Happy Birthday to the late and great Hall of Fame Shortstop, Lou Boudreau. During his fifteen-year career, Lou spent the first thirteen years with the Cleveland Indians and the final two with the Boston Red Sox. During his final nine seasons in Cleveland, he served as the team’s player/manager, leading them to its second World Series championship in 1948.

Career Statistics/Accolades (1938-1952):

.295 BA, 1,779 HITS, 68 HR, 789 RBI, .380 OBP, 861 RUNS

  • 8x All-Star
  • 1948 AL MVP
  • 1944 Batting Champion
  • 1948 World Series Champion

Playing the Shortstop position at a high level certainly requires a lot of athleticism, and Boudreau was so athletic that he sometimes played Catcher and Third Base. He also played college basketball, earning All-American honors for the University of Illinois. However, Baseball was the sport he’d make his bread and butter on. It took until 1940 for him to become the everyday Shortstop, but when did he drive in 101 RBIs, finishing 5th in the AL MVP voting. He would win the Batting Title in 1944, hitting .327. In 1947 he was an MVP finalist, and the following year he won the MVP as the Indians would go on to win the World Series.

1948 MVP season:

.355 BA, 199 HITS, 18 HR, 106 RBI, .453 OBP, 116 RUNS (152 Games)

Offensively and defensively, Boudreau was the best all-around Shortstop played in the 1940s. Not to mention that playing both sports strains both ankles, turning into arthritis, which made him exempt from the military. During WWII, the Indians had their ups and downs with Boudreau managing, mainly due to losing players, especially Bob Feller, to the military. However, in 1948 with him playing Shortstop and serving as the manager, the Indians beat the Brooklyn Dodgers. He left Cleveland after 1950, signed with Boston, and played little longer, taking on the teams’ Manager role in 1952.

Career Manager Record/ Teams Managed:

1,162-1,224 W-L

  • Cleveland Indians (1942-1950)
  • Boston Red Sox (1952-1954)
  • Kansas City Athletics (1955-1957
  • Chicago Cubs (1960)

In 1970, Boudreau was inducted into the Hall of Fame, the same year his #5 jersey was retired by the Indians. 

References:

  1. Lou Boudreau via Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Boudreau#
  2. Lou Boudreau Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/boudrlo01.shtml