Boudreau, Lou

Lou Boudreau, byname of Louis Boudreau, (born July 7, 1917, Harvey, Ill., U.S.—died Aug. 10, 2001, Frankfort, Ill.), American professional baseball player and manager who led the Cleveland Indians to the 1948 World Series championship.

Boudreau was a two-sport star in high school, and he went on to captain both the baseball and basketball teams at the University of Illinois before being signed by the Cleveland Indians in 1938. One of the best defenders of his time, he led American League (AL) shortstops in fielding percentage for eight seasons. Boudreau was also a productive hitter and had a lifetime batting average of .295. He led the AL in hitting in 1944 with a .327 average and led the league in doubles three times. In 1942, at the peak of his playing career, Boudreau also assumed the managerial responsibilities with Cleveland, becoming, at age 24, the youngest person to have taken on the job of manager at the beginning of a major league season.

The 1948 season was the pinnacle of Boudreau’s career. That year, he managed Cleveland to the AL title and World Series championship while hitting for a .355 average with 18 home runs and 106 runs batted in. In 1948 Boudreau also led the league’s shortstops in fielding percentage and was selected as the AL Most Valuable Player. After 13 seasons with Cleveland and two more with the Boston Red Sox, Boudreau stopped playing baseball in 1952 to become a full-time manager. He spent six seasons managing the Red Sox and the Kansas City Athletics before retiring to join the broadcast team of the Chicago Cubs. Boudreau briefly came out of retirement to manage the Cubs for the 1960 season, after which he returned to broadcasting Cubs games, where he remained until 1988. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1970.