Boudreau’s heroics lead Cleveland to title

The clubs split the first two contests, however, and Bob Feller faltered in Game 154, yielding four runs in just two-and-a-third innings. Hal Newhouser’s one-run complete game secured a 7-1 Detroit victory and forced Cleveland into a first-place tie with Boston. With a pennant and a World Series matchup against the Boston Braves in the balance, the Indians traveled to Fenway Park for a Monday-afternoon tiebreaker on Oct. 4, 1948.

Who pitched the American League’s decisive game was up to player-manager Lou Boudreau, the 30-year-old who’d made his playing job look easy in 1948 – with a .355 batting average, a .453 on-base percentage and 34 doubles, Cleveland’s everyday shortstop would win AL MVP. Boudreau, the manager, had three intriguing options to pitch Monday’s contest.

Feller, despite his uncharacteristic outing the day before, had posted a 3.56 ERA in 280.1 innings and hadn’t lost Boudreau’s faith during a tough stretch of five consecutive losses that June. “We’ll sink or swim with Feller,” Cleveland’s skipper had told The Boston Globe.  

Bob Lemon boasted a shiny 2.82 ERA in 293.2 frames of his own, with 20 wins in 43 appearances. That said, consecutive defeats had seen Lemon allow seven earned runs in 14.2 innings.

Then there was the lefty Gene Bearden, 48 hours removed from a Saturday shutout of the Tigers. The 27-year-old, whose 2.53 ERA led the American League and, according to the Globe, “whose flood of knuckle-ball pitches swarm upon the plate like a covey of geese coming into a marsh,” got the nod for Game 155.

Cleveland entered the tiebreaker in a frustrated mood, having squandered its chance at winning the pennant already. “Boudreau’s men arrived in town only at mid-morning, tired-eyed and thoroughly angry with themselves for having blown an apparently safe lead in the closing days of the race,” wrote the Associated Press.

Boudreau helped Cleveland’s cause before his pitcher of choice even toed the rubber, as he hit a first-inning solo shot off Red Sox starter Denny Galehouse.

The two home runs into Fenway’s left-field net highlighted Boudreau’s 4-for-4 afternoon, which also included a walk. With the highest of stakes, Cleveland’s player-manager had performed admirably at both jobs.

“Boudreau, at least for today, was the greatest manager in the world. The youthful pilot, in addition to his four base hits and three runs, fielded flawlessly and set a brilliant pattern for his men,” wrote the Associated Press.

“In the days when sword-waving Generals were the fashion, no army was ever led the way Lou Boudreau led the charge of the Cleveland Indians yesterday,” echoed the Globe.

The Indians celebrated modestly under Boudreau’s leadership, as Game 1 of the World Series – also in Boston, at Braves Stadium – was just two days later.