Cleveland Indians
From BR Bullpen
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Franchise |
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Previously known as Cleveland Bronchos, Cleveland Blues, and Cleveland Naps Franchise Record: 8302-7946 World Series Titles: 2 (1920, 1948) American League Pennants: 5 (1920, 1948, 1954, 1995, 1997) Playoffs: 10 (1920, 1948, 1954, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007) Franchise Players: Nap Lajoie, Tris Speaker, Earl Averill, Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Larry Doby, Albert Belle |  Cleveland Indians logo |
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[edit] The Cleveland Indians
One of the American League’s original teams, the Cleveland Indians have had a history of intermittent success and long periods of ineptitude. The team won their first World Series in 1920, then didn't make the Fall Classic again for 28 years. The 1948 season is the most fondly remembered by Indians fans, as the team won the American League's first ever tiebreaking playoff game (against the Boston Red Sox) and took the World Series in six games from the Boston Braves. They won the pennant again in 1954 with a then-AL-record 111 wins, but were swept in the World Series by the New York Giants.
There followed a period of horrible doldrums. Team management traded slugger Rocky Colavito for Harvey Kuenn before the 1960 season. Colavito had led the league in home runs in 1959, Kuenn in batting average. Kuenn had a decent season in 1960, but missed 28 games and was traded after the season ended. Colavito went on to be a star with other teams, making the All-Star game in four of the next five years. Only six times between 1960 and 1993 did the team have a winning record; only once in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s did they finish as high as third (Of the 24 teams in existence when the leagues went to divisional play in 1969, only the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise went longer before making postseason play).
Over time, Municipal Stadium was allowed to deteriorate and there were rumors that the team would be moved to another city. However, new ownership sparked a revival of interest, and the team moved into new Jacobs Field in 1994. Though the 1994 season was unfinished because of the MLB labor dispute, in 1995 the Indians won the AL Central Division title, and won it again in five of the next six seasons. They won the AL pennant in 1995 and 1997, but lost the Series in both years.
[edit] Retired Numbers
14 Larry Doby
18 Mel Harder
19 Bob Feller
21 Bob Lemon
[edit] Awards
MVP:
Al Rosen 1953
Lou Boudreau 1948
"Tioga" George Burns 1926
Gaylord Perry 1972
C.C. Sabathia 2007
Sandy Alomar Jr. 1990
Joe Charboneau 1980
Chris Chambliss 1971
Herb Score 1955
Mike Hargrove 1995
Eric Wedge 2007
[edit] Famous Feats
[edit] Further Reading
- Franklin Lewis: The Cleveland Indians, Kent State University Press, Kent, OH, 2006 (first edition 1949).
- James E. Odenkirk: "A Bitter Rivalry recalled: The Cleveland Indians and the New York Yankees, 1947-1956", in The National Pastime, SABR, Volume 28 (2008), pp. 78-86.
- Terry Pluto: The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A loving look at a thirty-year slump, Fireside Books, Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 1995.
- Terry Pluto: Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame, Gray & Company, Publishers, Cleveland, OH, 2007.
- Russell Schneider: Whatever Happened to Super Joe?: Catching Up with 45 Good Old Guys from the Bad Old days of the Cleveland Indians, Gray & Company, Publishers, Cleveland, OH, 2007.
