouds" to three straight Illinois high school championship games, finishing first in 1933 and second in 1934 and 1935.
He also graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa
fraternity, excelling in sports at both schools. He was captain of the basketball and baseball teams at the University of Illinois, when Cleveland Indians
general manager Cy Slapnicka
paid him an undisclosed sum in return for agreeing to play baseball for the Indians following graduation. Boudreau's father complained to the Big Ten Conference
, and league officials ruled him ineligible for collegiate sports. During his junior and senior years at Illinois, he played pro basketball with the Hammond
All-Americans of the National Basketball League
.
according to the usual standard. On the other hand, his parents divorced when he was 7 years old, and he was raised by his father as a Christian. Furthermore, Boudreau did not publicly identify as a Jew during his career, as did Hank Greenberg
and other contemporaries. Boudreau's 1993 autobiography does not contain the words "Jew", "Jewish", or "Judaism".
, at the age of 21, playing first base in a single game. In 1939, manager Ossie Vitt
informed Boudreau, who normally played third base, that he would have to move to shortstop
as Ken Keltner
already had the regular third base job.
In 1940, his first full year as a starter, he batted .295 with 46 doubles
and 101 RBI
. He was also selected to play in his first All Star Game.
Boudreau helped make history in 1941 as a key figure in stopping the 56-game hitting streak
by Joe DiMaggio
. After Ken Keltner
made two fine stops at third base earlier in the game, Boudreau snagged a bad hop grounder at short barehanded and started a double play to retire Dimaggio. He finished the season with a .257 batting average and a league leading 45 doubles. He also turned 134 double plays in 1944, the most ever by a player-manager in Major League history.
After the season, owner Alva Bradley
promoted manager Roger Peckinpaugh
to general manager and appointed Boudreau as the player-manager. Boudreau was 25 years old. Boudreau managed the Indians throughout World War II
. Playing basketball had put a strain on Boudreau's ankles which later developed arthritis
and he was classified 4-F
and thus, ineligible for military service. Upon assuming ownership in 1947, Bill Veeck, after being approached by Boudreau, renewed the player-manager agreement with mixed feelings on both sides. Although the results were personally contentious, they did win the World Series in 1948, Cleveland's first championship in 28 years, and both Boudreau and Veeck were public in admitting the other's role in the success.
Relieved of his Cleveland managerial duties following the 1950 season, he was released as a player by Cleveland and signed with the Boston Red Sox, playing full-time in 1951 and becoming the team's player-manager in 1952 and as manager in 1953 and 1954. He became the first manager was of the Kansas City Athletics
in 1955, after their move from Philadelphia. He was fired after 104 games in 1957, replaced by Harry Craft
. He served as the manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1960.
Through 2010, he was third all-time in career hits (behind Shawn Green
), fourth in batting average (behind Buddy Myer
), and fifth in RBIs (behind Sid Gordon
) among Jewish major league baseball players.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970 with 77.33% of the vote. The same year, Boudreau had his number (5) retired by the Cleveland Indians
.
, and it came to be known colloquially as the "Boudreau Shift." Boudreau, noticing that Red Sox great Ted Williams
was a dead-pull hitter, moved most of his players to right of second base whenever Williams was at bat, leaving only the third baseman and left fielder with any range on the left side of the infield--and they, too, were shifted very close to second base, far away from their normal positions. Williams notably refused the obvious advice from teammates to either start hitting in the opposite direction or at least casually bunt
the ball to third base, thus forcing the opposing teams to play him more "honest." Williams stubbornly refused to change his swing or his approach, and yet his hitting ability didn't suffer when teams put the Boudreau Shift on.
Boudreau later admitted that the shift was more about psyching out Williams rather than playing him to pull. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, Player-Manager.
Boudreau served as an announcer for the Cubs in 1958 and 1959 before switching roles with manager Charlie Grimm
in 1960. After one season as Cubs manager, Boudreau returned to the radio booth and remained there until 1987. Boudreau also served as the Chicago Bulls
' radio play by play announcer from 1966–1968.
