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90-651: Ardmore teams played as a minor league affiliate of the Cleveland Indians from 1947 to 1948, St. Louis Cardinals from 1953 to 1957 and Baltimore Orioles in 1961. Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Carl Hubbell played for the 1924 Ardmore Bearcats at age 21. Minor league professional baseball began in Ardmore during the 1904 season. On August 5, 1904, the Texas League member franchise Paris Red Ravens relocated from Paris, Texas to Ardmore and became

180-558: A 19–23 record and the Ardmore Bearcats finished the season with an overall record of 59–59. Baseball Hall of Fame member Carl Hubbell pitched for the 1924 Ardmore Bearcats. At age 21, Hubbell was 1–0 with an 8.31 ERA in 13 innings, pitching in his second professional season and the first for which statistics are available. Remaining in the Western Association, the 1925 Ardmore Boomers took their name from

270-741: 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

360-742: 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

450-520: 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

540-693: 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

630-598: A number of players who made no impact. Ada Herefords The Ada Herefords was a minor league baseball team based in Ada, Oklahoma . From 1947 to 1954, the Herefords played exclusively as a member of the Class D level Sooner State League , winning the league pennant in 1950. The Herefords were a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Browns from 1947 to 1953 and remained an affiliate when St. Louis relocated to become

720-687: 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

810-400: 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,

900-721: 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

990-598: 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

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1080-537: 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

1170-632: 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

1260-612: Is still in use today, located at 1002 East Main, Ardmore, Oklahoma. Ardmore minor league baseball is the subject of two books by author Peter G. Pierce: Cleveland Indians 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 ,

1350-587: The Ardmore Territorians to finish the 1904 season. The team finished with a 26–75 overall record. The 1911 Ardmore Blues resumed minor league play. The Blues placed fifth as a founding member of the 1911 Texas-Oklahoma League , with a record of 49–58. The Ardmore Giants (1912–1913) and Ardmore Indians (1914) continued play as members of the Texas-Oklahoma League. The 1912 Giants won the regular season title and were down 2–1 in

1440-590: The Baltimore Orioles in 1954. Ada Hosted minor league home games at Hereford Park. Minor league baseball began in Ada, Oklahoma with the 1947 Ada Herefords. The Ada Herefords were charter members of the six–team Sooner State League in 1947, joining the Ardmore Indians , Duncan Cementers , Lawton Giants , McAlester Rockets and Seminole Oilers in league play. In their first season of play,

1530-527: 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

1620-530: 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

1710-470: The El Paso Sun Kings . Ardmore, Oklahoma has not hosted another minor league team. From 1911 to 1914, Ardmore teams played minor league home games primarily at Washington Street Park . Washington Street Park was located on the west side of South Washington Street, between 4th Avenue SW & 5th Avenue SW, Ardmore, Oklahoma. Sunday games during 1911 and 1912 were played at Lorena Park , which

1800-677: 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

1890-544: 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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1980-610: The Western Association in 1923. The team finished 82–60 and defeating the Okmulgee Drillers 4–0 in the league finals to capture the 1923 Western Association Championship. Ardmore played in two leagues in 1924. The franchise began the season playing in the Oklahoma State League and ended it playing in the Western Association. On June 8, 1924, Ardmore was in first place with a 30–19 record in

2070-696: 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

2160-545: 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 ,

2250-507: 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

2340-435: 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

2430-413: The 1917 season in Ardmore, playing in the Western Association . The team compiled a record of 43–84 while based in Ardmore, finishing 57–98 overall. The Ardmore Peps (1921) and Ardmore Producers (1922) played in the reformed Texas-Oklahoma League . The Peps placed second in 1921 with an 87–40 record. Meeting the first place Paris Snappers (managed by and named after Red Snapp ) from Paris, Texas in

2520-598: The 1920s oil boom that positively affected Ardmore. The 1925 Ardmore Boomers finished 86–64 and defeated the Muskogee Athletics 4–1 in the league finals to capture the 1925 Western Association Championship. In 1926 however, the franchise moved to Joplin, Missouri on July 14, 1926, to become the Joplin Ozarks . There the team lost in the league finals. Ardmore remained without professional baseball until 1947. The Ardmore Indians (1947–1952) began play in

2610-597: The 1947 Ada Herefords placed 2nd in the Sooner State League with an 86–51 record in the regular season, playing as an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns . They would remain an affiliate of the Browns franchise throughout their existence. Ada finished 10.5 games behind the 1st place Lawton Giants, while playing the season under manager Uke Clanton . In the 1947 playoffs, the McAlester Rockets defeated

