Eddie Lake, born March 18, 1916 in Antioch, California, died June 7, 1995 in Castro Valley, California, nicknamed "Sparky," [2] was a Major League Baseball player and shortstop for 11 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals (1939-1941), Boston Red Sox (1943-1945), and Detroit Tigers (1946-1950).
In 11 seasons, Lake had a .231 batting average, but with his ability to draw bases on balls, Lake had a career on base percentage of .366 -- 135 points higher than his batting average. His 1945 on base percentage of .412 with the Red Sox led the American League.
Lake had over 100 bases on balls in three consecutive seasons. His walk totals were 106 in 1945 (2nd best in the AL); 103 in 1946 (3rd in the AL), and 120 in 1947 (3rd in the AL). He was also 4th best in the AL in times hit by pitche in 1946 with 4.
Lake was also a solid fielder, leading AL shortstops in assists and double plays in 1945. For the 1945 season, Lake collected 265 putouts, 459 assists, and 112 double plays. His range factor was 5.57 -- 63 points above the league average for shortstops.
Lake was traded by the Red Sox to the Tigers on January 3, 1946 for Rudy York. Lake scored 105 runs in his first season for the Tigers in 1946.
He is interred at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Hayward, California.[1]