Having a knowledgeable Hall of Fame announcer also affected at least one game. In the 1970s the Cubs were losing by 6 runs in the 4th inning in the 2nd game of a double header, when the umpires called the game due to darkness (no lights yet at Wrigley Field). It was announced that the game would be picked up at the same point tomorrow, as normally happened. But Boudreau knew the ground rules better than anyone else in the park, it turned out, for he went down quickly to the clubhouse and pointed out to the umps that if a game is not yet an official game, the whole game must be replayed (as in a rainout). The umpires looked it up, agreed with Boudreau, and wiped out the 6 run deficit for the Cubs.
, a former star pitcher with the Detroit Tigers
.
Boudreau died in 2001 in Frankfort, Illinois
and is interred in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
in 1970. He was also a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
of the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
.
In 1948, he won the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
Most Valuable Player Award
MLB Most Valuable Player Award
The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award is an annual Major League Baseball award, given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers Association of America...
and managed the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
to the World Series
1948 World Series
The 1948 World Series matched the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Braves. The Braves had won the National League pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of . The Indians spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the Boston...
title.
Boudreau was an eight-time All Star Game
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual baseball game between players from the National League and the American League, currently selected by a combination of fans, players, coaches, and managers...
selection, starting three times. He won the 1944 AL batting title (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding eight times. Boudreau still holds the record for hitting the most consecutive doubles in a game (four), set on July 14, 1946.
Early life
Boudreau was born in Harvey, Illinois, to a father of French ancestry and a Jewish mother. He was raised Catholic. Boudreau graduated from Thornton Township High SchoolThornton Township High School
Thornton Township High School, often simply referred to as Thornton is a public high school founded in 1899. The school is located in Harvey, Illinois one of the south suburbs of the city of Chicago, Illinois. The school is one of three schools administered by Thornton Township High Schools...
in Harvey, Illinois
Harvey, Illinois
Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, near Chicago. The population was 30,000 at the 2000 census.Harvey is bordered by Dixmoor, Riverdale and Blue Island to the north, Posen and Markham to the west, South Holland, Phoenix, and Dolton to the east, and East Hazel Crest to the...
. While at Thorton, Boudreau guided the "Flying Clouds" to three straight Illinois high school championship games, finishing first in 1933 and second in 1934 and 1935.
He also graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa
Phi Sigma Kappa
-Phi Sigma Kappa's Creed and Cardinal Principles:The 1934 Convention in Ann Arbor brought more changes for the fraternity. Brother Stewart W. Herman of Gettysburg wrote and presented the Creed, and Brother Ralph Watts of Massachusetts drafted and presented the Cardinal Principles.-World War II:The...
fraternity, excelling in sports at both schools. He was captain of the basketball and baseball teams at the University of Illinois, when Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
general manager Cy Slapnicka
Cy Slapnicka
Cyril Charles Slapnicka was a Major League Baseball pitcher and executive. He played for the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates . His playing career was unusual in that he went almost seven years between major league appearances...
paid him an undisclosed sum in return for agreeing to play baseball for the Indians following graduation. Boudreau's father complained to the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, and league officials ruled him ineligible for collegiate sports. During his junior and senior years at Illinois, he played pro basketball with the Hammond
Hammond, Indiana
Hammond is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 80,830 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hammond is located at ....
All-Americans of the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
.
Jewish heritage
Boudreau has been counted in recent years on lists of Jewish baseball players. As his mother's parents were practicing Jews, he qualifies as a JewWho is a Jew?
