10 March 1986 - On this day twenty-two years ago, former Red Sox second baseman Bobby Doerr, along with catcher Ernie Lombardi, are elected by the Veterans Committee to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The nine-time American League All-Star, who never received greater than 25% of the vote from the Baseball Writers Association of America, gains entrance thanks to heavy lobbying by former teammate Ted Williams, who referred to Doerr as “the silent captain of the Red Sox.” He also holds the distinction of being the only player in franchise history to hit for the cycle twice, once in May of 1944 and nearly three years later to the day in May of 1947. Picked up on the same scouting trip that former Boston general manager Eddie Collins discovered Williams, Doerr played 14 seasons in Boston and averaged .288 at the plate, though he never batted below .270 in any season except for his shortened rookie campaign. Three times, he hit better than .300, batting .325 in 1944 while also leading the league with a slugging percentage of .528.

He proved valuable in the field as well, making an average of just under 140 starts at second base each season, the only position he ever played in his major league career; at one point, Doerr held the American League record for handling 414 consecutive chances without an error. His all-around hustle and determination earned Doerr five starts in nine All-Star appearances between 1941 and 1951. He missed one season due to World War II in 1945; the following season, along with Williams, shortstop Johnny Pesky, and center fielder Dom DiMaggio, he returned to help lead his club to its first American League pennant in 28 years, batting .271 with 18 home runs and 116 RBI. Doerr collected his 2,000 hit in July of 1951 and retired a month later due to severe sacroiliac pain that put a premature end to his career, although Doerr later returned to baseball as a coach for Boston in the late 1960s. Two years after gaining election to the Hall of Fame, Doerr became just the third former Boston player to have his number (1) retired by the Red Sox.

[1] National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum