Boudreau, Louis

▪ 2002

“Lou” 

      American baseball player and manager (b. July 17, 1917, Harvey, Ill.—d. Aug. 10, 2001, Olympia Fields, Ill.), began his professional career as a dazzling defensive shortstop, became the second youngest manager in major league history, and went on to lead the American League in batting and manage the Cleveland Indians to their last world championship; he then managed three more teams and broadcast major league games for nearly three decades. Boudreau was the star of his high-school basketball team, which won an Illinois state championship, and captain of the University of Illinois basketball team before signing a baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians in 1938. By 1940 he was playing in the All-Star Game, and the following year he nominated himself to become the next player-manager of the Indians. Team president Alva Bradley surprised everyone by naming the 24-year-old Boudreau to the post; his fellow players responded by winning 728 games for him, the most victories for any Cleveland manager, during the next nine seasons. He was noted for inspiring self-confidence in his players. His most famous innovation was the “Williams shift,” in which he moved all defensive players except the left fielder to the right side of the field, to stymie the Boston Red Sox's power-hitting Ted Williams. On offense as well as defense, he was his own best player, hitting over .300 four times; his .327 was best in the league in 1944, and his lifetime batting average was .295. He was a favourite among fans as well as fellow players, and when new team owner Bill Veeck threatened to replace him in 1947, Cleveland fans held pro-Boudreau rallies to protest. The next year, after his team had added the league's first African American players—slugging outfielder Larry Doby and pitcher Satchel Paige—Boudreau hit .355, with 18 homers and 106 runs batted in, and led the Indians to their first World Series victory in 28 years. After Boudreau's playing career ended, he managed the Red Sox (1952–54) and the Kansas City Athletics (1955–57) and then became the Chicago Cubs radio announcer in 1958. Apart from a season off, during which he managed the Cubs to a seventh-place finish in 1960, he remained the team's radio voice until 1987. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970.

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