2700-501: The 1948 Sooner State League regular season standings, playing under returning manager Uke Clanton. The Herefords did not qualify for the playoffs, finishing the season 28.5 games behind the 1st place McAlester Rockets. The Sooner State League expanded from six–teams to eight–teams, adding the Chickasha Chiefs and Pauls Valley Raiders as expansion teams. The Ada season attendance in 1948 was 27,050. The Ada Herefords made

2790-541: The 1955 Sooner State League by the Muskogee Giants and Paris Orioles . Ada, Oklahoma has not hosted another minor league team. The Ada minor league teams were noted to have played minor league home games at Hereford Park . The ballpark was located at the Pontotoc County fairgrounds on North Broadway Avenue. The field, which was also used as a rodeo arena, had an unusual asymmetrical shape featuring

Ardmore, Oklahoma minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-533: The 1957 season. The last minor league baseball team in Ardmore was the 1961 Ardmore Rosebuds . The Victoria Rosebuds moved to Ardmore on May 27, 1961, and finished the remainder of 1961 Class AA level Texas League season. The team was affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles . The Rosebuds finished 57–83 overall in 1961. In 1962, the Victoria/Ardmore franchise was replaced in the Texas League by

2970-463: 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

3060-479: The Ada Herefords 3 games to 2. Paul Richardville of Ada led the Sooner State League with 11 home runs and 111 RBI, while Forest Smith led the league with 23 wins and a 2.47 ERA and William Donaghey led the league with 244 strikeouts. The Ada home season attendance was 41,872, an average of 611 per game. The 1948 Sooner State League expanded to eight teams. Ada finished with a 63–76 record, placing 5th in

3150-636: The Ardmore Street Railway Co. car barn. The grandstand for Putnam Park was moved to this site from Lorena Park. The ballpark took its name from I.M. Putnam, the Oklahoma City-based real estate developer who served as general manager of the Street Railway Company that donated the land and other materials for the park. In 1921 and 1922, Ardmore teams played at Texas-Oklahoma League Park , the name of which

3240-529: 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

3330-694: 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

3420-451: The Herefords finished in 7th place with a 57–82 record. Former manager Uke Clanton became president of the Sooner State League, a position he would hold for the remainder of the league's play. Playing under managers Bill Enos, Virl Loman and Jim England, the Herefords finished 29.5 games behind the 1st place McAlester Rockets in the eight–team league. McAlester drew 38,387 to Hereford Park for the season. The 1953 Ada Herefords advanced to

3510-443: 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

3600-492: 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

3690-513: The Indians reached the league finals, where they were defeated 4–2 by McAlester. In 1951, the Indians captured the pennant with a 99–40 record, but were again defeated by the McAlester Rockets in the league finals, 4–2. The Indians dropped to 49–91 in 1952, last in the league. Remaining in the Sooner State League in 1953, Ardmore became an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals (1953–1957). The Ardmore Cardinals (1953–1957) finished with

Ardmore, Oklahoma minor league baseball history - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-574: 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

3870-502: 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

3960-591: The Oklahoma State League, when the franchise moved to Pawhuska, Oklahoma and became the Pashuska Huskies . The Ardmore/Pashuska team was in first place when the Oklahoma State League folded on July 8, 1924. When Ardmore moved on June 8, they were immediately given a franchise in the Western Association, in which they were defending champions. The Western Association Bartlesville Bearcats moved to Ardmore on June 8, 1924. Bartlesville moved with

4050-703: The Sooner State League Finals. Ada finished with an 84–54 record, placing 3rd in the regular season standings. Ada played under manager Louis Browner and finished 7.5 games behind the Ardmore Cardinals . In the 1953 playoffs, Ada had their first and only playoff series victory, as the Ada Herefords defeated the Shawnee Hawks 3 games to 1 in the semi-finals. In the Finals, the McAlester Rockets defeated Ada 4 games to 1 and captured

4140-474: The Sooner State League playoffs in 1949. Ada finished with a 69–70 record and in 4th place in the regular season standings, finishing 18.5 games behind the 1st place Pauls Valley Raiders , playing under manager Bill Krueger. In the playoffs, the Pauls Valley Raiders defeated Ada 3 games to 2. Ada player Bill Milligan led the Sooner State League with 23 home runs. Season attendance at Hereford Park

4230-439: The Sooner State League regular season in 6th place with a 64–76 record, playing under managers Louis Brower and John Densmore, finishing 28.0 games behind the Shawnee Hawks . Ada drew 28,482 fans for home games, an average 407 per game in their final minor league season. The Ada minor league franchise permanently folded after the 1954. Fellow league member Pauls Valley Raiders folded also. Ada and Pauls Valley were replaced in

