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[[Image:Faro de La Serena.jpg|thumb|258px|Faro of The City]]
{{Infobox baseball player | name=Lou Boudreau | image name= lou-boudreau.jpg|200px|Lou Boudreau
[[Image:La Serena-Coquimbo-02.jpg|thumb|258px|The city of La Serena with the port city of [[Coquimbo, Chile|Coquimbo]] in the background]]
| birthdate= [[July 17]], [[1917]]
[[Image:Plaza de Armas - La Serena.jpg|thumb|250px|Plaza de Armas]]
| birthplace= [[Harvey]], [[Illinois]]
| dead=dead
| deathdate= [[August 10]], [[2001]]
| deathplace= [[Frankfort, Illinois]]
| debutdate= [[September 9]], [[1938]]
| debutteam= [[Cleveland Indians]]
| debutopponent= [[Detroit Tigers]]
| debutstadium= [[League Park]]
| teams= [[Cleveland Indians]] ([[1938 in baseball|1938]]-[[1950 in baseball|1950]])
<br>[[Boston Red Sox]] ([[1951 in baseball|1951]]-[[1952 in baseball|1952]])
| HOFer=HOFer
| inductiondate=[[1970 in sports|1970]]
| careerhighlights=<nowiki></nowiki>
* American League MVP in [[1948 in baseball|1948]].
* Led American League in batting average [[1944 in baseball|1944]] (.327)
* Player/Manager for the 1948 world champion [[Cleveland Indians]].
}}
'''La Serena''' ("the serene one") is the second oldest city in [[Chile]]. The city, located 471 km north of [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], has a population of 147,815, according to the 2002 census. There are also 12,333 inhabitants of the immediately surrounding countryside. It is one of the fastest-growing areas of Chile, witnessing a population increase of 32.6% between [[1992]] and [[2002]].
'''Louis Boudreau''' ([[July 17]], [[1917]] - [[August 10]], [[2001]]) was a Hall of Fame [[Major League Baseball]] player, and the [[American League]] [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|MVP Award]] winner in [[1948]].
It was first founded by Spaniard Captain [[Juan Bohón]] in [[September 4]] [[1544]] on the orders of [[Pedro de Valdivia]] in order to provide a sea link between Santiago and [[Lima]]. In [[1549]] the town was totally destroyed by local Indians and re-founded the same year by Captain Francisco de Aguirre in a safer ___location. The town has retained its historic architecture and this, along with a selection of beaches (known as Avenida del Mar, "Sea Avenue"), has caused the city to become a significant tourist centre, attracting many foreigners (most of them Argentines from San Juan and Mendoza provinces) during January, and later Santiago residents fleeing February heat.
He won the 1944 AL [[batting title]] (.327), and led the league in doubles in 1941, 1944, and 1947. He led AL shortstops in fielding 8 times. He won the [[American League]] [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|MVP Award]] award in [[1948]].
Its traditional architecture consists of a series of housing and public buildings, of late 19th-century vintage, built with wood from the [[USA|US]] state of [[Oregon]] brought to Chile as counterweight in sailing vessels coming to [[Coquimbo]], the nearby port, to load copper and other minerals for transport back to the US. This Oregon pine and the use of [[adobe]] create the genuine image of the city.
After his playing and managing career, Boudreau was a popular and long-time radio announcer for the [[Chicago Cubs]] of the [[National League]].
There is also a number of remarkable and valuable small churches built of sedimentary stone quarried 5 km to the north of the [[Elqui River]], having a characteristic color and texture formed by myriad small shells. These churches are all roughly 350 years old and have undergone restoration to varying degrees, bringing them back to their original form. San Francisco, San Agustín, Santo Domingo are the names of a few of them.
==Early life==
The Cathedral, built from the same stone, dates from the 19th century. It must be said that although it lacks the same historical value as the older churches, this is a stone building in a country prone to seismic activity, and has survived various earthquakes. Indeed, during centuries of existence, there is almost no visible damage. All of these churches, along with others of minor importance, provide a unique urban landscape, an image for the city, giving it the nickname "''The City of Churches''."
