Cleveland Guardians
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| Cleveland Indians | |||||
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 2024 Cleveland Indians season | |||||
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| Major league affiliations | |||||
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| Current uniform | |||||
| Retired numbers | 3, 5, 14, 18, 19, 21, 42, 455 | ||||
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| Major league titles | |||||
| World Series titles (2) | 1920 • 1948 | ||||
| AL Pennants (5) | 1920 • 1948 • 1954 • 1995 • 1997 | ||||
| Central Division titles (7) [1] | 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2001 • 2007 | ||||
| Wild card berths (0) | None | ||||
[1] - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Cleveland was one game out of first place in the Central Division behind Chicago when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994. | |||||
| Front office | |||||
| Principal owner(s) | Larry Dolan | ||||
| General manager | Mark Shapiro | ||||
| Manager | Eric Wedge | ||||
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since 1994 they have played in Jacobs Field.
The "Indians" name originates from a public contest to decide a new name. In reference to the Boston Braves, (now the Atlanta Braves), the public chose "the Indians". They are nicknamed "the Tribe" and "the Wahoos". The latter is a reference to the mascot which appears in the team's logos, Chief Wahoo.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Then the Cleveland Blues, the team played in League Park until moving to historic Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1932. They have an all-time franchise record of 8,075-7,711 (.512). The Indians are the current American League Central Champions.
Franchise history
The Indians Nickname
Legend has it that the team honored Louis Sockalexis when it assumed its current name in 1915. The spectacular Sockalexis, a Native American, had played in Cleveland 1897-1899.
On the contrary, when the "Naps" sent longtime leader Napoleon Lajoie to the Philadelphia Athletics at the end of the 1914 season, owner Charles Somers asked the local newspapers to come up with a new name for the team. They chose "Indians" as a play on the name of the Boston Braves, then known as the "Miracle Braves" after going from last place on July 4 to a sweep in the 1914 World Series. Proponents of the name acknowledged that the Cleveland Spiders of the National League had sometimes been informally called the "Indians" during Sockalexis' short career there, a fact which merely reinforced the new name.
In any case, the name stuck. And 34 years later, the Indians went on to defeat that same Braves franchise, 4 games to 2, in the 1948 World Series -- after first winning a one game playoff against Boston's other team, the Red Sox. The victory over the Braves was the franchise's second of two World Series titles; the Tribe had also won the 1920 World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 2.[1]
The club nickname and its cartoon logo have been criticized for perpetuating Native American stereotypes, and protests have arisen from time to time. More can be read about this issue here: Native American mascot controversy. In 1997, during the team's most recent World Series, three Native American protesters were arrested, but later acquitted.[2]
Forest City club
Open professional baseball began in Cleveland during the 1869 season and one team was hired on salary for 1870, as in several other cities following the success of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team. That leading Cleveland baseball club was the Forest City, a nickname of the city itself. 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. The Forest City club was formed about 1865, when baseball club organization and "national" association membership boomed following the Civil War.
In 1871 the Forest Citys of Cleveland joined the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the first professional league, as did the Forest Citys of Rockford, Illinois. For brevity some authors have termed them "FCCleveland" and "FCRockford", two baseball clubs alone among thousands of soccer football clubs named "FC". New York and Philadelphia had been the home cities of most top baseball clubs before the league era, but only one club from each joined the professional NA, whose nine-city circuit was made up by four western clubs and eastern rivals in Washington, Troy, and Boston. That didn't last: two of the 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 western outpost in 1872 and the Forest City's failed in turn, playing a full schedule to July 19 followed only by two games versus Boston in mid-August.[1]
National League era
In 1876, the National League supplanted the N.A. as the major professional league. Cleveland was not among its charter members, but by 1879 the league was looking for some new entries and the city returned to a major circuit. The Cleveland Blues played mainly in the middle of the pack for six seasons but it was ruined by trade war with the Union Association in 1884, when its three best players moved for the money: Fred Dunlap, Jack Glasscock, and Jim McCormick. St Louis from the U.A. took its place for 1885. That franchise only lasted a couple of years, but another St. Louis franchise would deal a devastating blow to another Cleveland team some 15 years later.
Cleveland went without major league ball for only two seasons, before joining the American Association in 1887, after that league's Allegheny club had jumped to the N.L. Cleveland followed suit in 1889, as the Association began to crumble. (It expired after 1891, and the National League acquired four of its franchises to swell to 12 teams.) The Cleveland team slowly built up to becoming a power in the league. They acquired the unique nickname Spiders, a tag supposedly inspired by their long-limbed players.
The Spiders survived a challenge from an entry in the one-season Players' League in 1890. The next year the Spiders moved into League Park, which would become the home of Cleveland professional ball for the next 55 years. Led by native Ohioan Cy Young, the Spiders became a contender in the mid-1890s, when they played in the Temple Cup Series (that era's World Series) twice, winning it in 1895. The team began to fade after that, and was dealt a severe blow under the ownership of the Robison brothers.
The Robisons, despite already owning the Spiders, were allowed to also acquire a controlling interest in the St. Louis Cardinals franchise in 1899. They proceeded to strip the Cleveland team of its best players (including Young) to help fill the St. Louis roster. The St. Louis team improved to finish above .500, although well back of first place. Meanwhile, 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 the road, and became known as "The Wanderers", finally slinking home in 12th place, 84 games out of first place, with an all-time worst record of 20 wins and 134 losses.
Following the 1899 season, the National League disbanded the Cleveland franchise along with three other teams in Washington, Baltimore, and Louisville. The disastrous 1899 season would actually be a step toward a new future for Cleveland fans, the very next year.
Seeking to capitalize on general public disillusionment with the National League, Ban Johnson changed the name of his minor league, the Western League, to the American League and shifted the WL's Grand Rapids club to Cleveland, taking over League Park in 1900. Although still a minor league, the new organization was ready to make its move. In 1901 the American League broke with the National Agreement and declared itself a competing Major League. The Cleveland franchise was among its eight charter members.
1901-1946: Early to middle history of the franchise
The new team was originally owned by Charles W. Somers and Jack Kilfoy. Somers generously lent money to other team owners, including Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's, to keep them afloat. With the new league competing for fans, the American League began raiding the older League for players. One of the players that jumped was Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, a Philadelphia Phillies star who signed with the Philadelphia Athletics. When the Phillies got an injunction against the A's, the American League and Mack agreed to move Lajoie to Cleveland early in the 1902 season. The team had previously been known as the Bronchos or the Blues. In honor of its popular new star Cleveland soon acquired the nickname Naps.
Early on, Cleveland finished in the middle of the pack before contending for the championship in 1908, but the retirement of Cy Young, who returned to Cleveland as part of its American League franchise in 1908, and the untimely death of Addie Joss was a harbinger of things to come for Cleveland. Poor pitching was on tap for several years. Despite the strong hitting of Tris Speaker and Shoeless Joe Jackson, the Naps failed to rise above third place for most of the next decade, and jokes about "Naps" as a synonym for "sleeps" began to circulate. In 1916 Somers sold the team to a syndicate headed by James C. "Jack" Dunn. Dunn hired a new manager, Lee Fohl, and brought in two young pitchers, future Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski and Jim Bagby. Behind their strong arms, the Indians would rise back into contention at the end of the decade.
Tris Speaker took over the reins as player-manager in 1919 and would lead the team to glory in 1920--but not before tragedy intervened. On August 16 the Indians were playing the Yankees in the Polo Grounds in New York. Shortstop Ray Chapman, who often crowded the plate, was batting against Carl Mays, who had an unusual underhand throwing motion. Mays pitch hit Chapman, fracturing his skull. Chapman died the next day, the first and only player fatality on the field.[3] The Indians, who at the time were locked in a tight three-way pennant race with the Yankees and White Sox,[4] were not slowed down by the death of their teammate. Rookie Joe Sewell, a future, hall of famer 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, [2][3] the Chicago owner suspended the offenders. The White Sox lost 2 of 3 in their final series, while Cleveland won 4 and lost 2 in their final two series. Cleveland finished 2 games ahead of Chicago and 3 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 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 team would not reach the heights of 1920 again for quite some time. 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 the decade in the cellar. In 1927 Dunn's widow, Mrs. George Pross, sold the team to a syndicate headed by Alva Bradley.
The Tribe, as the Indians are affectionately referred to by Clevelanders, were a middling team by the 1930s, finishing third or fourth most years. In 1936, Cleveland introduced a 17-year old named Bob Feller, a pitcher with a dominating fastball. Feller struck out 17 batters in his first game. By 1940, Feller, along with Ken Keltner, Mel Harder and Lou Boudreau led the Indians to within one game of the pennant. The team was wracked with dissension, with some players (including Feller) going so far as to request that owner Alva Bradley fire manager Ossie Vitt. Reporters lampooned them as the Cleveland Crybabies.[5] Feller, who had pitched a no-hitter to open the season and won 27 games, lost the final game of the season to unknown Floyd Giebell of the Detroit Tigers. Giebell never won another major league game.[6]
With a young team, Cleveland was poised for a solid decade. Their much-despised manager Vitt was replaced by Roger Peckinpaugh in 1941. Unfortunately, the nation entered World War II and Feller went to serve in the Navy, delaying the Tribe's success.