4320-419: 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

4410-619: The championship. Ava players Ron Slawski and Bob Norden tied for the Sooner State League lead in home runs with 31 each and teammate J.L. Rhodes led the league with 21 wins. Ada's season attendance was 36,128. Ada played their final minor league season in 1954, changing their moniker to the Ada Cementers in mid–season. The franchise became an affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, as the St. Louis Browns had relocated to Baltimore in 1954. The 1954 Ada Herefords/Cementers ended

4500-416: 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

4590-402: 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

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4680-459: 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

4770-471: 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

4860-404: The finals, the series was tied 4 games to 4 when Ardmore refused to play the ninth game in Paris, giving Paris the title. The Producers were 49–60, setting in fourth place, when the Texas-Oklahoma League season ended on August 6, 1922, due to a railroad strike. The league did not return in 1923. The 1923 Ardmore Snappers were named after and managed by former Paris rival Red Snapp. Ardmore joined

4950-440: The league finals when the team folded for the season on August 1, giving the title to the Wichita Falls Drillers . The 1913 Giants finished 43–70. The Ardmore Indians were 26–25 when the team folded on June 11, 1914., along with the Hugo Scouts. The Texas-Oklahoma League folded after the 1914 season. The 1917 Ardmore Foundlings were founded when the Paris Athletics moved from Paris, Texas on May 10, 1917. The Foundlings finished

5040-409: 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

5130-416: The league with 23 wins. Season attendance was 31,981. The 1951 Ada Herefords did not qualify for the Sooner State League playoffs, finishing in 5th place. The Herefords ended with a 54–86 record in the regular season, playing under manager Stan Galle and finishing 45.5 games behind the 1st place Ardmore Indians. Attendance was 12,779, an average of 183 per game. Ada missed the playoffs in 1952, as

5220-411: The league's best record in 1953 (91–46) and 1956 (83–56) and made playoffs in four of five seasons. Ardmore lost to the Lawton Braves 4–0 in the 1954 finals and the Seminole Oilers 4–3 in the 1956 finals. After finishing 74–52 in 1957, the Ardmore Cardinals swept the Paris Orioles from Paris, Texas 4–0 in the 1957 Sooner State League finals to capture the championship. The Sooner State League folded after

5310-431: 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 ,

5400-429: 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

5490-544: 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

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5580-425: The newly formed Sooner State League in 1947, with fellow founding members Ada Herefords , Duncan Cementers , Lawton Giants , McAlester Rockets and Seminole Oilers . The "Indians" moniker came from Ardmore being an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians in 1947 and 1948. In their first season, the Indians made the 1947 league finals, but were defeated by the McAlester rockets 4 games to 1. Finishing 75–65 in 1950,

5670-429: 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

5760-613: 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

5850-411: 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

5940-465: 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

6030-426: 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

6120-417: 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

6210-419: 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 ,

6300-472: 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

6390-428: 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

6480-544: 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

6570-558: 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

6660-559: 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

6750-470: 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,

6840-492: 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

6930-487: 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

7020-462: 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,

7110-402: 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

7200-525: Was 33,525. In 1950, Ada captured the Sooner State League pennant, playing under returning manager Bill Krueger. The Ada Herefords finished the regular season in first place 1st with a 96–41 record, ending the season 5.5 games ahead of 2nd place McAlester Rockets. In the 1950 playoffs, the Ardmore Indians defeated Ada 3 games to 2. Stephen Molinari of Ava led the Sooner State League with 39 home runs and 163 RBI, while teammate William Donaghey led

7290-428: 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

7380-402: 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

7470-473: 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

7560-483: 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

7650-555: 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

7740-691: 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

7830-467: Was located at 1441 North Washington Street, where Will Rogers Elementary School was subsequently built. Tribe Park/Cardinal Park had a capacity of 2,000 (1948), 1,500 (1950), and 2,500 (1954), with dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 312–358–312. In 1956, a new Cardinal Park was opened. Ardmore teams played in this ballpark in 1956, 1957, and 1961. The new Cardinal Park held 4,000 (1961). It had dimensions of (Left, Center, Right): 305–371–315 (1961). The park

7920-402: Was not subject to Ardmore blue laws because it was outside the city limits. Lorena Park was located along what is now Mount Washington Road, southeast of the present-day Dornick Hills Golf Club. In 1917, Ardmore home games were played at Putnam Park . The ballpark was located on the north side of what is now 14th Street N.W., near the intersection with Wolverton Street, adjacent to what was then

8010-474: Was often shortened to "T-O League Park." The ballpark was located along A Street S.W. between 4th Avenue SW & 5th Avenue SW, in the same former cotton yard that had previously served as the site of Washington Street Park. In 1923, the home field was called Snapper Park , while the Ardmore teams in the next several years played at Ardmore Baseball Park . From 1948 to 1955, Ardmore teams played home games at Tribe Park , also named Cardinal Park . This ballpark

8100-474: 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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