A defensive shift is so common today that we see what once was a strange double play.
It’s becoming routine to see a shortstop play a ground ball in shallow right field and throw it to a third baseman, who is actually standing on second ready to complete the twin killing with a toss to first.
Although defensive shifts have been around for a very long time, the most famous was perhaps conceived during the 1946 season.
On July 14, Cleveland player/manager Lou Boudreau was looking to stop Boston slugger Ted Williams and the shift that we often see today was born.
Today, frustrated announcers and fans often speculate about a player bunting or learning to hit the ball the “other” way to beat the shift, but often we see a weird double play instead.
Beating the Shift
Back in 1946, the “Williams Shift” did create a once in a lifetime moment on Sept. 13. Of the 521 home runs hit by Williams, there was only one that was inside-the-park and it occurred in Cleveland against Boudreau and the Indians.
As it turned out, the homer in the first inning gave the Red Sox a 1-0 victory over the Indians. Cleveland pitcher Red Embree only allowed a single in the eighth by Johnny Pesky in a tough-luck loss.
Williams hit the ball into left field and Cleveland center fielder Felix Mackiewicz had to chase it down and then relay to Boudreau. The shortstop’s throw was late and Williams scored what became the game-winner.
Tex Hughson was the winning pitcher for Boston as he tossed a three hitter as the Red Sox ended up clinching the American League pennant that day for the first time since 1918.
In Detroit, Joe DiMaggio homered in the seventh inning to give the New York Yankees a 5-4 win and thus eliminating the Tigers from the race.
Delayed Celebration
The Sept. 14 edition of The Boston Daily Globe is covered with stories about the Red Sox winning the pennant. However, the celebration didn’t happen on the field.
According to a story by Hy Hurwitz, the players had left the stadium and “scattered though out the city.” It was late in the evening when the team finally enjoyed the victory at the hotel.
Ironically, Williams wasn’t there. Hurwitz wrote that he “had sneaked out to an Army hospital to sit at the bedside of a dying veteran who had requested that the ‘Kid” visit him.”
The World Series
Williams was named the AL Most Valuable Player for the first time in 1946 as the Red Sox would fall in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals during the World Series.
After missing three seasons during World War II, Williams came back and batted .342 with 38 homers and 123 RBI.
An AL All-Star, he would lead the league in runs scored, walks, on-base and slugging percentage.
Williams would be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 after a 19-year career that began in 1939 and ended in 1960.