86-663: The Addie Joss Benefit Game was an exhibition baseball game played between the Cleveland Naps of the American League and an all-star team composed of players from the league's other teams at League Park in Cleveland , Ohio , on July 24, 1911. The game was planned as a benefit for the family of Addie Joss , a pitcher for the Naps who died in April. The all-stars defeated the Naps, 5–3, and
172-407: A triple by Eddie Collins . The all-stars scored a second run when Ty Cobb hit a single to drive Collins home. The all-stars scored again in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Smoky Joe Wood that scored Hal Chase . Cleveland scored their first run in the bottom of the second inning when George Stovall singled and Joe Birmingham hit a double , scoring Stovall. Speaker and Wood exited
258-699: A Major League baseball game. On October 10, 1948, Game 5 of the World Series against the Boston Braves drew over 84,000. The record stood until the Los Angeles Dodgers drew a crowd in excess of 92,500 to watch Game 5 of the 1959 World Series at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Chicago White Sox . Under Veeck's leadership, one of Cleveland's most significant achievements
344-759: A cap on Street's major league managerial career. In all or parts of six years, he won 365 and lost 332 (.524). Street would return to St. Louis and the major leagues, however, as a color commentator for Cardinals and Browns radio broadcasts after the Second World War, working with young colleague Harry Caray . After battling cancer successfully in 1949, Street fell victim to heart failure in his adopted hometown of Joplin, Missouri , in February 1951. He died at 68 years of age. ...no (broadcast) partner I've ever had meant as much to me as he did. ... I listened to Gabby and learned, and not only about baseball; I learned many of
430-715: A century. Common nicknames for the Indians were "the Tribe" and "the Wahoos", the latter referencing their longtime logo, Chief Wahoo . After the Indians name came under criticism as part of the Native American mascot controversy , the team adopted the current name (Guardians) following the 2021 season . From August 24 to September 14, 2017, the team won 22 consecutive games, the longest winning streak in American League history and
516-512: A competing Major League. The Cleveland franchise was among its eight charter members, and is one of four teams that remain in its original city, along with Boston , Chicago , and Detroit . The new team was owned by coal magnate Charles Somers and tailor Jack Kilfoyl. Somers, a wealthy industrialist and also co-owner of the Boston Americans , lent money to other team owners, including Connie Mack 's Philadelphia Athletics , to keep them and
602-672: A contender in the mid-1890s, playing in the Temple Cup Series (that era's World Series) twice and winning it in 1895. The team began to fade after this success, and was dealt a severe blow under the ownership of the Robison brothers . Prior to the 1899 season, Frank Robison, the Spiders' owner, bought the St. Louis Browns , thus owning two clubs at the same time. The Browns were renamed the "Perfectos", and restocked with Cleveland talent. Just weeks before
688-522: A number of players who made no impact. Gabby Street As manager Charles Evard " Gabby " Street (September 30, 1882 – February 6, 1951), also nicknamed " the Old Sarge ", was an American catcher , manager , coach , and radio broadcaster in Major League Baseball during the first half of the 20th century. As a catcher, he participated in one of the most publicized baseball stunts of
774-662: A result of the conflict between the National and American Leagues. In 1901, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie , the Philadelphia Phillies ' star second baseman, jumped to the A's after his contract was capped at $ 2,400 per year—one of the highest-profile players to jump to the upstart AL. The Phillies subsequently filed an injunction to force Lajoie's return, which was granted by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court . The injunction appeared to doom any hopes of an early settlement between
860-400: A single game and went on to lead the league in strikeouts from 1938 to 1941. On August 20, 1938, Indians catchers Hank Helf and Frank Pytlak set the "all-time altitude mark" by catching baseballs dropped from the 708-foot (216 m) Terminal Tower . By 1940 , Feller, along with Ken Keltner , Mel Harder and Lou Boudreau , led the Indians to within one game of the pennant. However,
946-695: A trade war with the Union Association (UA) in 1884, when its three best players ( Fred Dunlap , Jack Glasscock , and Jim McCormick ) jumped to the UA after being offered higher salaries. The Cleveland Blues merged with the St. Louis Maroons UA team in 1885. Cleveland went without major league baseball for two seasons until gaining a team in the American Association (AA) in 1887. After the AA's Pittsburgh Alleghenys jumped to
