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Ted Williams & the Boudreau shift...
Ted Williams & the Boudreau shift...
Item # 584684
July 15, 1946
LEOMINSTER DAILY ENTERPRISE, Leominster, Massachusetts, July 15, 1946
* The Boudreau or Williams shift 1st used
* Ted Williams 3 home runs
* Boston Red Sox - Cleveland Indians
This 8 page newspaper has two column headlines on page 5: "Pennant-Bound Sox In 11-Game Lead After 2 Wins At Fenway Park" and "Williams Puts On One-Man Show As Red Sox Club Indians To Defeat".
The second game of this doubleheader featured the 1st infield shift by player manager Lou Boudreau of the Indians. This was commonly known as the "Boudreau" or "Williams Shift". Nice to have in a paper close to Boston.
Other news, sports and advertisements of the day. Some spine wear, otherwise in good condition.
wikipedia notes: The Infield Shift is a generic term used in baseball to describe a defensive alignment in which there is an extreme realignment from the standard positions to blanket one side of the field or another. Used almost exclusively against left-handed batters, it is designed to protect against extra base hits pulled hard into the gaps between the fielders on the right side.
Originally called the "Boudreau" or "Williams" shift, it was used during the 1946 World Series between the Red Sox and the Cardinals as a defensive gimmick by St. Louis manager Eddie Dyer to psych out and hopefully contain Boston slugger Ted Williams. It was devised by Cleveland Indians manager Lou Boudreau on a blackboard between games of a doubleheader in July 1946 to halt Williams' hot hitting. "I always considered The Boudreau Shift a psychological, rather than a tactical victory," wrote Lou Boudreau in his book, Player-Manager.
Category: The 20th Century
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