Boudreau, who was [[Jew]]ish,[http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:t1E2uG0gQv0J:www.chicagojewishnews.com/lists_majors.htm+%22lou+boudreau%22+jewish&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=12][http://floridajewishnews.com/News/National/Jewish_ballplayers_have_won_top_awards_20061027655/] graduated from [[Thornton Township High School]] in [[Harvey, Illinois]], and the [[University of Illinois]], excelling in sports at both schools. He was captain of the basketball and baseball teams at the University of Illinois when he signed an agreement to join the [[Cleveland Indians]] following graduation. [[Big Ten Conference]] officials ruled him ineligible for amateur participation for the remainder of his college career. He played pro basketball with [[Hammond, Indiana|Hammond]] of the [[National Basketball League (United States)|National Basketball League]].
A few of the major sectors are: El Centro ("downtown"), Peñuelas (actually a suburb between La Serena and its sister city [[Coquimbo]]), San Joaquín (neighborhood on a hill overlooking the ocean), La Florida, Las Compañías ("the companies"), Cerro Grande ("big hill"), La Antena and the new El Milagro ("the miracle") development.
== Career ==
Boudreau made his Major League debut on [[September 9]], [[1938]] for the [[Cleveland Indians]], at the age of 21.
Boudreau quickly became regarded as one of the best all-round [[shortstop]]s in the game, combining solid fielding with a good [[batting average]] and run production.
In [[1940]] he batting .295 with 9 [[home run]]s and 101 [[runs batted in|RBI]] (10th in the league).
One key moment came on a July night in [[1941]], when his young ballclub put the stopper on [[Joe DiMaggio]]'s 56-game hitting streak. Boudreau himself fielded the ground ball that Joe D. hit in his last at-bat in that game.
That year he led the league in doubles with 45.
Boudreau took over managerial duties with the club in [[November, 1941]] while remaining the club's everyday shortstop.
In [[1944]] he led the American League in batting with a .327 batting average and 45 doubles, and was second in the league with a .406 obp and 191 hits, and scored 91 runs (6th).
Each year from 1946-48 he was the most difficult ballplayer in the league to strikeout, striking out only 9 times in 560 at bats in '48.
In [[1947]] he led the league in doubles for the third time, and came in third in MVP voting.
In [[1948]], he had a .355 batting average and a .454 obp (both 2nd in the league, behind [[Ted Williams]]), a .534 slugging percentage (4th), scored 116 runs (5th in the league, and had 105 RBIs (8th). He led the Indians to a first-place tie with the [[Boston Red Sox]], then got 4 hits in an easy win in a one-game playoff at [[Fenway Park]], breaking the hearts of Red Sox Nation and also depriving the city of their only chance at an all-Boston [[World Series]]. The Indians went on to defeat the [[Atlanta Braves|Boston Braves]] 4 games to 2 win the Series (their last Series win as of [[2006]]).
He also had his best personal year, batting .355 (2nd in the league) with 18 home runs and 106 RBI, good enough to win the [[American League]] [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|MVP Award]].
As both shortstop and manager, he was the inventor and most ardent practitioner of the "Williams shift" (a.k.a. "Boudreau shift"), stacking all but one defensive player on the right side of the field when [[Ted Williams]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] would come to bat in certain situations.
{{MLB HoF}}
After being traded to those same Red Sox in [[1951]], Boudreau played one more season and then became full-time manager of the Red Sox and the great "Teddy Ballgame" the next year. Unfortunately, the Sox were a team in decline. After three uneventful seasons in Boston, and three downright miserable seasons trying to skipper the hapless [[Oakland Athletics|Kansas City Athletics]], Boudreau hung up his managerial cap for good, or so he thought, and latched on as a color announcer for his hometown team, the Cubs.
A month or so into the [[1960]] season, [[P.K. Wrigley]], the ever-innovative owner of the Cubs, made the unusual "trade" of coaxing Boudreau out of retirement to manage the ever-struggling Cubs, and moving talkative manager "Jolly Cholly" [[Charlie Grimm|Grimm]] into the broadcast booth. That experiment did not work out notably well, especially on the field. After that season, Grimm retired, Boudreau went back to the booth for good, and Wrigley began his famous (or infamous) 5-year experiment called the [[College of Coaches]]. Boudreau finished his career as a manager with an overall record of 1162 wins and 1224 losses.
As a broadcaster, "The Good Kid" was a mixed bag. When called upon to do play-by-play, he was a bit awkward, stumbling over difficult-to-pronounce names, such as [[Chris Cannizzaro]] which came out "Can-zah-narrow" until Chris joined the Cubs and Louie learned how to say the name correctly. Another example was [[Doug Rader]], whom he called "RADAR". But as an analyst, on tactics of the game, he was brilliant, and his typically soft-spoken personality won him many fans during his nearly 3 decades of service with [[WGN (AM)]]. His two best-known radio [[play-by-play]] partners were [[Jack Quinlan]] and [[Vince Lloyd]]. He also worked on television with [[Jack Brickhouse]] from time to time.
He was elected to the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in [[1970]]. The same year Boudreau had his # 5 retired by the [[Cleveland Indians]].
Boudreau attended the [[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]], where he was a member of [[Phi Sigma Kappa]] fraternity. Boudreau is interred in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in [[Frankfort, Illinois]].
[[Image:WGN broadcast booths 810611.JPG|thumb|left|523px|Cubs broadcasters, June 11, 1981 - Vince Lloyd, Lou Boudreau, Milo Hamilton, Jack Brickhouse]]
<div style="clear: both"></div>
=== Accomplishments ===
* 7-time [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star]] (1940-44, 1947-48)
* American League [[MLB Most Valuable Player award|MVP Award]] winner (1948)
* Finished 3rd in American League MVP voting (1947)
* Finished 5th in American League MVP voting (1940)
* Finished 6th in American League MVP voting (1944)
* Finished 8th in American League MVP voting (1945)
* Finished 10th in American League MVP voting (1942, 1943, 1946)
* Elected into the [[Baseball Hall of Fame]] in 1970
=== Teams ===
As player:
* [[Cleveland Indians]] (1938-50)
* [[Boston Red Sox]] (1951-52)
As manager:
* Cleveland Indians (1942-50)
* Boston Red Sox (1952-54)
* [[Kansas City Athletics]] (1955-57)
* [[Chicago Cubs]] (1960)
==External links==
*[http://www.userena.cl// University of La Serena]
*[http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/hofers_and_honorees/hofer_bios/boudreau_lou.htm Baseball Hall of Fame]
*[http://www.baseballlibrarywunderground.com/baseballlibraryglobal/ballplayersstations/B/Boudreau_Lou85488.stmhtml/ Baseballweather Libraryforecast]
*[http://www.visit-chile.org/norte/h21.phtml Chilean tourist site for La Serena]
*[http://www.thebaseballpage.com/past/pp/boudreaulou/ The Baseball Page]
*[http://www.intimahinatravel.cl travel agency]
*[http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/boudrlo01.shtml Baseball-Reference.com] - career playing stats and managing record
{{coor title dm|29|54|S|71|15|W|region:CL_type:city}}
*[http://www.thedeadballera.com/Obits/Boudreau.Lou.Obit.html The Deadball Era]
{{start box}}
{{succession box | title=[[List of Major League Baseball Batting Champions|American League Batting Champion]] | before=[[Luke Appling]] | years=[[1944]]| after= [[Snuffy Stirnweiss]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Joe DiMaggio]] | title = [[MLB Most Valuable Player Award|American League Most Valuable Player]] | years = [[1948]] | after = [[Ted Williams]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Cleveland Indians/Managers and ownership|Cleveland Indians Manager]] | before=[[Roger Peckinpaugh]] | years=1942-1950| after= [[Al Lopez]]
}}
{{succession box|title=[[Boston Red Sox/Managers and ownership|Boston Red Sox manager]]|before=[[Steve O'Neill]]|years=1952–1954| after=[[Pinky Higgins]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Oakland Athletics/Managers and ownership|Kansas City Athletics Manager]] | before=[[Eddie Joost]] | years=1955-1957| after= [[Harry Craft]]
}}
{{succession box|title=[[Chicago Cubs/Managers and ownership|Chicago Cubs manager]]|before=[[Charlie Grimm]]|years=1960| after=[[Vedie Himsl]]<br />([[College of Coaches]])}}
{{end box}}
[[Category:1917 births|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:American basketball players|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:American League All-Stars|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:2001 deaths|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Baseball Hall of Fame|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Baseball managers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Baseball player-managers|Boudreau]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox managers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Boston Red Sox players|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Chicago Cubs managers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians managers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Cleveland Indians players|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign alumni|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Kansas City Athletics managers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball announcers|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Major league shortstops|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Major league players from Illinois|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:People from Harvey, Illinois]]
[[Category:French Americans|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:American League batting champions|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Jewish baseball players|Boudreau, Lou]]
[[Category:Cities in Chile]]
[[Category:Communes of Chile]]
[[Category:Capitals of Chilean regions]]
[[Category:Settlements established in 1544]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Coquimbo Region]]
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