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#17328520228331032-582: A unique trade of managers in mid-season 1960, sending Joe Gordon to the Tigers in exchange for Jimmy Dykes . Lane left the team in 1961, but ill-advised trades continued. In 1965, the Indians traded pitcher Tommy John , who would go on to win 288 games in his career, and 1966 Rookie of the Year Tommy Agee to the White Sox to get Colavito back. However, Indians' pitchers set numerous strikeout records. They led
1118-529: A young team and a new manager; Roger Peckinpaugh had replaced the despised Vitt; but the team regressed, finishing in fourth. Cleveland would soon be depleted of two stars. Hal Trosky retired in 1941 due to migraine headaches and Bob Feller enlisted in the Navy two days after the Attack on Pearl Harbor . Starting third baseman Ken Keltner and outfielder Ray Mack were both drafted in 1945 taking two more starters out of
1204-617: Is still an American League record. The Indians returned to the World Series to face the New York Giants . The team could not bring home the title, however, ultimately being upset by the Giants in a sweep. The series was notable for Willie Mays ' over-the-shoulder catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1. Cleveland remained a talented team throughout the remainder of the decade, finishing in second place in 1959, George Strickland 's last full year in
1290-469: The 1933 Major League Baseball All-Star Game became the first of an annual event. Money earned through the All-Star Game is contributed to player pensions. Cleveland Naps The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland . The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division . Since 1994 ,
1376-516: The Brooklyn Robins 5–2 in the World Series for their first title, winning four games in a row after the Robins took a 2–1 Series lead. The Series included three memorable "firsts", all of them in Game 5 at Cleveland, and all by the home team. In the first inning, right fielder Elmer Smith hit the first Series grand slam. In the fourth inning, Jim Bagby hit the first Series home run by a pitcher. In
1462-508: The Cincinnati Reds , Boston Beaneaters , Washington Senators , and New York Highlanders . Apart from 1908 to 1909, when he was the Senators' first-string catcher, he was a part-time player. Street holds the record for the longest gap between Major League games – 19 years (1912–1931). On August 21, 1908, Street achieved a measure of immortality by catching a baseball dropped from the top of
1548-520: The Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn just before Opening Day in 1960 . It was a blockbuster trade that swapped the 1959 AL home run co-champion (Colavito) for the AL batting champion (Kuenn). After the trade, however, Colavito hit over 30 home runs four times and made three All-Star teams for Detroit and Kansas City before returning to Cleveland in 1965 . Kuenn, on the other hand, played only one season for
1634-652: The Guardians of Traffic , eight monolithic 1932 Art Deco sculptures by Henry Hering on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge , which is adjacent to Progressive Field. The team's mascot is named "Slider". The team's spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona . The franchise originated in 1894 as the Grand Rapids Rustlers , a minor league team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan , that played in
1720-543: The New York Giants by 13 games. Then, in the 1931 Series against those same A's, pitchers Wild Bill Hallahan and Burleigh Grimes dominated and Pepper Martin had 12 hits , batted .500, drove in five runs and stole five bases to lead the underdog Redbirds to a seven-game world championship against the last Connie Mack dynasty. The Cardinals faltered in 1932, winning only 72 games and finishing tied for sixth, 18 games out, and had improved only to fifth in July 1933. Street
1806-530: The Players' League , which was well-attended in some cities, but club owners lacked the confidence to continue beyond the one season. The Cleveland Infants finished with 55 wins and 75 losses, playing their home games at Brotherhood Park . The origins of the Cleveland Guardians date back to 1894, when the team was founded as the Grand Rapids Rustlers , a team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan and competing in
