The Ted Williams Shift

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  • Ubiquitous
    stats moderator
    • Aug 2005
    • 14302

    The Ted Williams Shift

    This thread will be devoted to articles, analysis, opinions, and debate about the defensive shift applied to Ted Williams in his career.
    Last edited by Ubiquitous; 01-22-2007, 09:04 PM.
  • Ubiquitous
    stats moderator
    • Aug 2005
    • 14302

    #2
    The Ted Williams Shift

    1949 article about the William Shift. In it they also note how many times in 1948 that the NY second basemen using the shift got Ted out.

    Last edited by Ubiquitous; 01-22-2007, 09:04 PM.

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    • Ubiquitous
      stats moderator
      • Aug 2005
      • 14302

      #3
      An picture of the Indians employing the shift in 1946.

      Last edited by Ubiquitous; 01-09-2007, 09:57 AM.

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      • Ubiquitous
        stats moderator
        • Aug 2005
        • 14302

        #4
        The rest of the article

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        • Ubiquitous
          stats moderator
          • Aug 2005
          • 14302

          #5
          Here is an article about the first person to get the shift, Cy Williams.

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          • Ubiquitous
            stats moderator
            • Aug 2005
            • 14302

            #6
            An interview of Ted Williams by Leigh Montville
            TW: It certainly was the slider. I could hit the slider just as good as I could hit any ball, but I couldn't get it in the air as good. And you know they throw the shift there, and there's nine guys playing on this side and there's nobody over there, and I'm close to the plate and the only way I can get the ball over there is to uppercut it and hit it with the width of the bat, not the length of the bat. So I started looking for sliders and here they came. Boy I was laying for it. I was ready for it and I was crashing it. Now they're a little in doubt, now what are we gonna do? He hits high balls, fastballs, inside, outside, slider is the least dangerous and then they start throwing me a lot of sliders and I was starting to hit them out because I knew that was all I was gonna get. I knew I was gonna get it. If they're getting all of the good hitters out in the league, you knew damn well they were gonna throw it to Williams. So all those things fell in place.

            LM: So the slider made you hit to the left?

            TW: No, I didn't say that. You're putting words, you're trying to put words…

            LM: I'm sorry

            TW: No, I said for me to hit the slider, I had to look for it. I didn't care where a pitch was, if I was looking for it. But the slider was a pitch you kinda had to look for 'cause it was quick at the end. If I couldn't get under it, that's a little lag there, I had to hit it occasionally get one in the air, but it was a ground ball pitch. I didn't want any of those. But when they said go to left field, get a little further away from the plate, then that registered.

            LM: And that opened it up for the .388

            TW: Well, didn't open it up. Why did it open it up?

            LM: Because you were getting hits… because you were hitting to the left field and they couldn't do the shift.

            TW: That's right. They couldn't all go one way, they had to open up. Now I had more holes than I ever had in my life. Just hit a ball, a base hit.

            LM: Did you say to yourself, why didn't I do this before?

            TW: No I didn't, no I didn't. They hadn't changed the shift yet. That year I started hitting to left field a bit more and now they're opening up. I went to Chicago and I think I got 3 or 4 hits at least in the first game and then 3 or 4 hits the next day, and boy that shift was going out the window. Because I'd hit them all to left-center, through the box, shortstop, nobody there. So now they start opening up. Now the weather's getting hotter, June, July, and August. Now, I'm really starting to hit my own way and I had all kinds of room. That's what happened. Mantle had that tremendous year, and I happened to have a year that fell right in place

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            • Ubiquitous
              stats moderator
              • Aug 2005
              • 14302

              #7
              A small note from August 14th 1946
              Attached Files

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              • Ubiquitous
                stats moderator
                • Aug 2005
                • 14302

                #8
                Ruths opinion in September of 1946
                Attached Files

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                • Ubiquitous
                  stats moderator
                  • Aug 2005
                  • 14302

                  #9
                  Here is a diagram of the shift employed by the Cards in the 1946 series.

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                  • Ubiquitous
                    stats moderator
                    • Aug 2005
                    • 14302

                    #10
                    Here is snippet showing seasonal splits of 1946, before and after Boudreau employed the shift. Another interesting tidbit was that there was a rumor that the Red Sox were going to send Williams to the Tigers.

                    Tallying the numbers
                    before the shift: .352/.496/.697
                    After the shift: .330/.477/.598
                    Attached Files
                    Last edited by Ubiquitous; 01-09-2007, 10:34 AM.

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                    • Ubiquitous
                      stats moderator
                      • Aug 2005
                      • 14302

                      #11
                      Here is snippet about the Cards shift in the Series.
                      Attached Files

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                      • RuthMayBond
                        Out in LF (Bartman of BBF
                        • Jan 2004
                        • 19670

                        #12
                        Originally posted by Ubiquitous
                        This thread will devoted to articles, analysis, opinions, and debate about the defensive shift applied to Ted Williams in his career.
                        Can you confirm that Jimmy Dykes used the Shift against Ted on July 23, 1941?
                        Mythical SF Chronicle scouting report: "That Jeff runs like a deer. Unfortunately, he also hits AND throws like one." I am Venus DeMilo - NO ARM! I can play like a big leaguer, I can field like Luzinski, run like Lombardi. The secret to managing is keeping the ones who hate you away from the undecided ones. I am a triumph of quantity over quality. I'm almost useful, every village needs an idiot.
                        Good traders: MadHatter(2), BoofBonser26, StormSurge

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                        • Ubiquitous
                          stats moderator
                          • Aug 2005
                          • 14302

                          #13
                          Some tidbits from the Cards series
                          Attached Files

                          Comment

                          • Williamsburg2599
                            Registered User
                            • Feb 2006
                            • 4615

                            #14
                            "The way those clubs shift against Ted Williams, I can't understand how he can be so stupid not to accept the challenge to him and hit to left field." - Ty Cobb

                            Agree or Disagree?

                            Comment

                            • RuthMayBond
                              Out in LF (Bartman of BBF
                              • Jan 2004
                              • 19670

                              #15
                              Originally posted by Williamsburg2599
                              "The way those clubs shift against Ted Williams, I can't understand how he can be so stupid not to accept the challenge to him and hit to left field." - Ty Cobb

                              Agree or Disagree?
                              I'd have to go with Ty on this one
                              Mythical SF Chronicle scouting report: "That Jeff runs like a deer. Unfortunately, he also hits AND throws like one." I am Venus DeMilo - NO ARM! I can play like a big leaguer, I can field like Luzinski, run like Lombardi. The secret to managing is keeping the ones who hate you away from the undecided ones. I am a triumph of quantity over quality. I'm almost useful, every village needs an idiot.
                              Good traders: MadHatter(2), BoofBonser26, StormSurge

                              Comment

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