Pete Runnels

James Edward "Pete" Runnels (January 28, 1928 – May 20, 1991) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager who played as an infielder in Major League Baseball. Born in Lufkin, Texas, the 6-foot, 170-pound Runnels batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He broke in with the Washington Senators in 1951, beginning his career at shortstop, and remained with the club through 1957 before moving to the Boston Red Sox from 1958 to 1962 and finishing with the Houston Colt .45s in 1963 and 1964.

A master at handling the bat, Runnels was a singles hitter with one of the best eyes in the game, compiling a 1.35 walk-to-strikeout ratio of 844 to 627. He batted over .300 six times, once with the Senators and five times with Boston, and won the American League batting title twice. Despite taking the 1960 title, he drove in just 35 runs, a record low for a batting champion. He was named an All-Star five times during his years with the Red Sox.

Solid and versatile with the glove, Runnels played 644 games at first base, 642 at second, 463 at shortstop, and 49 at third. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004.