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#17328520228331892-563: The Washington Monument —a distance of 555 feet (169 m). After muffing the first 12 balls thrown by journalist Preston Gibson, he made a clean reception of number 13. In addition, Street was fabled as an early catcher and mentor of the American League 's nonpareil right-handed pitcher, Walter Johnson . After Street's playing career ended, he managed in the minor leagues before joining the Cardinals' major league coaching staff in 1929. It
1978-477: The Washington Senators , volunteered to manage the all-star team. Star players, including Walter Johnson and Ty Cobb , quickly volunteered to participate. Barnard requested that McAleer bring Germany Schaefer , the baseball comedian, to serve as a utility infielder and provide entertainment to the fans. Each team sent at least one player, with the exception of the Chicago White Sox . Though Ed Walsh of
2064-663: The Western League . In 1900, the team moved to Cleveland and was named the Cleveland Lake Shores. Around the same time Ban Johnson changed the name of his minor league (Western League) to the American League. In 1900 the American League was still considered a minor league. In 1901 the team was called the Cleveland Bluebirds or Blues when the American League broke with the National Agreement and declared itself
2150-527: The Western League . The team relocated to Cleveland in 1900 and was called the Cleveland Lake Shores . The Western League itself was renamed the American League prior to the 1900 season while continuing its minor league status. When the American League declared itself a major league in 1901, Cleveland was one of its eight charter franchises. Originally called the Cleveland Bluebirds or Blues ,
2236-569: The catchers . In total, nine players from the game were later inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame : Cy Young and Nap Lajoie for Cleveland, Johnson, Cobb, Collins, Speaker, Crawford, Baker, and Wallace for the all-stars. Shoeless Joe Jackson , another Hall of Fame-caliber player, played for Cleveland. Barnard and the committee also sought donations. Cobb made what was initially an anonymous donation of $ 100 ($ 3,270 in current dollar terms), but Barnard convinced him to publicize
2322-507: The "Clown Prince of Baseball" as a coach. Patkin's appearance in the coaching box was the sort of promotional stunt that delighted fans but infuriated the American League front office. Recognizing that he had acquired a solid team, Veeck soon abandoned the aging, small and lightless League Park to take up full-time residence in massive Cleveland Municipal Stadium . The Indians had briefly moved from League Park to Municipal Stadium in mid-1932, but moved back to League Park due to complaints about
2408-435: The 1909 season as manager but remained on as a player. After that, the team began to unravel, leading Kilfoyl to sell his share of the team to Somers. Cy Young , who returned to Cleveland in 1909, was ineffective for most of his three remaining years and Addie Joss died from tubercular meningitis prior to the 1911 season. Despite a strong lineup anchored by the potent Lajoie and Shoeless Joe Jackson , poor pitching kept
2494-463: The AL in runs, home runs, RBIs (for the second year in a row), and slugging percentage, and coming in second by one point in batting average. Ryan was forced out in 1953 in favor of Myron Wilson, who in turn gave way to William Daley in 1956 . Despite this turnover in the ownership, a powerhouse team composed of Feller, Doby, Minnie Miñoso , Luke Easter , Bobby Ávila , Al Rosen , Early Wynn , Bob Lemon , and Mike Garcia continued to contend through
2580-571: The Boston Braves and Street became the Redbirds' full-fledged manager. The Old Sarge promptly led the Cardinals to consecutive National League pennants. In 1930, they won 92 games and finished two games in front of the Chicago Cubs . But in the 1930 World Series , they faced the defending world champion Philadelphia Athletics and lost in six games. In 1931, Street's Cardinals won 101 games and bested
2666-519: The Chicago owner suspended eight players. The White Sox lost two of three in their final series, while Cleveland won four and lost two in their final two series. Cleveland finished two games ahead of Chicago and three games ahead of the Yankees to win its first pennant, led by Speaker's .388 hitting, Jim Bagby's 30 victories and solid performances from Steve O'Neill and Stan Coveleski. Cleveland went on to defeat
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2752-679: The Forest Citys joined the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players (NA), the first professional league. Ultimately, two of the league's western clubs went out of business during the first season and the Chicago Fire left that city's White Stockings impoverished, unable to field a team again until 1874. Cleveland was thus the NA's westernmost outpost in 1872, the year the club folded. Cleveland played its full schedule to July 19 followed by two games versus Boston in mid-August and disbanded at