1947-1959
In 1946 Bill Veeck formed an investment group that purchased the Cleveland Indians from Bradley's group. A former owner of a minor league franchise in Milwaukee, Veeck brought to Cleveland a gift for promotion. At Cleveland he began the innovative Major League career that would bring him fame among many and infamy to others.
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. Prior to 1947 the Indians played most of their games at League Park, and occasionally played several weekend games at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Veeck agreed to move the club out of League Park and into Cleveland Municipal Stadium permanently.
Making the most of the field itself in the cavernous stadium, Veeck had a portable center field fence installed, which he could move in or out depending on how 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 all-time one game regular-season attendance record in 1954 at over 84,000.
Veeck hired rubber-faced Max Patkin, the "Clown Prince of Baseball" as a coach. Patkin's appearance in the coaching box was the sort of promotional stunt by Bill Veeck that delighted fans and infuriated the front office of the American League.
Under Veeck's leadership, Cleveland's most significant achievement 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, eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers. Similar to Robinson, Doby battled racism on and off the field but posting a .301 batting average in 1948, his first full season. A power-hitting center fielder, Doby led the American League twice in homers.
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In 1948, needing pitching for the stretch run of the 1948 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 soon proved he could still pitch and ended 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 Larry 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, the Tribe defeated the Boston Braves four games to two for their first championship in 28 years.
The Indians would appear in a film the following year titled The Kid From Cleveland. The film portrayed the team helping out a "troubled teenaged fan"[4] and featured many members of the Indians organization.
In 1949 Cleveland again contended before falling to third place. On September 23, 1949, Bill Veeck and the Indians buried their 1948 pennant in center field before a game, the day after they were mathematically eliminated from the pennant race.
In 1949 Veeck was forced to sell the Indians to a syndicate headed by William Daley during a difficult divorce, but left behind a competitive team that continued to contend through the early 1950s, featuring: Feller, Minnie Miñoso, Larry Doby, Luke Easter, Bobby Avila, Al Rosen, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, and Mike Garcia. However, Cleveland only won a single pennant in the decade, finishing second to the New York Yankees five times.
In 1954, Cleveland won a then-record 111 games and returned to the World Series against the New York Giants. The team was upset by the Giants in a sweep which became famous for Willie Mays amazing over-the-shoulder catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1.
1960-1993: The curse of Rocky Colavito
From 1959 to 1993, the Indians managed one third-place and five fourth-place finishes but spent the rest of the time in the American League cellar. Frank 'Trader' Lane was an early culprit in the construction of what became a running joke in baseball for three decades. The team's ill-advised trades under a number of general managers would haunt fans for years to come.
Constant ownership changes did not help the Indians. In 1966, Daley's syndicate sold the team to frozen food millionaire Vernon Stouffer [5] of Stouffer Foods. Prior to Stouffer's purchase the team was rumoured to be relocated due to poor attendance. Despite the potential for a financially strong owner, Stouffer had some non-baseball related financial setbacks and consequently the team was cash-poor. Stouffer sold the team in 1972 to a group led by impresario Nick Mileti [6].
Only five years later, Mileti's group sold out to a syndicate headed by trucking magnate Steve O'Neill and which included Gabe Paul, who had been an executive with the Indians, Reds and Yankees. But O'Neill's death in 1983 led to the team going on the market once more. Patrick O'Neill did not find a buyer until the Jacobs brothers, Richard and David, purchased the team in 1986.
The 30 Year Slump
The 30+ year slump began for the Indians with the club's most infamous trade; which involved slugging right fielder and fan favorite, Rocky Colavito.
Just before Opening Day in 1960 Colavito was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn. It was a blockbuster trade that swapped the 1959 AL co-home run champion (Colavito) for the AL batting champion (Kuenn). Colavito would continue to have monster seasons for Detriot and later the Kansas City Athletics before returning to Cleveland in 1965 while Kuenn would only play one season for the Indians before departing.
Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto documented the decades of woe that followed the trade in his book The Curse of Rocky Colavito. In the 1960s, the team also sent budding stars Tommy John, Luis Tiant, and Lou Piniella packing, receiving little in return.
The 1970s were little better though the decade became known more for the players that the team traded away for very little in return (such as Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Dennis Eckersley and Buddy Bell) rather than successes on the field for the Indians. The team was unable to move out of the cellar with losing seasons between 1969 and 1975. In 1972 Gaylord Perry, an off-season acquisition, provided strong pitching and became the first Indians pitcher to be awarded the Cy Young Award. The now infamous Ten Cent Beer Night at Cleveland Municipal Stadium was an ill-conceived promotion at a 1974 game against the Texas Rangers which ended in a riot by fans and an eventual forfeit by the Indians. In 1975, the team did make baseball history when they hired Frank Robinson as MLB's first African American manager. Robinson served as player-manager and would provide a franchise highlight when he pinch hit himself on Opening Day and hit a home run. However, the team failed to improve with Robinson as manager and he was fired in 1977.
There were bright spots in the 1980s. The colorful Joe Charboneau won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1980 winning the affection of many fans and attaining the 'Super Joe' nickname. 1980 would bear witness to only the second Perfect Game in franchise history when Len Barker accomplished the feat joining Addie Joss. The game happened on May 15, 1981 against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of a nearly empty Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Unfortunately, Charboneau was out of baseball by 1982 after he fell victim to back injuries and Barker never became a consistently dominant starting pitcher. After a rare winning season in 1986, Sports Illustrated boldly predicted the Indians to win the American League East in 1987. Joe Carter and Cory Snyder were featured on the cover of the 1987 baseball preview issue, and once the team went on to lose 101 games and finish last in American League East during the season their fate was described to be part of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
In fact, the Indians are one of only three teams to never win a division title under the two-division system.
Organizational Turn Around
In 1989, a fictional Cleveland Indians baseball team was portrayed in the movie Major League, which depicted a hapless Cleveland ball club going from worst to first by the end of the film.
The tide began to turn following the 1989 season when an unpopular trade reinvigorated the team. Power-hitting outfielder Joe Carter was sent to the San Diego Padres for two unprovens. Sandy Alomar, Jr. would make the quickest impact as he would be the Indians starting catcher in 1990. Alomar would go on to become the first rookie catcher to start the MLB All-Star game. Following the season he was awarded both Rookie of the Year honors and a Gold Glove Award in the American League. Alomar would be Cleveland's fourth Rookie of the Year. The second player was future All-Star second baseman Carlos Baerga. Baerga would become the first second baseman since Rogers Hornsby in 1922 to have back-to-back 200+ hit, 20+ home run, 100+ R.B.I., and .300+ average seasons when he accomplished the feat in 1992-1993.
During the 1991 season former Indians player Mike Hargrove was hired as new manager and would later go on to become one of the most successful managers of the 1990s.
Following the 1991 season Indians general manager John Hart made the trade that many consider to be his greatest gem. The Houston Astros in need of a catcher had a glut of talent in the outfield, traded future All-Star outfielder, Stolen Base Champion, and Gold Glove winner Kenny Lofton for Eddie Taubensee who would go on to journeyman catcher status. Lofton would make an immediate impact in 1992 swiping an American League rookie record 66 stolen bases and finish second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
Alomar, Baerga, and Lofton along with the homegrown players Albert Belle, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez became All-Star centerpieces for the perennial play-off teams in the mid 1990s.
The Indians were named "Organization of the Year" by Baseball America[7] in 1992, in response to the appearance of offensive bright spots and an improving farm system.
The team suffered a tragedy during spring training of 1993, when a boat carrying pitchers Steve Olin, Tim Crews, and Bob Ojeda crashed into a pier. Olin and Crews were killed, and Ojeda was seriously injured. (Ojeda missed the rest of the season, and would retire the following season).[8]
Over the years the home of the Indians, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was long considered a deteriorating ballpark and was at the top of many owner's list of complaints. Following the Jacobs brothers purchase of the team in 1986 they pushed the city of Cleveland to build a new ballpark to secure that the Indians would stay in town. During the May 1991 Cuyahoga County elections, voters passed a sin tax on the sales of alcohol and cigarettes in the county. The tax proceeds would be used to finance the building of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex which would become home to the Indians new ballpark and an arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
At the 1993 season's end, the team was in transition, leaving Cleveland Municipal Stadium and fielding a talented group of players not seen in over a generation.
