Lou Boudreau
Without Lou Boudreau, the 1948 Cleveland Indians wouldn't have won the American League pennant nor the World Series. As a 30-year old shortstop/manager, Boudreau won the Most Valuable Player Award and hit two homers in a special one-game playoff to decide the AL flag. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970.
| Career Batting Stats |
| G |
AB |
H |
R |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
AVG |
SLG |
OBP |
OPS |
OPS+ |
| 1646 |
6029 |
1779 |
861 |
68 |
789 |
51 |
.295 |
.415 |
.380 |
.795 |
111.0 |
|
Teams Lou Boudreau Managed
Cleveland Indians (1942-1950)
Boston Red Sox (1952-1954)
Kansas City Athletics (1955-1957)
Chicago Cubs (1960)
Where does Lou Boudreau rank among baseball greats?
Lou Boudreau ranks #4 among the Top 50 all-time at SS. Rankings ⇒
Best Season: 1948
Rising to the occasion, Boudreau led his team to the AL pennant, batting a career-high .355 (he hit a blistering .403 on the road) with 18 homers, 106 RBI, 116 runs, 199 hits, 34 doubles, 98 walks, and just nine strikeouts In the playoff game with Boston to decide the pennant, Boudreau blasted two homers and singled twice in the Indians 8-3 win. He was an easy choice for American League MVP.
Five Extra-Base Hits in One Game (since 1900)
Lou Boudreau, July 14, 1946 (HR, Four 2B)
Joe Adcock, July 31, 1954 (Four HR, 2B)
Willie Stargell, August 1, 1970 (Two HR, Three 2B)
Steve Garvey, August 28, 1977 (Two HR, Three 2B)
Shawn Green, May 23, 2002 (Four HR, 2B)
Where He Played
Shortstop
As a Manager
Boudreau devised the defensive shift that was used to stop Ted Williams. Moving his third baseman to the right of second base, and positioning himself back of second, he placed six players in right field to shield against Williams pulled balls. The shift was quickly copied by other AL teams, but it was not an original. Twenty years earlier the AL had used a "Williams Shift" against Browns slugger Ken Williams, to equal success. Boudreau was also instrumental in switching Bob Lemon from the outfield to pitcher... New Cleveland owner Bill Veeck wanted to fire Boudreau when he took over in 1946, but when the word leaked that he planned to replace the popular "kid-manager," fans voiced their displeasure. Veeck backed down and two years later he was happy he had.
Born
Louis Boudreau was born on July 17, 1917, in Harvey, IL.
Died
August 10, 2001, Frankfort, IL
Batted: Right
Threw: Right
Major League Debut
9 9,
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1938
Enos Slaughter
Lou Boudreau
Joe Gordon
Sam Chapman
Roy Cullenbine
Preacher Roe
Max Lanier
Mort Cooper
Taffy Wright
Similar Players
Robin Yount
Related Players
Ted Williams
| Hall of Fame Voting |
| Year |
Election |
Votes |
Pct |
| 1958 |
BBWAA |
64 |
24.1% |
1960 |
BBWAA |
35 |
13.0% |
1962 |
BBWAA |
12 |
7.5% |
1964 |
BBWAA |
68 |
33.8% |
1964 |
Run Off |
43 |
19.1% |
1966 |
BBWAA |
115 |
38.1% |
1967 |
BBWAA |
143 |
49.0% |
1967 |
Run Off |
68 |
22.2% |
1968 |
BBWAA |
146 |
51.6% |
1969 |
BBWAA |
218 |
64.1% |
1970 |
BBWAA |
232 |
77.3% |
|
Post-Season Appearances
1948 World Series
Awards and Honors
1948 AL MVP
Transactions
After the 1947 season, the Indians and Browns had reached an agreement to send Lou Boudreau to St. Louis in a trade that would have netted Cleveland Bob Muncrief, Wally Judnich and a few others. St. Louis General Manager Bill DeWitt vetoed the deal, though the two clubs later made a pair of trades with many of the players involved. Boudreau stayed in Cleveland and led the Tribe to the 1948 World Series title.
All-Star Selections
1940 AL
1941 AL
1942 AL
1943 AL
1944 AL
1945 AL
1947 AL
1948 AL
Learn More about Lou Boudreau
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