2838-443: The Indians before departing for San Francisco in a trade for an aging Johnny Antonelli and Willie Kirkland . Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto documented the decades of woe that followed the trade in his book The Curse of Rocky Colavito . Despite being attached to the curse, Colavito said that he never placed a curse on the Indians but that the trade was prompted by a salary dispute with Lane. Lane also engineered
2924-481: The Indians defeated the Boston Braves four games to two for their first championship in 28 years. Boudreau won the American League MVP Award . The Indians appeared in a film the following year titled The Kid From Cleveland , in which Veeck had an interest. The film portrayed the team helping out a "troubled teenaged fan" and featured many members of the Indians organization. However, filming during
3010-565: The Maris trade, Lane acquired 25-year-old Norm Cash from the White Sox for Minnie Miñoso and then traded him to Detroit before he ever played a game for the Indians; Cash went on to hit over 350 home runs for the Tigers. The Indians received Steve Demeter in the deal, who had only five at-bats for Cleveland. In 1960, Lane made the trade that would define his tenure in Cleveland when he dealt slugging right fielder and fan favorite Rocky Colavito to
3096-494: The NL, Cleveland followed suit in 1889, as the AA began to crumble. The Cleveland ball club, called the Spiders (supposedly inspired by their "skinny and spindly" players), slowly became a power in the league. In 1891, the Spiders moved into League Park , which would serve as the home of Cleveland professional baseball for the next 55 years. Led by native Ohioan Cy Young , the Spiders became
3182-531: The Naps were scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers . Ernest Barnard , the team's vice president, hoped to send a delegation of about five players to represent the Naps at the funeral, but in a team meeting held by team captain George Stovall , the players voted that they all wanted to attend the funeral, and declared their intention to strike if the game that day was not postponed. Though American League president Ban Johnson initially did not agree, he cancelled
3268-503: The Naps. All proceeds were to go to Joss's widow. As no other day on the calendar would suffice, the game would not be rescheduled if rain necessitated its cancellation. Barnard and the sports editors of the Cleveland News and Cleveland Plain Dealer formed a committee charged with organizing the event, including selecting players for the all-star team. Jimmy McAleer , the manager of
3354-428: The White Sox had agreed to participate, Chicago's travel schedule ultimately prohibited any member of the team from participating. The all-star team had Johnson, Smoky Joe Wood , and Russ Ford as the pitchers, an outfield of Cobb, Sam Crawford , Tris Speaker , and Clyde Milan , and infielders Schaefer, Eddie Collins , Home Run Baker , Hal Chase , and Bobby Wallace . Gabby Street and Paddy Livingston were
3440-445: The all-star's battery . Fred Blanding relieved Kahler for the Naps in the seventh inning; Milan hit a double and scored on a single by Collins that inning. Blanding began the eighth inning with a single, and scored after a triple by Ivy Olson , who scored on a sacrifice by Butcher. The game concluded with the all-stars defeating the Naps, 5–3. The game raised $ 12,914.60 for Joss's widow ($ 422,307 in current dollar terms);
3526-406: The big grand stand." Schaefer entertained the crowd during pre-game warmups and served as a public address announcer during the game. Cobb did not have a Tigers uniform, so he wore a Cleveland road uniform for the game. Cy Young was the starting pitcher for Cleveland and Smoky Joe Wood started for the all-stars. Tris Speaker led off the game for the all-stars with a single and scored on
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3612-419: The cavernous environment. From 1937 onward, however, the Indians began playing an increasing number of games at Municipal, until by 1940 they played most of their home slate there. League Park was mostly demolished in 1951, but has since been rebuilt as a recreational park. Making the most of the cavernous stadium, Veeck had a portable center field fence installed, which he could move in or out depending on how
3698-486: The century's first decade. As a manager, he led the St. Louis Cardinals to two National League championships (1930–31) and one world title (1931). As a broadcaster, he entertained St. Louis baseball fans in the years following World War II . Born in Huntsville, Alabama , Street (who batted and threw right-handed) was a weak hitter. He batted only .208 in a seven-year playing career (1904–05; 1908–12) in 502 games with
3784-679: The creation of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game , first contested in 1933, which raises money for the players' pension fund. Addie Joss , the ace starting pitcher for the Cleveland Naps of the American League , experienced fainting spells while training for the 1911 season . He died of tubercular meningitis on April 14, at his home in Toledo, Ohio , leaving behind his wife, Lillian, and two young children, Ruth and Norman. Joss's funeral took place on April 17 in Toledo, when
3870-416: The decade in last place. In 1927 Dunn's widow, Mrs. George Pross (Dunn had died in 1922), sold the team to a syndicate headed by Alva Bradley . The Indians were a middling team by the 1930s, finishing third or fourth most years. 1936 brought Cleveland a new superstar in 17-year-old pitcher Bob Feller , who came from Iowa with a dominating fastball . That season, Feller set a record with 17 strikeouts in
3956-402: The distance favored the Indians against their opponents in a given series. The fence moved as much as 15 feet (5 m) between series opponents. Following the 1947 season, the American League countered with a rule change that fixed the distance of an outfield wall for the duration of a season. The massive stadium did, however, permit the Indians to set the then-record for the largest crowd to see
4042-452: The donation to help secure more. Sommers also donated $ 100, as did the owners of the White Sox, Tigers, and Boston Red Sox . The Athletics donated $ 200 ($ 6,540 in current dollar terms), and Athletics' manager Connie Mack donated another $ 25 ($ 818 in current dollar terms). The owner of St. Louis sent a check for $ 50. The Dayton minor league baseball team contributed $ 10 ($ 327 in current dollar terms). Young spent $ 25 on box seats, even though he
4128-615: The early 1950s. However, Cleveland only won a single pennant in the decade, in 1954, finishing second to the New York Yankees five times. The winningest season in franchise history came in 1954, when the Indians finished the season with a record of 111–43 (.721). That mark set an American League record for wins that stood for 44 years until the Yankees won 114 games in 1998 (a 162-game regular season). The Indians' 1954 winning percentage of .721
4214-643: The end of the season. In 1876, the National League (NL) supplanted the NA as the major professional league. Cleveland was not among its charter members, but by 1879 the league was looking for new entries and the city gained an NL team. A new Cleveland Forest Citys were recreated, but by 1882 were known as the Cleveland Blues , because the National League required distinct colors for that season. The Blues had mediocre records for six seasons and were ruined by
4300-482: The fourth inning. Nap Lajoie and Ted Easterly entered the game for Cleveland in the top of the fifth inning, replacing Stovall at first base and Syd Smith at catcher, respectively. Lajoie, the namesake of the Naps and their former manager, took over for Stovall as the Naps manager for the remainder of the game. In the sixth inning, Hank Butcher replaced Jackson in right field for Cleveland, and Russ Ford and Paddy Livingston replaced Johnson and Gabby Street as
4386-413: The game during the third inning to catch a train to Boston. Clyde Milan entered the game as the center fielder, and Johnson took over as the all-star's pitcher. Art Griggs batted for Young as a pinch hitter in the third inning, and George Kahler entered the game as Cleveland's pitcher in the fourth inning. Kahler allowed singles to Baker and Crawford, and Chase hit a sacrifice fly that scored Baker in
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#17328520228334472-481: The game raised $ 12,914 for the Joss family ($ 422,288 in current dollar terms). Following Joss's death, Cleveland's management announced their plans to put on a benefit for his widow and two young children. Star players from other teams volunteered to form an all-star team to play against the Naps. Paid attendance was 15,272, and many players and team owners contributed money to the Joss family as well. The benefit game preceded
4558-417: The game. Several Tigers players attended the funeral as well. Charles Sommers , the owner of the Naps, began to plan an "Addie Joss Day" to benefit his family. Naps management announced a benefit game would be held for Joss's family at League Park in Cleveland on July 24, which was a mutual off day for all teams in the American League. It was hoped that each team would contribute some players to play against
4644-472: The league in K's every year from 1963 to 1968, and narrowly missed in 1969. The 1964 staff was the first to amass 1,100 strikeouts, and in 1968, they were the first to collect more strikeouts than hits allowed. The 1970s were not much better, with the Indians trading away several future stars, including Graig Nettles , Dennis Eckersley , Buddy Bell and 1971 Rookie of the Year Chris Chambliss , for