1994-2001: A new beginning
Indians General Manager John Hart and team owner Richard Jacobs managed to turn the team's fortunes around. The Indians opened Jacobs Field in 1994 with the aim of improving on the prior season's sixth-place finish. The Indians were only one game behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox on August 12 when a players strike wiped out the rest of the season.
1995 season: A first since 1954
Having fought for a championship in the aborted 1994 season, Cleveland sprinted to a 100-44 record (only 144 games were played because 18 games of the normal 162 were lost to player/owner negotiations) in 1995 winning its first ever divisional title, leading the league in team batting average as well as team ERA. This was mostly due to a combination of investment in the farm system (with talent like sluggers Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and pitcher Charles Nagy), and key acquisitions like pitcher Dennis Martinez and first baseman Eddie Murray, Alomar and Baerga from the Joe Carter trade, and center fielder Kenny Lofton from Houston. After defeating the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series and the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS, Cleveland clinched a World Series berth, for the first time since 1954. The World Series ended in disappointment with the Indians falling in six games to the Atlanta Braves. In June, the Indians began a streak of sellouts that would run a MLB record 455 games through the 2001 season.
1996 season
The Tribe took the AL Central Crown again in 1996, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles (three games to one) in the Division Series.
1997 season: Two outs away
In 1997 Cleveland started slow but finished with an 86-75 record. Taking their third consecutive AL Central title, the Tribe defeated the heavily-favored New York Yankees in the Division Series (3-2). After defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS, the Tribe went on to face the Florida Marlins in the World Series which featured the coldest game in World Series history. However, the Tribe could not bring home the title. The Indians went into the ninth inning of Game 7 with a 2-1 lead, but Jose Mesa allowed the Marlins to tie the game. They sent in Charles Nagy to try and hold the line, but in the eleventh inning, Edgar Renteria drove in the winning run giving the Marlins their first baseball championship.
With the loss, Cleveland became the first team to lose the World Series after carrying the lead into the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh game. In his 2002 autobiography, Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel directly blamed Jose Mesa for the loss, which led to a feud between the players. [7]
1998-2001
In 1998, the Indians made the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and defeated the wild-card Boston Red Sox three games to one in the first round. However, the 114-win New York Yankees proved too good to be beaten in the ALCS, which the Tribe lost four games to two. However, the two games the Tribe won were the only Yankee losses that postseason, as they had swept the Texas Rangers in the first round and went on to sweep the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Following the season, the Indians acquired bullpen lefty Ricardo Rincón from Pittsburgh, and signed free agent second baseman Roberto Alomar, brother of Indians catcher Sandy Alomar.
In 1999, the team held a two games to none advantage over the Red Sox in the Division Series but were eliminated, losing the next three games. An injury to starter Dave Burba in Game Three forced Hargrove to go to his bullpen in the 5th inning. Unfortunately, four pitchers, including presumed Game Four starter Jaret Wright, surrendered nine runs in the loss. As a result of Wright's appearance, and the exclusion of a long reliever/emergency starter (such as Chris Haney or Jim Brower) from the playoff roster, both Bartolo Colon and Charles Nagy were forced to start on only three days rest (after lengthy starts in Games 1 and 2.) The Indians lost game four 23-7 and game five 12-8 after Troy O'Leary hit two home runs, including a grand slam. Four days later, longtime manager Mike Hargrove was dismissed.
In 2000, the Indians got off to a mediocre start, going 44-42 at the break. They soon caught fire and went 46-30 the rest of the way to finish 90-72. The team had one of the league's best offenses that year and a defense that yielded three gold gloves. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as they ended up five games behind the Chicago White Sox in the Central division and missed the wild card by one game to the Seattle Mariners. Mid-season trades brought Bob Wickman and Jake Westbrook to Cleveland, and free agent Manny Ramirez departed for Boston after the season.
The season was notable in that the Indians set a Major League record for most pitchers used in a single season. Colon, Burba, and Finley posted strong seasons and the bullpen was solid. But with Jaret Wright and Charles Nagy spending months on the disabled list, the team could not solidify the final two spots in the rotation. Other starting pitchers that season combined for a total of 346 2/3 innings and 265 earned runs for an ERA of 6.88.
In 2000, Larry Dolan bought the Indians for $323 million from Richard Jacobs, who, along with his late brother David, had paid $35 million for the club in 1986.
2001 saw a return to the playoffs. After the departures of Manny Ramirez and Sandy Alomar, Jr., the Tribe signed former-MVP Juan González, who helped the Indians win the Central division with a 91-71 record.
One of the highlights came on August 5, 2001, when the Indians completed the biggest comeback in MLB History. Being down to the Seattle Mariners, 12-0 in the 4th, and 14-2 in the 6th, the Indians rallied to win, 15-14 in 11 innings. Making the 12 run comeback win that much more surprising was the fact that Seattle would go on to finish the season with an American League record 116 wins, featuring a rock-solid bullpen. As well, with the game seemingly out-of-reach, Indians manager Charlie Manuel pulled many of his starters in hopes to avoid injury in the seemingly lost game.
Seattle and Cleveland met in the first round of the playoffs, with the Indians taking an early two games to one lead. However, the Mariners pulled out Games 4 and 5 behind the masterful pitching of Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, and their vaunted bullpen. Cleveland remained without a playoff series victory since 1998.
2001-present: The Shapiro years
In the 2001 offseason, GM John Hart resigned and his assistant Mark Shapiro took the reins. Shapiro moved to rebuild by dealing aging veterans for younger talent. As a result, the Indians struggled through 2002 and 2003, posting losing records both years.
In 2002, Shapiro traded fan favorite pitching ace Bartolo Colon for prospects Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore, acquired Travis Hafner from the Rangers for Ryan Drese and Einar Diaz, and picked up Coco Crisp from the St. Louis Cardinals for aging starter Chuck Finley.
The Indians young team posted strong offensive numbers in 2004 but still struggled with a bullpen that blew more than 20 saves. A highlight of the season was a 22-0 victory over the New York Yankees.[9]
In early 2005, the offense got off to a poor start. After a brief July slump, the Indians caught fire in August, and cut a 15.5 game deficit in the Central Division down to 1.5 games. However, the season came to a heartbreaking end as the Indians went on to lose six of their last seven games, five of them by one run, missing the playoffs by only two games.
In 2006 the Indians made several roster changes, while retaining its nucleus of young players. In the offseason, they were involved in a three-team trade with Coco Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard going to Boston and Arthur Rhodes going to Philadelphia. The Indians received third base prospect Andy Marté, catcher Kelly Shoppach and outfielder Jason Michaels. They also signed Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson to replace Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton. Once the Indians fell out of playoff contention, Shapiro dealt veterans Eduardo Perez, Bob Wickman, Ben Broussard, and Ronnie Belliard for younger players. Both Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore had career seasons to lead the offense. The Indians tied the 2000 Oakland A's Major League record with 14 Grand Slams. Travis Hafner also tied Don Mattingly's Major League single season individual Grand Slam record with 6, which was set in 1987. Though these offensive highlights were huge, the bullpen struggled with a Major League worst 23 blown saves, which gave the Indians a disappointing fourth place finish in the AL Central Division.
In 2007, Shapiro signed veteran help for the bullpen and outfield in the 2006-2007 offseason. Veterans Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski joined Rafael Betancourt in the Indians bullpen. Shapiro also signed right fielder Trot Nixon and left fielder David Dellucci to short term contracts to provide the lineup with veteran leadership. The team also adopted a new slogan, "It's Tribe Time Now." The Indians improved significantly over the prior year and went into the All-Star break in second place. The team brought back Kenny Lofton for his third stint with the team in late July.
On Sunday September 23rd, 2007, the Indians clinched their 7th central division title in 13 years against the Oakland A's with a final score of 6-2. This was the first time the Tribe had been in the postseason since 2001.
The Indians began their playoff run by defeating the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, 3 games to 1. The Indians advanced to the American League Championship Series and played the Boston Red Sox. They lost the series in Game 7 after leading three games to one earlier in the series.
Grady Sizemore became the first Indians outfielder to be awarded a Gold Glove award since Kenny Lofton in 1996 and the first at any position since 2001 when Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar won the award as infielders. Sizemore combined consistency, committing just 2 errors in 405 chances for a fielding percentage of .995., with spectacular plays earning him many nightly web gem nominations on ESPN's Baseball Tonight program.
The Baseball Writers Association of America awarded Indians Pitcher C.C. Sabathia the 2007 Cy Young Award for pitching and Eric Wedge the 2007 Manager of the Year award in the American League. Sabathia had a 19-7 won-loss record, an ERA of 3.21, and a MLB leading 241.0 innings pitched in 2007 to become only the second Cleveland Indians pitcher to ever win the award and the first since Gaylord Perry in 1972. Wedge became the first Indians manager to be bestowed with the Manager of the Year honor after guiding his young team to a surprising division championship and a 96-66 regular-season record in his fifth managerial season.
