Louis Alexander Novikoff (October 12, 1915 – September 30, 1970), nicknamed "the Mad Russian", was an American professional baseball outfielder.

He played in all or parts of five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs (1941–44) and Philadelphia Phillies (1946).

[1] Novikoff moved to Bakersfield, California, in 1932, and attended Kern County Union High School.

[7] Joe Rodgers, the player-manager of Huntington Beach, nicknamed Novikoff "the Mad Russian" to drum up fan interest.

[9] In 1939, Novikoff began the season with the Angels, but was optioned to the Milwaukee Brewers of the Double-A American Association in April.

[11] He was recalled to the Angels in May, but then sent to the Tulsa Oilers of the Class A1 Texas League to fill in for an injured outfielder.

[14] In 1940, playing for the Angels, Novikoff batted .363 with 41 home runs and 171 RBIs, leading the league in all three categories to win a triple crown.

[16] In August 1940, the Cubs paid the Angels a figure reportedly greater than $100,000 ($2,174,822 in current dollar terms) to acquire Novikoff, Lou Stringer, and Paul Erickson for the 1941 season.

[1] He struggled and clashed with manager Jimmie Wilson, who used hand signals with the team that Novikoff did not understand.

[22] Perceiving Novikoff to be too passive as a hitter, the Cubs began to pay him a bonus of $10 ($186 in current dollar terms) for every time that he struck out swinging.

[18] In 1944, Novikoff signed his contract with the Cubs without holding out,[25] but he missed spring training in 1944 to be with his wife, who had an operation, and take care of their children.

Grimm discovered that someone had told Novikoff that it was poison ivy as a practical joke,[29] and took some of the leaves and rubbed them on his face and chewed them to demonstrate that they were safe.

[33] He was assigned to the United States Army Air Corps at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas.

[36] He batted .304 in 17 games, mostly as a pinch hitter, for the Phillies in the 1946 season as they gave more playing time to Johnny Wyrostek and Del Ennis.

[1] Emmett Ashford, the first African American umpire in the major leagues, credited Novikoff with helping him launch his career.

[1] Novikoff had Esther sit behind home plate and heckle him when he batted to make him mad, which he believed helped him hit.

He performed on the Kraft Music Hall with Bing Crosby and Jackie Cooper in March 1941[49][50] and on National Barn Dance in April 1941.

[53] Novikoff died on September 30, 1970, of a heart attack, en route from his home in South Gate to a hospital.