4730-543: The lineup. In 1946 , Bill Veeck formed an investment group that purchased the Cleveland Indians from Bradley's group for a reported $ 1.6 million. Among the investors was Bob Hope , who had grown up in Cleveland, and former Tigers slugger, Hank Greenberg . A former owner of a minor league franchise in Milwaukee, Veeck brought to Cleveland a gift for promotion. At one point, Veeck hired rubber-faced Max Patkin ,
4816-429: The majors. From 1960 to 1993, the Indians managed one third-place finish (in 1968) and six fourth-place finishes (in 1960, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1990, and 1992) but spent the rest of the time at or near the bottom of the standings, including four seasons with over 100 losses (1971, 1985, 1987, 1991). The Indians hired general manager Frank Lane , known as "Trader" Lane, away from the St. Louis Cardinals in 1957. Lane over
4902-505: The most important lessons about life. Street's likeness made a brief cameo appearance on the Simpsons episode: " Homer at the Bat " (1992) as one of the would-be ringers for Mr. Burns ' softball team. Mr. Burns has planned to have Street play catcher until his assistant Smithers has to point out that all of the players Mr. Burns had selected had long since retired and died. In the book Catching
4988-544: The new league afloat. Players did not think the name "Bluebirds" was suitable for a baseball team. Writers frequently shortened it to Cleveland Blues due to the players' all-blue uniforms, but the players did not like this unofficial name either. The players themselves tried to change the name to Cleveland Bronchos in 1902 , but this name never caught on. Cleveland suffered from financial problems in their first two seasons. This led Somers to seriously consider moving to either Pittsburgh or Cincinnati . Relief came in 1902 as
5074-429: The road, and became known as "The Wanderers". The team ended the season in 12th place, 84 games out of first place, with an all-time worst record of 20–134 (.130 winning percentage). Following the 1899 season, the National League disbanded four teams, including the Spiders franchise. The disastrous 1899 season would actually be a step toward a new future for Cleveland fans the next year. The Cleveland Infants competed in
5160-613: The same time, Somers' business ventures began to fail, leaving him deeply in debt. With the Indians playing poorly, attendance and revenue suffered. Somers decided to trade Jackson midway through the 1915 season for two players and $ 31,500, one of the largest sums paid for a player at the time. By 1916, Somers was at the end of his tether, and sold the team to a syndicate headed by Chicago railroad contractor James C. "Jack" Dunn . Manager Lee Fohl, who had taken over in early 1915, acquired two minor league pitchers, Stan Coveleski and Jim Bagby and traded for center fielder Tris Speaker , who
5246-459: The season cost the players valuable rest days leading to fatigue towards the end of the season. That season, Cleveland again contended before falling to third place. On September 23, 1949, Bill Veeck and the Indians buried their 1948 pennant in center field the day after they were mathematically eliminated from the pennant race. Later in 1949, Veeck's first wife (who had a half-stake in Veeck's share of
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#17328520228335332-465: The season opener, most of the better Spiders were transferred to St. Louis, including three future Hall of Famers: Cy Young, Jesse Burkett and Bobby Wallace . The roster maneuvers failed to create a powerhouse Perfectos team, as St. Louis finished fifth in both 1899 and 1900 . The Spiders were left with essentially a minor league lineup, and began to lose games at a record pace. Drawing almost no fans at home, they ended up playing most of their season on
5418-490: The second longest winning streak in Major League Baseball history. As of the end of the 2024 season, the franchise's overall record is 9,852–9,369 (.513). According to one historian of baseball, "in 1857, baseball games were a daily spectacle in Cleveland's Public Squares. City authorities tried to find an ordinance forbidding it; to the joy of the crowd, they were unsuccessful." From 1865 to 1868 Forest Citys
5504-519: The stretch run of the pennant race, Veeck turned to the Negro leagues again and signed pitching great Satchel Paige amid much controversy. Barred from Major League Baseball during his prime, Veeck's signing of the aging star in 1948 was viewed by many as another publicity stunt. At an official age of 42, Paige became the oldest rookie in Major League baseball history, and the first black pitcher. Paige ended