Season-by-Season Results
Postseason Results
1901-1993
Click on the result to view more information about the series.
| Year | World Series | |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Brooklyn Robins | W 5-2 |
| 1948 | Boston Braves | W 4-2 |
| 1954 | New York Giants | L 0-4 |
1994-Present
Click on the result to view more information about the series.
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- The Indians' non-competitiveness during the 1960s through the 1980s became a subject for humor. A standard joke of the time had a judge asking a child in a parental custody battle with which parent he preferred to live. The child says neither one, they both beat me — the judge then asks with whom does he want to live and the answer is "the Cleveland Indians, they don't beat anybody." (This joke also works for the Chicago Cubs, or, for any sport, it can be used against a rival, especially a rival that hasn't done well) A local amusement park named Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, featured a paddlewheel boat that went around an 18th century setting that included robotic and apparently hostile Indians pointing rifles at the passengers. The narrator would frequently say, "Don't be scared, folks. They're Cleveland Indians; they can't hit anything."
- In April 1962, the Indians sold Harry Chiti to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. In June 1962, after playing just 15 games for the Mets, Chiti was named by the Mets as the player to be named later.
- Richie Scheinblum, an outfielder who played with the Indians from 1965 to 1969, joked, "Maybe we should change our name to the Cleveland Utility Company. All we have are utility players," meaning players who were kept on the roster because they played several positions, but none of them particularly well.
- That same season, Graig Nettles, a New York Yankees third baseman who played with the Indians prior to being traded to the Yankees (he began his Major League career with the Minnesota Twins), took the intercom of the team's charter flight, and said, "We will soon be landing in Cleveland. Please set your watches back 42 minutes."
- Bob Hope held a small share of stock in the Indians and took part in the ceremonies when the Indians played their last home games at Cleveland Stadium in 1993.
- Carlos Baerga was the first of two players to have ever hit one home run from both sides of the plate in the same inning. He did so on April 8, 1993 against the New York Yankees pitchers Steve Howe and Steve Farr in the game's 7th Inning. Mark Bellhorn of the Chicago Cubs was the only other player to accomplish this rare feat on August 29, 2002 in the 4th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Cleveland hometown hero/comedian Drew Carey poked fun at the rest of baseball while he promoted his new sitcom The Drew Carey Show in 1995. In the promos he often uttered the now-famous line:
- Finally, it's your team that sucks!
- On August 31, 2004, The Indians beat the New York Yankees 22-0. This was the worst defeat in NYY history. Omar Vizquel got 6 hits in the game, tying the MLB record for hits in a 9-inning game. It was the largest loss the Yankees have suffered since they fell to the Indians on July 29, 1928, 24-6.[8]
- On July 4, 2006, The Indians beat the New York Yankees 19-1. This was Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's birthday. Pitcher Jake Westbrook started both of the blowout games against New York. This was the second most lopsided defeat in Yankees history, next to the Indians 22-0 shutout in 2004.
- On September 2, 2006, infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff became the third player to hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat and the first player to do so on his first major league pitch.
- On December 21, 2006, it was announced that the Indians would move their spring training facility from Winter Haven, Florida to Goodyear, Arizona (a West Valley suburb of Phoenix) and re-join the Cactus League in February 2009, after a 15 year absence.
- On April 9, 2007, it was announced that the Indians will play a "home" series in Milwaukee versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim due to heavy snow in the Cleveland area. The 4-game home opening series against Seattle had been snowed out. The Indians took two out of the three games at Miller Park winning the first and third games. When Joe Borowski would come on in the ninth innings of the games the Indians won in Milwaukee the song "Wild Thing" would blare from the PA system in a nod to the movie "Major League" which was about the Indians but was filmed at the old County Stadium.
- A portion of the team's original playing field, League Park, still stands at East 66th St. and Lexington Avenue in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood. The team's offices and a part of the right field exterior brick facade remain. Nothing remains of the team's second home, Cleveland Stadium; it is the site of the current Cleveland Browns Stadium.
- The old Cleveland Stadium was often plagued by flying insects attracted to the lights during summer night games on the lakefront. Game 2 of the Division Series, on October 5, 2007, brought back some memories of the old stadium, as swarms of insects characterized by the TV announcers as Canadian Soldiers, but were actually midges, infested the ballfield, and caused several delays to allow spraying.
Baseball Hall of Famers
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Elected mainly on basis of performance with the Indians |
Other Hall-of-Famers associated with Indians, however briefly |
Retired numbers
 The Fans (See Notes) Retired 2001 |
 Bob Feller SP, Coach Retired 1957 |
 Earl Averill CF Retired 1975 |
 Larry Doby CF, Coach Retired 1994 |
 Bob Lemon 3B, SP, Coach Retired 1998 |
 Lou Boudreau SS, M Retired 1970 |
 Mel Harder SP, Coach Retired 1990 |
 Jackie Robinson 2B Retired 1997 |
Jackie Robinson's number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball.
The number 455 was honored after the Indians sold out 455 consecutive games between 1995 and 2001, which is currently an MLB record.
Current roster
| It has been suggested that Slider (mascot) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since October 2007. |
| For current information on this topic, see 2008 Cleveland Indians season. |
| Cleveland Indians | |||||
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| 2024 Cleveland Indians season | |||||
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| Major league affiliations | |||||
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| Current uniform | |||||
| Retired numbers | 3, 5, 14, 18, 19, 21, 42, 455 | ||||
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| Major league titles | |||||
| World Series titles (2) | 1920 • 1948 | ||||
| AL Pennants (5) | 1920 • 1948 • 1954 • 1995 • 1997 | ||||
| Central Division titles (7) [1] | 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2001 • 2007 | ||||
| Wild card berths (0) | None | ||||
[1] - In 1994, a players' strike wiped out the last eight weeks of the season and all post-season. Cleveland was one game out of first place in the Central Division behind Chicago when play was stopped. No official titles were awarded in 1994. | |||||
| Front office | |||||
| Principal owner(s) | Larry Dolan | ||||
| General manager | Mark Shapiro | ||||
| Manager | Eric Wedge | ||||
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since 1994 they have played in Jacobs Field.
The "Indians" name originates from a public contest to decide a new name. In reference to the Boston Braves, (now the Atlanta Braves), the public chose "the Indians". They are nicknamed "the Tribe" and "the Wahoos". The latter is a reference to the mascot which appears in the team's logos, Chief Wahoo.
One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Cleveland in 1901. Then the Cleveland Blues, the team played in League Park until moving to historic Cleveland Municipal Stadium in 1932. They have an all-time franchise record of 8,075-7,711 (.512). The Indians are the current American League Central Champions.
Franchise history
The Indians Nickname
Legend has it that the team honored Louis Sockalexis when it assumed its current name in 1915. The spectacular Sockalexis, a Native American, had played in Cleveland 1897-1899.
On the contrary, when the "Naps" sent longtime leader Napoleon Lajoie to the Philadelphia Athletics at the end of the 1914 season, owner Charles Somers asked the local newspapers to come up with a new name for the team. They chose "Indians" as a play on the name of the Boston Braves, then known as the "Miracle Braves" after going from last place on July 4 to a sweep in the 1914 World Series. Proponents of the name acknowledged that the Cleveland Spiders of the National League had sometimes been informally called the "Indians" during Sockalexis' short career there, a fact which merely reinforced the new name.
In any case, the name stuck. And 34 years later, the Indians went on to defeat that same Braves franchise, 4 games to 2, in the 1948 World Series -- after first winning a one game playoff against Boston's other team, the Red Sox. The victory over the Braves was the franchise's second of two World Series titles; the Tribe had also won the 1920 World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Robins 5 games to 2.[10]
The club nickname and its cartoon logo have been criticized for perpetuating Native American stereotypes, and protests have arisen from time to time. More can be read about this issue here: Native American mascot controversy. In 1997, during the team's most recent World Series, three Native American protesters were arrested, but later acquitted.[11]
Forest City club
Open professional baseball began in Cleveland during the 1869 season and one team was hired on salary for 1870, as in several other cities following the success of the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first fully professional team. That leading Cleveland baseball club was the Forest City, a nickname of the city itself. 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. The Forest City club was formed about 1865, when baseball club organization and "national" association membership boomed following the Civil War.