"Who is a Jew?" is a basic question about Jewish identity and considerations of Jewish self-identification. The question is based in ideas about Jewish personhood which themselves have cultural, religious, genealogical, and personal dimensions...
according to the usual standard. On the other hand, his parents divorced when he was 7 years old, and he was raised by his father as a Christian. Furthermore, Boudreau did not publicly identify as a Jew during his career, as did Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg
Henry Benjamin "Hank" Greenberg , nicknamed "Hammerin' Hank" or "The Hebrew Hammer," was an American professional baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A first baseman primarily for the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg was one of the premier power hitters of his generation...
and other contemporaries. Boudreau's 1993 autobiography does not contain the words "Jew", "Jewish", or "Judaism".
Career
Boudreau made his major league debut on September 9, 1938 for the Cleveland IndiansCleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, at the age of 21, playing first base in a single game. In 1939, manager Ossie Vitt
Ossie Vitt
Oscar Joseph "Ossie" Vitt , was a Major League Baseball third baseman in the American League for the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox . Vitt later became manager of the Cleveland Indians , where he sometimes clashed with his players.-Playing career:Ossie Vitt was a product of the sandlots of...
informed Boudreau, who normally played third base, that he would have to move to shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
as Ken Keltner
Ken Keltner
Kenneth Frederick Keltner was an American professional baseball player. He played almost his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Cleveland Indians, until his final season when he played 13 games for the Boston Red Sox. He batted and threw right-handed...
already had the regular third base job.
In 1940, his first full year as a starter, he batted .295 with 46 doubles
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
and 101 RBI
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
. He was also selected to play in his first All Star Game.
Boudreau helped make history in 1941 as a key figure in stopping the 56-game hitting streak
Hitting streak
In baseball, a hitting streak refers to the number of consecutive official games in which a player gets at least one base hit.According to the Official Baseball Rules, such a streak is ended when a player has at least 1 plate appearance and no hits...
by Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
. After Ken Keltner
Ken Keltner
Kenneth Frederick Keltner was an American professional baseball player. He played almost his entire Major League Baseball career as a third baseman with the Cleveland Indians, until his final season when he played 13 games for the Boston Red Sox. He batted and threw right-handed...
made two fine stops at third base earlier in the game, Boudreau snagged a bad hop grounder at short barehanded and started a double play to retire Dimaggio. He finished the season with a .257 batting average and a league leading 45 doubles. He also turned 134 double plays in 1944, the most ever by a player-manager in Major League history.
After the season, owner Alva Bradley
Alva Bradley
Alva Bradley , aka Alva Bradley II, was a businessman and baseball team executive.Bradley was born to a wealthy family in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of M.A. Bradley and grandson of his namesake, Captain Alva Bradley. He graduated Cornell in 1908...
promoted manager Roger Peckinpaugh
Roger Peckinpaugh
Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians , New York Yankees , Washington Senators and Chicago White Sox...
to general manager and appointed Boudreau as the player-manager. Boudreau was 25 years old. Boudreau managed the Indians throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Playing basketball had put a strain on Boudreau's ankles which later developed arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
and he was classified 4-F
Selective Service System
The Selective Service System is a means by which the United States government maintains information on those potentially subject to military conscription. Most male U.S. citizens and male immigrant non-citizens between the ages of 18 and 25 are required by law to have registered within 30 days of...
and thus, ineligible for military service. Upon assuming ownership in 1947, Bill Veeck, after being approached by Boudreau, renewed the player-manager agreement with mixed feelings on both sides. Although the results were personally contentious, they did win the World Series in 1948, Cleveland's first championship in 28 years, and both Boudreau and Veeck were public in admitting the other's role in the success.
Relieved of his Cleveland managerial duties following the 1950 season, he was released as a player by Cleveland and signed with the Boston Red Sox, playing full-time in 1951 and becoming the team's player-manager in 1952 and as manager in 1953 and 1954. He became the first manager was of the Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in 1955, after their move from Philadelphia. He was fired after 104 games in 1957, replaced by Harry Craft
Harry Craft
Harry Francis Craft was an American Major League Baseball player and manager. Born in Ellisville, Mississippi, he was an center fielder for the Cincinnati Reds from 1937–1942...