5590-419: The sum was more than double Joss's annual salary. Joss's death inspired his Cleveland teammates to discuss forming a benefit association for players. In the July 1915 issue of Baseball Magazine , editor F.C. Lane began to call for the creation of a seven-game all-star series to be held every July. Arch Ward of the Chicago Tribune in 1932 proposed pairing an all-star game with the 1933 World's Fair , and
5676-419: The team below third place for most of the next decade. One reporter referred to the team as the Napkins, "because they fold up so easily". The team hit bottom in 1914 and 1915, finishing last place both years. 1915 brought significant changes to the team. Lajoie, nearly 40 years old, was no longer a top hitter in the league, batting only .258 in 1914. With Lajoie engaged in a feud with manager Joe Birmingham ,
5762-472: The team has played its home games at Progressive Field (originally known as Jacobs Field after the team's then-owner). Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 12 Central Division titles, six American League pennants , and two World Series championships (in 1920 and 1948 ). The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the longest active among all 30 current Major League teams. The team's name references
5848-428: The team sold Lajoie back to the A's. With Lajoie gone, the club needed a new name. Somers asked the local baseball writers to come up with a new name, and based on their input, the team was renamed the Cleveland Indians. The name referred to the nickname "Indians" that was applied to the Cleveland Spiders baseball club during the time when Louis Sockalexis , a Native American , played in Cleveland (1897–1899). At
5934-406: The team was also unofficially called the Cleveland Bronchos in 1902. Beginning in 1903, the team was named the Cleveland Napoleons or Naps , after team captain and manager Nap Lajoie . Lajoie left after the 1914 season , and club owner Charles Somers requested that baseball writers choose a new name. They chose the name Cleveland Indians . That name stuck and remained in use for more than
6020-487: The team was wracked with dissension, with some players (including Feller and Mel Harder) going so far as to request that Bradley fire manager Ossie Vitt . Reporters lampooned them as the Cleveland Crybabies. Feller, who had pitched a no-hitter to open the season and won 27 games, lost the final game of the season to unknown pitcher Floyd Giebell of the Detroit Tigers . The Tigers won the pennant and Giebell never won another major league game. Cleveland entered 1941 with
6106-408: The team) divorced him. With most of his money tied up in the Indians, Veeck was forced to sell the team to a syndicate headed by insurance magnate Ellis Ryan. In 1953 , Al Rosen was an All Star for the second year in a row, was named The Sporting News Major League Player of the Year, and won the American League Most Valuable Player Award in a unanimous vote playing for the Indians after leading
6192-462: The time were locked in a tight three-way pennant race with the Yankees and White Sox , were not slowed down by the death of their teammate. Rookie Joe Sewell hit .329 after replacing Chapman in the lineup. In September 1920, the Black Sox Scandal came to a boil. With just a few games left in the season, and Cleveland and Chicago neck-and-neck for first place at 94–54 and 95–56 respectively,
6278-486: The top of the fifth inning, second baseman Bill Wambsganss executed the first (and only, so far) unassisted triple play in World Series history, in fact, the only Series triple play of any kind. The team would not reach the heights of 1920 again for 28 years. Speaker and Coveleski were aging and the Yankees were rising with a new weapon: Babe Ruth and the home run. They managed two second-place finishes but spent much of
6364-481: The warring leagues. However, a lawyer discovered that the injunction was only enforceable in the state of Pennsylvania. Mack, partly to thank Somers for his past financial support, agreed to trade Lajoie to the then-moribund Blues, who offered $ 25,000 salary over three years. Due to the injunction, however, Lajoie had to sit out any games played against the A's in Philadelphia. Lajoie arrived in Cleveland on June 4 and
6450-455: The year with a 6–1 record with a 2.48 ERA, 45 strikeouts and two shutouts. In 1948 , veterans Boudreau, Keltner, and Joe Gordon had career offensive seasons, while newcomers Doby and Gene Bearden also had standout seasons. The team went down to the wire with the Boston Red Sox , winning a one-game playoff, the first in American League history, to go to the World Series . In the series,