In 1871 the Forest Citys of Cleveland joined the new National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, the first professional league, as did the Forest Citys of Rockford, Illinois. For brevity some authors have termed them "FCCleveland" and "FCRockford", two baseball clubs alone among thousands of soccer football clubs named "FC". New York and Philadelphia had been the home cities of most top baseball clubs before the league era, but only one club from each joined the professional NA, whose nine-city circuit was made up by four western clubs and eastern rivals in Washington, Troy, and Boston. That didn't last: two of the 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 western outpost in 1872 and the Forest City's failed in turn, playing a full schedule to July 19 followed only by two games versus Boston in mid-August.[9]
National League era
In 1876, the National League supplanted the N.A. as the major professional league. Cleveland was not among its charter members, but by 1879 the league was looking for some new entries and the city returned to a major circuit. The Cleveland Blues played mainly in the middle of the pack for six seasons but it was ruined by trade war with the Union Association in 1884, when its three best players moved for the money: Fred Dunlap, Jack Glasscock, and Jim McCormick. St Louis from the U.A. took its place for 1885. That franchise only lasted a couple of years, but another St. Louis franchise would deal a devastating blow to another Cleveland team some 15 years later.
Cleveland went without major league ball for only two seasons, before joining the American Association in 1887, after that league's Allegheny club had jumped to the N.L. Cleveland followed suit in 1889, as the Association began to crumble. (It expired after 1891, and the National League acquired four of its franchises to swell to 12 teams.) The Cleveland team slowly built up to becoming a power in the league. They acquired the unique nickname Spiders, a tag supposedly inspired by their long-limbed players.
The Spiders survived a challenge from an entry in the one-season Players' League in 1890. The next year the Spiders moved into League Park, which would become the home of Cleveland professional ball for the next 55 years. Led by native Ohioan Cy Young, the Spiders became a contender in the mid-1890s, when they played in the Temple Cup Series (that era's World Series) twice, winning it in 1895. The team began to fade after that, and was dealt a severe blow under the ownership of the Robison brothers.
The Robisons, despite already owning the Spiders, were allowed to also acquire a controlling interest in the St. Louis Cardinals franchise in 1899. They proceeded to strip the Cleveland team of its best players (including Young) to help fill the St. Louis roster. The St. Louis team improved to finish above .500, although well back of first place. Meanwhile, 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 the road, and became known as "The Wanderers", finally slinking home in 12th place, 84 games out of first place, with an all-time worst record of 20 wins and 134 losses.
Following the 1899 season, the National League disbanded the Cleveland franchise along with three other teams in Washington, Baltimore, and Louisville. The disastrous 1899 season would actually be a step toward a new future for Cleveland fans, the very next year.
Seeking to capitalize on general public disillusionment with the National League, Ban Johnson changed the name of his minor league, the Western League, to the American League and shifted the WL's Grand Rapids club to Cleveland, taking over League Park in 1900. Although still a minor league, the new organization was ready to make its move. In 1901 the American League broke with the National Agreement and declared itself a competing Major League. The Cleveland franchise was among its eight charter members.
1901-1946: Early to middle history of the franchise
The new team was originally owned by Charles W. Somers and Jack Kilfoy. Somers generously lent money to other team owners, including Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's, to keep them afloat. With the new league competing for fans, the American League began raiding the older League for players. One of the players that jumped was Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, a Philadelphia Phillies star who signed with the Philadelphia Athletics. When the Phillies got an injunction against the A's, the American League and Mack agreed to move Lajoie to Cleveland early in the 1902 season. The team had previously been known as the Bronchos or the Blues. In honor of its popular new star Cleveland soon acquired the nickname Naps.
Early on, Cleveland finished in the middle of the pack before contending for the championship in 1908, but the retirement of Cy Young, who returned to Cleveland as part of its American League franchise in 1908, and the untimely death of Addie Joss was a harbinger of things to come for Cleveland. Poor pitching was on tap for several years. Despite the strong hitting of Tris Speaker and Shoeless Joe Jackson, the Naps failed to rise above third place for most of the next decade, and jokes about "Naps" as a synonym for "sleeps" began to circulate. In 1916 Somers sold the team to a syndicate headed by James C. "Jack" Dunn. Dunn hired a new manager, Lee Fohl, and brought in two young pitchers, future Hall of Famer Stan Coveleski and Jim Bagby. Behind their strong arms, the Indians would rise back into contention at the end of the decade.
Tris Speaker took over the reins as player-manager in 1919 and would lead the team to glory in 1920--but not before tragedy intervened. On August 16 the Indians were playing the Yankees in the Polo Grounds in New York. Shortstop Ray Chapman, who often crowded the plate, was batting against Carl Mays, who had an unusual underhand throwing motion. Mays pitch hit Chapman, fracturing his skull. Chapman died the next day, the first and only player fatality on the field.[12] The Indians, who at the time were locked in a tight three-way pennant race with the Yankees and White Sox,[13] were not slowed down by the death of their teammate. Rookie Joe Sewell, a future, hall of famer 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, [10][11] the Chicago owner suspended the offenders. The White Sox lost 2 of 3 in their final series, while Cleveland won 4 and lost 2 in their final two series. Cleveland finished 2 games ahead of Chicago and 3 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 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 team would not reach the heights of 1920 again for quite some time. 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 the decade in the cellar. In 1927 Dunn's widow, Mrs. George Pross, sold the team to a syndicate headed by Alva Bradley.
The Tribe, as the Indians are affectionately referred to by Clevelanders, were a middling team by the 1930s, finishing third or fourth most years. In 1936, Cleveland introduced a 17-year old named Bob Feller, a pitcher with a dominating fastball. Feller struck out 17 batters in his first game. By 1940, Feller, along with Ken Keltner, Mel Harder and Lou Boudreau led the Indians to within one game of the pennant. The team was wracked with dissension, with some players (including Feller) going so far as to request that owner Alva Bradley fire manager Ossie Vitt. Reporters lampooned them as the Cleveland Crybabies.[14] Feller, who had pitched a no-hitter to open the season and won 27 games, lost the final game of the season to unknown Floyd Giebell of the Detroit Tigers. Giebell never won another major league game.[15]
With a young team, Cleveland was poised for a solid decade. Their much-despised manager Vitt was replaced by Roger Peckinpaugh in 1941. Unfortunately, the nation entered World War II and Feller went to serve in the Navy, delaying the Tribe's success.
1947-1959
In 1946 Bill Veeck formed an investment group that purchased the Cleveland Indians from Bradley's group. A former owner of a minor league franchise in Milwaukee, Veeck brought to Cleveland a gift for promotion. At Cleveland he began the innovative Major League career that would bring him fame among many and infamy to others.
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. Prior to 1947 the Indians played most of their games at League Park, and occasionally played several weekend games at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Veeck agreed to move the club out of League Park and into Cleveland Municipal Stadium permanently.
Making the most of the field itself in the cavernous stadium, Veeck had a portable center field fence installed, which he could move in or out depending on how 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 all-time one game regular-season attendance record in 1954 at over 84,000.
Veeck hired rubber-faced Max Patkin, the "Clown Prince of Baseball" as a coach. Patkin's appearance in the coaching box was the sort of promotional stunt by Bill Veeck that delighted fans and infuriated the front office of the American League.
Under Veeck's leadership, Cleveland's most significant achievement 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, eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson signed with the Dodgers. Similar to Robinson, Doby battled racism on and off the field but posting 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 the stretch run of the 1948 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 soon proved he could still pitch and ended 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 Larry 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, the Tribe defeated the Boston Braves four games to two for their first championship in 28 years.
The Indians would appear in a film the following year titled The Kid From Cleveland. The film portrayed the team helping out a "troubled teenaged fan"[12] and featured many members of the Indians organization.
In 1949 Cleveland again contended before falling to third place. On September 23, 1949, Bill Veeck and the Indians buried their 1948 pennant in center field before a game, the day after they were mathematically eliminated from the pennant race.
In 1949 Veeck was forced to sell the Indians to a syndicate headed by William Daley during a difficult divorce, but left behind a competitive team that continued to contend through the early 1950s, featuring: Feller, Minnie Miñoso, Larry Doby, Luke Easter, Bobby Avila, Al Rosen, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, and Mike Garcia. However, Cleveland only won a single pennant in the decade, finishing second to the New York Yankees five times.
In 1954, Cleveland won a then-record 111 games and returned to the World Series against the New York Giants. The team was upset by the Giants in a sweep which became famous for Willie Mays amazing over-the-shoulder catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1.
1960-1993: The curse of Rocky Colavito
From 1959 to 1993, the Indians managed one third-place and five fourth-place finishes but spent the rest of the time in the American League cellar. Frank 'Trader' Lane was an early culprit in the construction of what became a running joke in baseball for three decades. The team's ill-advised trades under a number of general managers would haunt fans for years to come.
Constant ownership changes did not help the Indians. In 1966, Daley's syndicate sold the team to frozen food millionaire Vernon Stouffer [13] of Stouffer Foods. Prior to Stouffer's purchase the team was rumoured to be relocated due to poor attendance. Despite the potential for a financially strong owner, Stouffer had some non-baseball related financial setbacks and consequently the team was cash-poor. Stouffer sold the team in 1972 to a group led by impresario Nick Mileti [14].
