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Posted By: John Kalafarski

In 1946 the Dodgers and the Cards ended the season in a flat-footed tie (love that cliche). They moved on to a 2 of three playoff situation. To keep his charges sharp, Joe Cronin scheduled the Red Sox to a three game exhibition series against an all star team (including Joe D). In the first game, Ted was hit directly on the elbow by Senator lefty Mickey Haefner. The elbow "swelled up like a hard-boiled egg." Ted was advised by team Doctor to rest, but there was little time to rest with the series coming up fast.
Later on, Ted figured out a way to beat the Boudreau shift by going to a heavier bat causing him to pull the ball less. And when the defense adjusted, he went to a lighter bat.
For the most part, when David Ortiz sees a shift, he continues to pull, hitting into the shift. Teams would love to see hitters like Williams and Ortiz go for singles the other way.