6536-402: The years had gained a reputation as a GM who loved to make deals. With the White Sox, Lane had made over 100 trades involving over 400 players in seven years. In a short stint in St. Louis, he traded away Red Schoendienst and Harvey Haddix . Lane summed up his philosophy when he said that the only deals he regretted were the ones that he did not make. One of Lane's early trades in Cleveland
6622-428: Was a misshapen, earth-colored ball that traveled through the air erratically, tended to soften in the later innings, and as it came over the plate, was very hard to see." In any case, Chapman did not move reflexively when Mays' pitch came his way. The pitch hit Chapman in the head, fracturing his skull. Chapman died the next day, becoming the only player to sustain a fatal injury from a pitched ball. The Indians, who at
6708-400: Was a year of turmoil for the defending NL champs . They replaced 1928 skipper Bill McKechnie before the season with Billy Southworth ; then, when Southworth couldn't get results, they brought back McKechnie on July 24. In between, Street served as acting manager for one game on July 23: an 8–2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies . At the close of the 1929 season, McKechnie left to manage
6794-402: Was also late in the afternoon and the infield was completely shaded with the center field area (the batters' background) bathed in sunlight. As well, at the time, "part of every pitcher's job was to dirty up a new ball the moment it was thrown onto the field. By turns, they smeared it with dirt, licorice, tobacco juice; it was deliberately scuffed, sandpapered, scarred, cut, even spiked. The result
6880-467: Was an amateur ball club. During the 1869 season , Cleveland was among several cities that established professional baseball teams following the success of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings , the first fully professional team. In the newspapers before and after 1870, the team was often called the Forest Citys , in the same generic way that the team from Chicago was sometimes called The Chicagos. In 1871
6966-474: Was an immediate hit, drawing 10,000 fans to League Park. Soon afterward, he was named team captain, and in 1903 the team was called the Cleveland Napoleons or Naps after a newspaper conducted a write-in contest. Lajoie was named manager in 1905 , and the team's fortunes improved somewhat. They finished half a game short of the pennant in 1908. However, the success did not last and Lajoie resigned during
7052-546: Was breaking the color barrier in the American League by signing Larry Doby , formerly a player for the Negro league's Newark Eagles in 1947 , 11 weeks after Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers . Similar to Robinson, Doby battled racism on and off the field but posted a .301 batting average in 1948, his first full season. A power-hitting center fielder, Doby led the American League twice in homers. In 1948, needing pitching for
7138-705: Was dumped on July 23 and replaced by his second baseman , Frankie Frisch . The next two seasons, he managed the Mission Reds , but in 1935 he was suspended from the Pacific Coast League indefinitely for assaulting an umpire . After that, he managed the St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1936 and 1937, before returning to the Mound City as skipper of the 1938 St. Louis Browns . The habitually bottom-feeding Brownies finished seventh in an eight-team American League, winning only 53 games. The '38 season put
7224-621: Was engaged in a salary dispute with the Red Sox . All three would ultimately become key players in bringing a championship to Cleveland. Speaker took over the reins as player-manager in 1919 , and led the team to a championship in 1920. On August 16, 1920, the Indians were playing the Yankees at the Polo Grounds in New York. Shortstop Ray Chapman , who often crowded the plate, was batting against Carl Mays , who had an unusual underhand delivery. It
7310-469: Was playing in the game. All players and park employees participated in the event for no compensation. The gates to League Park opened at 1 pm on July 24, and paid attendance was 15,272. According to reporters, the day had a festive atmosphere. J.P. Garvey of the Plain Dealer wrote that "there was no mourning, save that the flag hung at half mast from the pole in center field. No drab coloring decorated
7396-465: Was to send Roger Maris to the Kansas City Athletics in the middle of 1958. Indians executive Hank Greenberg was not happy about the trade and neither was Maris, who said that he could not stand Lane. After Maris broke Babe Ruth's home run record, Lane defended himself by saying he still would have done the deal because Maris was unknown and he received good ballplayers in exchange. After
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