Only five years later, Mileti's group sold out to a syndicate headed by trucking magnate Steve O'Neill and which included Gabe Paul, who had been an executive with the Indians, Reds and Yankees. But O'Neill's death in 1983 led to the team going on the market once more. Patrick O'Neill did not find a buyer until the Jacobs brothers, Richard and David, purchased the team in 1986.
The 30 Year Slump
The 30+ year slump began for the Indians with the club's most infamous trade; which involved slugging right fielder and fan favorite, Rocky Colavito.
Just before Opening Day in 1960 Colavito was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn. It was a blockbuster trade that swapped the 1959 AL co-home run champion (Colavito) for the AL batting champion (Kuenn). Colavito would continue to have monster seasons for Detriot and later the Kansas City Athletics before returning to Cleveland in 1965 while Kuenn would only play one season for the Indians before departing.
Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto documented the decades of woe that followed the trade in his book The Curse of Rocky Colavito. In the 1960s, the team also sent budding stars Tommy John, Luis Tiant, and Lou Piniella packing, receiving little in return.
The 1970s were little better though the decade became known more for the players that the team traded away for very little in return (such as Graig Nettles, Chris Chambliss, Dennis Eckersley and Buddy Bell) rather than successes on the field for the Indians. The team was unable to move out of the cellar with losing seasons between 1969 and 1975. In 1972 Gaylord Perry, an off-season acquisition, provided strong pitching and became the first Indians pitcher to be awarded the Cy Young Award. The now infamous Ten Cent Beer Night at Cleveland Municipal Stadium was an ill-conceived promotion at a 1974 game against the Texas Rangers which ended in a riot by fans and an eventual forfeit by the Indians. In 1975, the team did make baseball history when they hired Frank Robinson as MLB's first African American manager. Robinson served as player-manager and would provide a franchise highlight when he pinch hit himself on Opening Day and hit a home run. However, the team failed to improve with Robinson as manager and he was fired in 1977.
There were bright spots in the 1980s. The colorful Joe Charboneau won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1980 winning the affection of many fans and attaining the 'Super Joe' nickname. 1980 would bear witness to only the second Perfect Game in franchise history when Len Barker accomplished the feat joining Addie Joss. The game happened on May 15, 1981 against the Toronto Blue Jays in front of a nearly empty Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Unfortunately, Charboneau was out of baseball by 1982 after he fell victim to back injuries and Barker never became a consistently dominant starting pitcher. After a rare winning season in 1986, Sports Illustrated boldly predicted the Indians to win the American League East in 1987. Joe Carter and Cory Snyder were featured on the cover of the 1987 baseball preview issue, and once the team went on to lose 101 games and finish last in American League East during the season their fate was described to be part of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx.
In fact, the Indians are one of only three teams to never win a division title under the two-division system.
Organizational Turn Around
In 1989, a fictional Cleveland Indians baseball team was portrayed in the movie Major League, which depicted a hapless Cleveland ball club going from worst to first by the end of the film.
The tide began to turn following the 1989 season when an unpopular trade reinvigorated the team. Power-hitting outfielder Joe Carter was sent to the San Diego Padres for two unprovens. Sandy Alomar, Jr. would make the quickest impact as he would be the Indians starting catcher in 1990. Alomar would go on to become the first rookie catcher to start the MLB All-Star game. Following the season he was awarded both Rookie of the Year honors and a Gold Glove Award in the American League. Alomar would be Cleveland's fourth Rookie of the Year. The second player was future All-Star second baseman Carlos Baerga. Baerga would become the first second baseman since Rogers Hornsby in 1922 to have back-to-back 200+ hit, 20+ home run, 100+ R.B.I., and .300+ average seasons when he accomplished the feat in 1992-1993.
During the 1991 season former Indians player Mike Hargrove was hired as new manager and would later go on to become one of the most successful managers of the 1990s.
Following the 1991 season Indians general manager John Hart made the trade that many consider to be his greatest gem. The Houston Astros in need of a catcher had a glut of talent in the outfield, traded future All-Star outfielder, Stolen Base Champion, and Gold Glove winner Kenny Lofton for Eddie Taubensee who would go on to journeyman catcher status. Lofton would make an immediate impact in 1992 swiping an American League rookie record 66 stolen bases and finish second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.
Alomar, Baerga, and Lofton along with the homegrown players Albert Belle, Charles Nagy, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez became All-Star centerpieces for the perennial play-off teams in the mid 1990s.
The Indians were named "Organization of the Year" by Baseball America[16] in 1992, in response to the appearance of offensive bright spots and an improving farm system.
The team suffered a tragedy during spring training of 1993, when a boat carrying pitchers Steve Olin, Tim Crews, and Bob Ojeda crashed into a pier. Olin and Crews were killed, and Ojeda was seriously injured. (Ojeda missed the rest of the season, and would retire the following season).[17]
Over the years the home of the Indians, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, was long considered a deteriorating ballpark and was at the top of many owner's list of complaints. Following the Jacobs brothers purchase of the team in 1986 they pushed the city of Cleveland to build a new ballpark to secure that the Indians would stay in town. During the May 1991 Cuyahoga County elections, voters passed a sin tax on the sales of alcohol and cigarettes in the county. The tax proceeds would be used to finance the building of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex which would become home to the Indians new ballpark and an arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.
At the 1993 season's end, the team was in transition, leaving Cleveland Municipal Stadium and fielding a talented group of players not seen in over a generation.
1994-2001: A new beginning
Indians General Manager John Hart and team owner Richard Jacobs managed to turn the team's fortunes around. The Indians opened Jacobs Field in 1994 with the aim of improving on the prior season's sixth-place finish. The Indians were only one game behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox on August 12 when a players strike wiped out the rest of the season.
1995 season: A first since 1954
Having fought for a championship in the aborted 1994 season, Cleveland sprinted to a 100-44 record (only 144 games were played because 18 games of the normal 162 were lost to player/owner negotiations) in 1995 winning its first ever divisional title, leading the league in team batting average as well as team ERA. This was mostly due to a combination of investment in the farm system (with talent like sluggers Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and pitcher Charles Nagy), and key acquisitions like pitcher Dennis Martinez and first baseman Eddie Murray, Alomar and Baerga from the Joe Carter trade, and center fielder Kenny Lofton from Houston. After defeating the Boston Red Sox in the Division Series and the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS, Cleveland clinched a World Series berth, for the first time since 1954. The World Series ended in disappointment with the Indians falling in six games to the Atlanta Braves. In June, the Indians began a streak of sellouts that would run a MLB record 455 games through the 2001 season.
1996 season
The Tribe took the AL Central Crown again in 1996, but lost to the Baltimore Orioles (three games to one) in the Division Series.
1997 season: Two outs away
In 1997 Cleveland started slow but finished with an 86-75 record. Taking their third consecutive AL Central title, the Tribe defeated the heavily-favored New York Yankees in the Division Series (3-2). After defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS, the Tribe went on to face the Florida Marlins in the World Series which featured the coldest game in World Series history. However, the Tribe could not bring home the title. The Indians went into the ninth inning of Game 7 with a 2-1 lead, but Jose Mesa allowed the Marlins to tie the game. They sent in Charles Nagy to try and hold the line, but in the eleventh inning, Edgar Renteria drove in the winning run giving the Marlins their first baseball championship.
With the loss, Cleveland became the first team to lose the World Series after carrying the lead into the bottom of the ninth inning of the seventh game. In his 2002 autobiography, Indians shortstop Omar Vizquel directly blamed Jose Mesa for the loss, which led to a feud between the players. [15]
1998-2001
In 1998, the Indians made the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and defeated the wild-card Boston Red Sox three games to one in the first round. However, the 114-win New York Yankees proved too good to be beaten in the ALCS, which the Tribe lost four games to two. However, the two games the Tribe won were the only Yankee losses that postseason, as they had swept the Texas Rangers in the first round and went on to sweep the San Diego Padres in the World Series. Following the season, the Indians acquired bullpen lefty Ricardo Rincón from Pittsburgh, and signed free agent second baseman Roberto Alomar, brother of Indians catcher Sandy Alomar.
In 1999, the team held a two games to none advantage over the Red Sox in the Division Series but were eliminated, losing the next three games. An injury to starter Dave Burba in Game Three forced Hargrove to go to his bullpen in the 5th inning. Unfortunately, four pitchers, including presumed Game Four starter Jaret Wright, surrendered nine runs in the loss. As a result of Wright's appearance, and the exclusion of a long reliever/emergency starter (such as Chris Haney or Jim Brower) from the playoff roster, both Bartolo Colon and Charles Nagy were forced to start on only three days rest (after lengthy starts in Games 1 and 2.) The Indians lost game four 23-7 and game five 12-8 after Troy O'Leary hit two home runs, including a grand slam. Four days later, longtime manager Mike Hargrove was dismissed.