. He served as the manager of the Chicago Cubs in 1960.
Through 2010, he was third all-time in career hits (behind Shawn Green
Shawn Green
Shawn David Green is a former Major League Baseball player.Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star...
), fourth in batting average (behind Buddy Myer
Buddy Myer
Charles Solomon "Buddy" Myer was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball from 1925 to 1941.An excellent hitter, he batted .300 or better in eight full seasons, and retired with a career average of .303. He walked more than twice as many times as he struck out...
), and fifth in RBIs (behind Sid Gordon
Sid Gordon
Sidney "Sid" Gordon , known as "Sid," was a stocky, powerfully built American right-handed Major League Baseball outfielder, third baseman, and first baseman....
) among Jewish major league baseball players.
He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970 with 77.33% of the vote. The same year, Boudreau had his number (5) retired by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
.
Boudreau Shift
Boudreau is credited with inventing the infield shiftInfield shift
The infield shift is a generic term used in baseball to describe an extreme defensive realignment from the standard positions to blanket one side of the field or another...
, and it came to be known colloquially as the "Boudreau Shift." Boudreau, noticing that Red Sox great Ted Williams
Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel "Ted" Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 21-year Major League Baseball career as the left fielder for the Boston Red Sox...
was a dead-pull hitter, moved most of his players to right of second base whenever Williams was at bat, leaving only the third baseman and left fielder with any range on the left side of the infield--and they, too, were shifted very close to second base, far away from their normal positions. Williams notably refused the obvious advice from teammates to either start hitting in the opposite direction or at least casually bunt
Bunt
A bunt is a special type of offensive technique in baseball or fastpitch softball. In a bunt play, the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.- Bunting technique :...
the ball to third base, thus forcing the opposing teams to play him more "honest." Williams stubbornly refused to change his swing or his approach, and yet his hitting ability didn't suffer when teams put the Boudreau Shift on.
Boudreau later admitted that the shift was more about psyching out Williams rather than playing him to pull. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, Player-Manager.
Lou Boudreau Award
The Lou Boudreau Award is given every year to the Cleveland Indians' Minor League Player of the Year.Broadcasting
Charlie Grimm
Charles John Grimm , nicknamed "Jolly Cholly", was a first baseman and manager in Major League Baseball best known for his years with the Chicago Cubs; he was also a sometime radio broadcaster, and a popular goodwill ambassador for baseball...
in 1960. After one season as Cubs manager, Boudreau returned to the radio booth and remained there until 1987. Boudreau also served as the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
' radio play by play announcer from 1966–1968.
Having a knowledgeable Hall of Fame announcer also affected at least one game. In the 1970s the Cubs were losing by 6 runs in the 4th inning in the 2nd game of a double header, when the umpires called the game due to darkness (no lights yet at Wrigley Field). It was announced that the game would be picked up at the same point tomorrow, as normally happened. But Boudreau knew the ground rules better than anyone else in the park, it turned out, for he went down quickly to the clubhouse and pointed out to the umps that if a game is not yet an official game, the whole game must be replayed (as in a rainout). The umpires looked it up, agreed with Boudreau, and wiped out the 6 run deficit for the Cubs.
Personal
Boudreau married Della DeRuiter in 1938 and they had four children. His daughter Sharyn married Denny McLainDenny McLain
Dennis Dale "Denny" McLain is a former American professional baseball player, and the last major league pitcher to win 30 or more games during a season —a feat accomplished by only thirteen players in the 20th century....
, a former star pitcher with the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
.
Boudreau died in 2001 in Frankfort, Illinois
Frankfort, Illinois
Frankfort is a village in Will and Cook Counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,782 at the 2010 census. According to Forbes.com, in 2007 the village ranked as the 36th fastest growing suburb in the United States. - Previous spelling :...
and is interred in Pleasant Hill Cemetery.
See also
- List of Major League Baseball batting champions
- List of Major League Baseball doubles champions
- List of select Jewish baseball players