Lou Boudreau

Shortstop

Class of 1970

Lou Boudreau

Shortstop

Class of 1970
Lou Boudreau did it all in baseball – he played, managed and broadcast.

Games

Birth year

About Lou Boudreau

Lou Boudreau did it all in baseball – he played, managed and broadcast. He was an excellent defensive shortstop and a gifted hitter. After one game in 1938 and 53 games in 1939, Boudreau became the Indians regular shortstop in 1940, hitting .295, driving in 101 runs and leading the AL in fielding percentage for the first of eight seasons.

In 1942, the Indians shocked the baseball world by hiring their 24-year-old shortstop as a player-manager. Boudreau would continue in that role through 1950.

In 1946, he devised the “Williams Shift,” sometimes known as the “Boudreau Shift,” placing all of the infielders on the right side of second base and leaving only the left-fielder across the diamond in an attempt to stop the pull-hitting Ted Williams.

Few players or managers ever had a better season than Boudreau did in 1948. “That year, Lou Boudreau was the greatest shortstop and leader I have ever seen,” said Hall of Famer Bill McKechnie, a coach with the club. The Indians went 97-58 while Boudreau hit .355 with 106 RBI, a career-high 18 home runs, a .453 on-base percentage and struck out only nine times in 560 at-bats.

The Indians and the Red Sox finished the regular season tied, necessitating a one-game playoff at Fenway Park, in which Boudreau went 4-for-4, homering twice. The Indians went on to beat the Braves in the World Series, and Boudreau picked up the AL Most Valuable Player Award.

Boudreau moved to the Red Sox for the 1951 season, and was a player manager for the club in 1952, his final season as a player. He managed the Sox for two more seasons, before taking over the Kansas City Athletics from 1955-57.

In 1958, he moved to the radio booth for WGN and the Chicago Cubs. In 1960, he was involved in a most unusual “trade,” switching places with Cubs manager Charlie Grimm.

Grimm went up to the radio booth, while Boudreau took over as manager. In 1961, he was back on the airwaves, where he remained with the Cubs until 1988.

“He had terrific instincts and was a great competitor," said his Hall of Fame teammate Bob Feller. “As a player-manager, he became so good that he went as far as calling pitches from shortstop. He was always thinking, always in the game.”

Boudreau was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1970. He passed away on Aug. 10, 2001.

The Basics

Year inducted
1970
Birth Place
Harvey, Illinois
Birth Year
1917
Died
2001, Olympia Fields Illinois

Career at a Glance

Primary Team
Cleveland Indians
Primary Position
Shortstop
Played For
Cleveland Indians, 1938-1950
Boston Red Sox, 1951-1952

Career MLB Stats

Games
1,646
At bats
6,029
Hits
1,779
Walks
796
Runs
861
Doubles
385
Triples
66
Home Runs
68
RBI
789
Stolen Bases
51
Batting Average
.295
Ops
.795
On Base %
.380
Slugging %
.415

Lou Boudreau Stories

Explore the archives and go deep into the lives, careers, and stories of the Hall of Fame's honorees.

Boudreau’s heroics lead Cleveland to title

Lou Boudreau Hits a Lead-Off Home Run in All-Star Game

Boudreau’s 1948 season a hit on the field and in the dugout