April 14, 1942: The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-2 at Briggs Stadium in Detroit. (The ballpark will be renamed Tiger Stadium in 1961.) It is the Indians' 1st game with their new manager, who is also their shortstop, perhaps the best shortstop in the game: Lou Boudreau.
Boudreau was named the Tribe's manager on November 25, 1941. He was an All-Star shortstop, well-respected by his teammates, and had been Captain of the basketball team at Bradley University in his native Peoria, Illinois. Sounds like it was a sensible decision, right?
He was only 24 years old. Roger Peckinpaugh, also a shortstop, was named interim manager of the Yankees at the end of the 1914 season, at age 23. Boudreau was, and remains, the youngest regular manager in Major League Baseball history.
Ironically, the Indians manager that Boudreau replaced was Peckinpaugh, who had previously managed the Indians from 1928 to 1933, and again in 1941 -- at the ages of 37 to 42, and 50. He had also been a shortstop, and helped the Washington Senators to win the 1924 World Series. They, too, had a "boy manager," 2nd baseman Bucky Harris, who was 27. He held the record for youngest regular manager until Boudreau broke it.
As time went on, Boudreau was still considered a great player, but his managing skill was in doubt, until 1948, at age 31, when he managed the Indians to victory in the World Series, and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player.
He last managed in 1960, with the Chicago Cubs, and became a broadcaster for them. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the Indians retired his Number 5, and he was beloved in both Illinois and Ohio until his death in 2001.
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April 14, 1942 was a Tuesday. Valery Brumel, the Soviet competitor who once held the world record in the high jump, was born on this day.
These other baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Yankees beat the Washington Senators, 7-0 at Griffith Stadium in Washington. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had thrown out the ceremonial first ball at Griffith Stadium in each of his 1st 9 years as President. But, just as Woodrow Wilson stepped aside from the ceremony at the start of World War I, FDR did so now that America was in World War II. Vice President Henry Wallace did the honors instead.
Charles "Red" Ruffing pitched a 3-hit shutout, and went 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. (He was a very good hitter for a pitcher, with a .269 lifetime batting average, 36 home runs, and 273 RBIs.) Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-5 with an RBI.
* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the New York Giants, 7-5 at the Polo Grounds. Curt Davis was the winning pitcher, while Hall-of-Famer Carl Hubbell couldn't get out of the 4th inning. Pee Wee Reese hit a home run for the Dodgers, while Johnny Mize hit one for the Giants.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 8-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Ted Williams went 3-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBIs, starting a season in which he would win the American League's Triple Crown.
* The Boston Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 4-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.
* The St. Louis Browns beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Bob Muncrief pitched a 3-hit shutout.
* And the Chicago Cubs beat their arch-rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Rookie Stan Musial went 2-for-5.
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