In 2000, the Indians got off to a mediocre start, going 44-42 at the break. They soon caught fire and went 46-30 the rest of the way to finish 90-72. The team had one of the league's best offenses that year and a defense that yielded three gold gloves. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough as they ended up five games behind the Chicago White Sox in the Central division and missed the wild card by one game to the Seattle Mariners. Mid-season trades brought Bob Wickman and Jake Westbrook to Cleveland, and free agent Manny Ramirez departed for Boston after the season.
The season was notable in that the Indians set a Major League record for most pitchers used in a single season. Colon, Burba, and Finley posted strong seasons and the bullpen was solid. But with Jaret Wright and Charles Nagy spending months on the disabled list, the team could not solidify the final two spots in the rotation. Other starting pitchers that season combined for a total of 346 2/3 innings and 265 earned runs for an ERA of 6.88.
In 2000, Larry Dolan bought the Indians for $323 million from Richard Jacobs, who, along with his late brother David, had paid $35 million for the club in 1986.
2001 saw a return to the playoffs. After the departures of Manny Ramirez and Sandy Alomar, Jr., the Tribe signed former-MVP Juan González, who helped the Indians win the Central division with a 91-71 record.
One of the highlights came on August 5, 2001, when the Indians completed the biggest comeback in MLB History. Being down to the Seattle Mariners, 12-0 in the 4th, and 14-2 in the 6th, the Indians rallied to win, 15-14 in 11 innings. Making the 12 run comeback win that much more surprising was the fact that Seattle would go on to finish the season with an American League record 116 wins, featuring a rock-solid bullpen. As well, with the game seemingly out-of-reach, Indians manager Charlie Manuel pulled many of his starters in hopes to avoid injury in the seemingly lost game.
Seattle and Cleveland met in the first round of the playoffs, with the Indians taking an early two games to one lead. However, the Mariners pulled out Games 4 and 5 behind the masterful pitching of Freddy Garcia, Jamie Moyer, and their vaunted bullpen. Cleveland remained without a playoff series victory since 1998.
2001-present: The Shapiro years
In the 2001 offseason, GM John Hart resigned and his assistant Mark Shapiro took the reins. Shapiro moved to rebuild by dealing aging veterans for younger talent. As a result, the Indians struggled through 2002 and 2003, posting losing records both years.
In 2002, Shapiro traded fan favorite pitching ace Bartolo Colon for prospects Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, and Grady Sizemore, acquired Travis Hafner from the Rangers for Ryan Drese and Einar Diaz, and picked up Coco Crisp from the St. Louis Cardinals for aging starter Chuck Finley.
The Indians young team posted strong offensive numbers in 2004 but still struggled with a bullpen that blew more than 20 saves. A highlight of the season was a 22-0 victory over the New York Yankees.[18]
In early 2005, the offense got off to a poor start. After a brief July slump, the Indians caught fire in August, and cut a 15.5 game deficit in the Central Division down to 1.5 games. However, the season came to a heartbreaking end as the Indians went on to lose six of their last seven games, five of them by one run, missing the playoffs by only two games.
In 2006 the Indians made several roster changes, while retaining its nucleus of young players. In the offseason, they were involved in a three-team trade with Coco Crisp, David Riske and Josh Bard going to Boston and Arthur Rhodes going to Philadelphia. The Indians received third base prospect Andy Marté, catcher Kelly Shoppach and outfielder Jason Michaels. They also signed Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson to replace Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton. Once the Indians fell out of playoff contention, Shapiro dealt veterans Eduardo Perez, Bob Wickman, Ben Broussard, and Ronnie Belliard for younger players. Both Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore had career seasons to lead the offense. The Indians tied the 2000 Oakland A's Major League record with 14 Grand Slams. Travis Hafner also tied Don Mattingly's Major League single season individual Grand Slam record with 6, which was set in 1987. Though these offensive highlights were huge, the bullpen struggled with a Major League worst 23 blown saves, which gave the Indians a disappointing fourth place finish in the AL Central Division.
In 2007, Shapiro signed veteran help for the bullpen and outfield in the 2006-2007 offseason. Veterans Aaron Fultz, and Joe Borowski joined Rafael Betancourt in the Indians bullpen. Shapiro also signed right fielder Trot Nixon and left fielder David Dellucci to short term contracts to provide the lineup with veteran leadership. The team also adopted a new slogan, "It's Tribe Time Now." The Indians improved significantly over the prior year and went into the All-Star break in second place. The team brought back Kenny Lofton for his third stint with the team in late July.
On Sunday September 23rd, 2007, the Indians clinched their 7th central division title in 13 years against the Oakland A's with a final score of 6-2. This was the first time the Tribe had been in the postseason since 2001.
The Indians began their playoff run by defeating the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, 3 games to 1. The Indians advanced to the American League Championship Series and played the Boston Red Sox. They lost the series in Game 7 after leading three games to one earlier in the series.
Grady Sizemore became the first Indians outfielder to be awarded a Gold Glove award since Kenny Lofton in 1996 and the first at any position since 2001 when Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar won the award as infielders. Sizemore combined consistency, committing just 2 errors in 405 chances for a fielding percentage of .995., with spectacular plays earning him many nightly web gem nominations on ESPN's Baseball Tonight program.
The Baseball Writers Association of America awarded Indians Pitcher C.C. Sabathia the 2007 Cy Young Award for pitching and Eric Wedge the 2007 Manager of the Year award in the American League. Sabathia had a 19-7 won-loss record, an ERA of 3.21, and a MLB leading 241.0 innings pitched in 2007 to become only the second Cleveland Indians pitcher to ever win the award and the first since Gaylord Perry in 1972. Wedge became the first Indians manager to be bestowed with the Manager of the Year honor after guiding his young team to a surprising division championship and a 96-66 regular-season record in his fifth managerial season.
Season-by-Season Results
Postseason Results
1901-1993
Click on the result to view more information about the series.
| Year | World Series | |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Brooklyn Robins | W 5-2 |
| 1948 | Boston Braves | W 4-2 |
| 1954 | New York Giants | L 0-4 |
1994-Present
Click on the result to view more information about the series.
Trivia
| This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- The Indians' non-competitiveness during the 1960s through the 1980s became a subject for humor. A standard joke of the time had a judge asking a child in a parental custody battle with which parent he preferred to live. The child says neither one, they both beat me — the judge then asks with whom does he want to live and the answer is "the Cleveland Indians, they don't beat anybody." (This joke also works for the Chicago Cubs, or, for any sport, it can be used against a rival, especially a rival that hasn't done well) A local amusement park named Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio, featured a paddlewheel boat that went around an 18th century setting that included robotic and apparently hostile Indians pointing rifles at the passengers. The narrator would frequently say, "Don't be scared, folks. They're Cleveland Indians; they can't hit anything."
- In April 1962, the Indians sold Harry Chiti to the New York Mets for a player to be named later. In June 1962, after playing just 15 games for the Mets, Chiti was named by the Mets as the player to be named later.
- Richie Scheinblum, an outfielder who played with the Indians from 1965 to 1969, joked, "Maybe we should change our name to the Cleveland Utility Company. All we have are utility players," meaning players who were kept on the roster because they played several positions, but none of them particularly well.
- That same season, Graig Nettles, a New York Yankees third baseman who played with the Indians prior to being traded to the Yankees (he began his Major League career with the Minnesota Twins), took the intercom of the team's charter flight, and said, "We will soon be landing in Cleveland. Please set your watches back 42 minutes."
- Bob Hope held a small share of stock in the Indians and took part in the ceremonies when the Indians played their last home games at Cleveland Stadium in 1993.
- Carlos Baerga was the first of two players to have ever hit one home run from both sides of the plate in the same inning. He did so on April 8, 1993 against the New York Yankees pitchers Steve Howe and Steve Farr in the game's 7th Inning. Mark Bellhorn of the Chicago Cubs was the only other player to accomplish this rare feat on August 29, 2002 in the 4th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers.
- Cleveland hometown hero/comedian Drew Carey poked fun at the rest of baseball while he promoted his new sitcom The Drew Carey Show in 1995. In the promos he often uttered the now-famous line:
- Finally, it's your team that sucks!
- On August 31, 2004, The Indians beat the New York Yankees 22-0. This was the worst defeat in NYY history. Omar Vizquel got 6 hits in the game, tying the MLB record for hits in a 9-inning game. It was the largest loss the Yankees have suffered since they fell to the Indians on July 29, 1928, 24-6.[16]
- On July 4, 2006, The Indians beat the New York Yankees 19-1. This was Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's birthday. Pitcher Jake Westbrook started both of the blowout games against New York. This was the second most lopsided defeat in Yankees history, next to the Indians 22-0 shutout in 2004.
- On September 2, 2006, infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff became the third player to hit a grand slam in his first major league at-bat and the first player to do so on his first major league pitch.
