The Williams shift (answered)

[Arlo]

Name the manager credited with first employing this strategy.

[chuckr37]

How about Lou Boudreau?

[Arlo]

Bingo. I had a feeling that this would be too easy... so much for the off-speed stuff!

[EugeneStyles]

What exactly is the Williams shift?

[Arlo]

Ted Williams used to hit over 85% (his estimate) of his hits to the rightfield side. In the second game of a double-header, Lou Boudreau played the rightfielder and the first baseman right on the line, shifted the 3b behind second base, the ss between 1st and 2nd, the 2b into shallow right and moved the cf to right-center.

Williams walked on four straight pitches, but the shift (or versions thereof) was picked up by other managers and became a huge media issue (adding more fuel to Williams' stormy relationship with the press).

Even though the shift can't be considered to have been terribly succesful, give Boudreau credit for being creitive and trying an unorthodox strategy.