- On December 21, 2006, it was announced that the Indians would move their spring training facility from Winter Haven, Florida to Goodyear, Arizona (a West Valley suburb of Phoenix) and re-join the Cactus League in February 2009, after a 15 year absence.
- On April 9, 2007, it was announced that the Indians will play a "home" series in Milwaukee versus the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim due to heavy snow in the Cleveland area. The 4-game home opening series against Seattle had been snowed out. The Indians took two out of the three games at Miller Park winning the first and third games. When Joe Borowski would come on in the ninth innings of the games the Indians won in Milwaukee the song "Wild Thing" would blare from the PA system in a nod to the movie "Major League" which was about the Indians but was filmed at the old County Stadium.
- A portion of the team's original playing field, League Park, still stands at East 66th St. and Lexington Avenue in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood. The team's offices and a part of the right field exterior brick facade remain. Nothing remains of the team's second home, Cleveland Stadium; it is the site of the current Cleveland Browns Stadium.
- The old Cleveland Stadium was often plagued by flying insects attracted to the lights during summer night games on the lakefront. Game 2 of the Division Series, on October 5, 2007, brought back some memories of the old stadium, as swarms of insects characterized by the TV announcers as Canadian Soldiers, but were actually midges, infested the ballfield, and caused several delays to allow spraying.
Baseball Hall of Famers
|
Elected mainly on basis of performance with the Indians |
Other Hall-of-Famers associated with Indians, however briefly |
Retired numbers
The Fans (See Notes) Retired 2001 |
Bob Feller SP, Coach Retired 1957 |
Earl Averill CF Retired 1975 |
Larry Doby CF, Coach Retired 1994 |
Bob Lemon 3B, SP, Coach Retired 1998 |
Lou Boudreau SS, M Retired 1970 |
Mel Harder SP, Coach Retired 1990 |
Jackie Robinson 2B Retired 1997 |
Jackie Robinson's number 42 is retired throughout Major League Baseball.
The number 455 was honored after the Indians sold out 455 consecutive games between 1995 and 2001, which is currently an MLB record.
Current roster
Template loop detected: Cleveland Indians roster
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Buffalo Bisons, International League
- AA: Akron Aeros, Eastern League
- Advanced A: Kinston Indians, Carolina League
- A: Lake County Captains, South Atlantic League
- Short Season A: Mahoning Valley Scrappers, New York-Penn League
- Rookie: GCL Indians, Gulf Coast League
- Rookie: DSL Indians, Dominican Summer League
Radio and television
The Indians' flagship radio station is WTAM, a news/talk station located at 1100 AM. Tom Hamilton and Mike Hegan are the radio announcers. Select games can be heard on WMMS 100.7 FM when there is a conflict with Cleveland Cavaliers playoff basketball games, which air on WTAM.
The television rights are held by SportsTime Ohio, a network launched in 2006 by the Indians. Matt Underwood and Rick Manning form the announcing team for the telecasts for 138 games. Twenty games a year are shown on over the air TV, originating on NBC affiliate WKYC Channel 3, with sports anchor Jim Donovan joining Manning in the broadcast booth. Broadcast games are also carried on WWHO 53, Columbus; WLIO 35 Lima; WICU-TV 12 (or WSEE-TV 35) Erie, PA; WNGS 67, Buffalo, NY; WYFX-LP 62, Youngstown; WFXI-CA 17 Mercer, PA; and BCSN Toledo.
Past Indians broadcasters include Tom Manning, Jack Graney (the first ex-baseball player to become a play-by-play announcer), Jack Corrigan (now with the Colorado Rockies), Jimmy Dudley who received the Ford Frick Award in 1997, Ken Coleman, Joe Castiglione, Van Patrick, Joe Tait, Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Harry Jones, Rocky Colavito and Herb Score, who called Indians' baseball for 38 seasons.
See also
- Native American mascot controversy
- List of the Top 100 Greatest Indians Roster
- Cleveland Indians Season by Season Records
- Indians award winners and league leaders
- Indians statistical records and milestone achievements
- Indians managers and ownership
- List of sports team names derived from Indigenous peoples
References
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. |
- ^ (Pluto, 1999)
- ^ http://www.courttv.com/archive/verdicts/bellecourt.html
- ^ Report of Chapman's Death, New York Times, 8/18/1920
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/standings.cgi?date=1920-08-16
- ^ Cleveland Crybabies Article, C. Phillip Francis
- ^ Lisa DeMaio Brewer, Wilkes, N.C. Record
- ^ http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/history/cle_history_overview.jsp?story=5
- ^ Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=240831110
- ^ (Pluto, 1999)
- ^ http://www.courttv.com/archive/verdicts/bellecourt.html
- ^ Report of Chapman's Death, New York Times, 8/18/1920
- ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/games/standings.cgi?date=1920-08-16
- ^ Cleveland Crybabies Article, C. Phillip Francis
- ^ Lisa DeMaio Brewer, Wilkes, N.C. Record
- ^ http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/history/cle_history_overview.jsp?story=5
- ^ Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=240831110
- Lewis, Franklin (2006). "The Cleveland Indians". The Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-885-2
- Pluto, Terry (1999). Our Tribe: A Baseball Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84505-9
- Quirk, James & Rodney D. Fort (1992). "Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports". Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01574-0
- Cleveland Indians. Indians History Overview: The early years. http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/history/cle_history_overview.jsp. Retrieved Sep 2, 2004.
- Clevand defeats New York Yankees 22-0. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=240831110
External links
- Cleveland Indians official web site
- 1954 Cleveland Indians
- Cleveland Indians 1998 Annual Report, the last filed with the SEC
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
Template:MLB Indians franchise
| World Series Championship Navigation Boxes |
|---|
Sports teams based in Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |
|  |
| Basketball | ||
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| Roller derby | ||
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| Rugby union | ||
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| |
| Volleyball | ||
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| College athletics (NCAA Division I) | ||
Minor league affiliations
- AAA: Buffalo Bisons, International League
- AA: Akron Aeros, Eastern League
- Advanced A: Kinston Indians, Carolina League
- A: Lake County Captains, South Atlantic League
- Short Season A: Mahoning Valley Scrappers, New York-Penn League
- Rookie: GCL Indians, Gulf Coast League
- Rookie: DSL Indians, Dominican Summer League
Radio and television
The Indians' flagship radio station is WTAM, a news/talk station located at 1100 AM. Tom Hamilton and Mike Hegan are the radio announcers. Select games can be heard on WMMS 100.7 FM when there is a conflict with Cleveland Cavaliers playoff basketball games, which air on WTAM.
The television rights are held by SportsTime Ohio, a network launched in 2006 by the Indians. Matt Underwood and Rick Manning form the announcing team for the telecasts for 138 games. Twenty games a year are shown on over the air TV, originating on NBC affiliate WKYC Channel 3, with sports anchor Jim Donovan joining Manning in the broadcast booth. Broadcast games are also carried on WWHO 53, Columbus; WLIO 35 Lima; WICU-TV 12 (or WSEE-TV 35) Erie, PA; WNGS 67, Buffalo, NY; WYFX-LP 62, Youngstown; WFXI-CA 17 Mercer, PA; and BCSN Toledo.
Past Indians broadcasters include Tom Manning, Jack Graney (the first ex-baseball player to become a play-by-play announcer), Jack Corrigan (now with the Colorado Rockies), Jimmy Dudley who received the Ford Frick Award in 1997, Ken Coleman, Joe Castiglione, Van Patrick, Joe Tait, Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Harry Jones, Rocky Colavito and Herb Score, who called Indians' baseball for 38 seasons.
See also
- Native American mascot controversy
- List of the Top 100 Greatest Indians Roster
- Cleveland Indians Season by Season Records
- Indians award winners and league leaders
- Indians statistical records and milestone achievements
- Indians managers and ownership
- List of sports team names derived from Indigenous peoples
References
| This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. |
- Lewis, Franklin (2006). "The Cleveland Indians". The Kent State University Press. ISBN 0-87338-885-2
- Pluto, Terry (1999). Our Tribe: A Baseball Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-84505-9
- Quirk, James & Rodney D. Fort (1992). "Pay Dirt: The Business of Professional Team Sports". Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01574-0
- Cleveland Indians. Indians History Overview: The early years. http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/history/cle_history_overview.jsp. Retrieved Sep 2, 2004.
- Clevand defeats New York Yankees 22-0. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=240831110
External links
- Cleveland Indians official web site
- 1954 Cleveland Indians
- Cleveland Indians 1998 Annual Report, the last filed with the SEC
- Sports E-Cyclopedia
Template:MLB Indians franchise
| World Series Championship Navigation Boxes |
|---|
Sports teams based in Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baseball |
| |
| Basketball | ||
| Football | ||
| Hockey | ||
| Roller derby | ||
| Rugby league | ||
| Rugby union | ||
| Soccer |
| |
| Volleyball | ||
| Australian rules football | ||
| College athletics (NCAA Division I) | ||