CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

The Official History of the Cleveland Guardians | Baseball Almanac

When baseball teams go through interminably long periods of losing, fans tend to soothe their distressed psyches by ascribing the poor play or lack of luck to paranormal curses ("Curse of the Bambino" in Boston, the "Billy Goat Curse" in Chicago).

Not in Cleveland. Having seen only two consistently competitive teams (the late 1940's and late 1990's), losing has been too much a regular way of life for Indians' fans to blame it on something supernatural.

Cleveland was a charter member of the American League, winning its first home game 4-3 against Milwaukee on April 29, 1901. They were originally dubbed the Blues, a name once used by Cleveland's National League entry in the 1880's.

The Indians first star was Napoleon Lajoie, one of the greatest hitters in history. Lajoie came to the Indians in 1902 from Philadelphia, and although he hit a robust .368, it represented a 54 point drop in his batting average from the previous season, when he hit an American League record .422.

The Indians contested for only one pennant (unsuccessfully) in the Lajoie era, but the second baseman was so popular the team changed its name to the Naps in his honor. After he departed in 1914, a newspaper contest led to fans renaming the team "Indians" in honor of the "Miracle" run that Boston's Braves made to that year's world championship.

The Tribe made it to the top in 1920, even with the stunning on-field death of their sparkplug shortstop Ray Chapman. He took a direct hit in the head on a fast ball launched by New York's Carl Mays on August 16. Chapman collapsed at home plate, never regained consciousness and died the following morning.

If the shocked Indians stumbled after Chapman's death, the rival White Sox, toppled like Humpty Dumpty. Revelations about the Sox intentionally losing the 1919 World Series exploded in August and eight White Sox players were immediately suspended. The Indians squeaked by the Sox to win their first pennant by two games and then beat Brooklyn in the World Series.

The Indians got a new home in 1932 with the opening of the 70,000 seat Municipal Stadium. For the next 15 years, the Indians split their home schedule between this new park on the shores of Lake Erie and their original home, ancient League Park built in 1891.

Municipal Stadium had a positive effect on the franchise. Not long after it opened, the seeds of the great 1940's teams were planted. First to blossom was 17-year-old Bob Feller, who won five game in his debut season of 1936, then went on to win 261 more games in the next 18 years. He was followed by a shortstop with a rare combination of skill and smarts named Lou Boudreau. By 1942, at the ripe age of 24, he was the team's player-manager.

New owner Bill Veeck made the Indians ultra-competitive by surrounding Feller and Boudreau with first class talent, including Larry Doby, the first black player in the American League, and hard hitting veterans Joe Gordon and Ken Keltner.

The Tribe won it all in 1948 and had a record setting pennant winning team in 1954. Feller was the bridge connecting these two best teams. He and Bob Lemon each won 20 games in 1948 as the Indians finished in a first-place tie with the Red Sox, won the playoff game in Fenway Park, and then dispatched Boston's other team, the Braves, in a six game World Series. The Indians drew 2,620,627 to massive Municipal Stadium that year, a record attendance that stood until the Dodgers broke it in 1962.

The 35-year-old Feller went 13-3 for the 1954 team, which won a then-American League record 111. Lemon and Early Wynn (23 wins each) and Mike Garcia (19 wins) provided stellar pitching. Boudreau was gone to Boston, but new manager Al Lopez had regenerated the Indians' offense with League MVP Al Rosen (24 home runs and 102 runs-batted- in) and batting champion Bobby Avila (.341). Despite their record setting regular season, the Tribe lost the World Series in four straight to Willie Mays and the New York Giants.

After dueling the Yankees for American League prominence in the 1950s, the Indians mostly sailed the gloomy waters of the second division for the next three decades. Their grindingly miserable quality of play, coupled with the low turnout of a disinterested city transformed the cavernous Municipal Stadium into a morgue. The Stadium became known as the "Mistake by the Lake."

A new Indians era began with the opening of Jacobs' Field — the "Jake by the Lake" in 1994. It was a bright, more intimate and friendly ballpark, and in the same way as a new Municipal Stadium rejuvenated the Indians in the 1940's, Jacobs' Field hosted a revitalized team in 1995. They sledge hammered their way to a Central Division record of 100-44 behind Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Carlos Baerga, Eddie Murray, Dave Winfield and Manny Ramirez. The Indians won the Central in 1996-97-98-99-01, while cultivating or trading for sluggers such as Jeromy Burnitz, Richie Sexson, Matt Williams, David Justice and Roberto Alomar.

The team's Achilles heel was a lack of pitching depth in the postseason. They were able to advance to the World Series only twice, losing to the Atlanta Braves (1995) and Florida Marlins (1997). They came close to another Series appearance in 2007, but collapsed after taking a 3-1 lead in the ALCS against Boston.

Although Cleveland enjoyed its renaissance in the 1990's, they still have a record of meager success (five pennants and two world titles). It's just possible fans in Cleveland might consider conjuring up the "Overstaying Your Welcome Curse," since the two times the franchise has fielded good teams, it was shortly after moving from their existing stadium to a new one.

The Indians missed the playoffs for five consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2012. That streak ended in 2013 when Terry Francona helped his team reach the postseason. The Indians lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card game.

For two consecutive seasons, Cleveland missed the playoffs, but they found success in 2016. After beating the Boston Red Sox in the ALDS and the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, the Indians were matched up against the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series. The Indians squandered a 3-1 series lead and lost to the Cubs in 7 games.

The pain from losing in the World Series carried over into the next few seasons as they failed to make it past the ALDS in 2017 and 2018. Despite a 93-69 record in 2019, Cleveland missed the playoffs with a second-place finish in the AL Central. In a shortened season in 2020, the Indians made the playoffs and faced the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card Series. They lost in two games.

CLEVELAND GUARDIANS HISTORY

On December 18, 2020, the franchise confirmed that the Indians name would be dropped after the 2021 season, and then announced on July 23, 2021, that their new name will be the Cleveland Guardians. They played their last game under the Indians name on October 3, 2021, a 6-0 win over the Texas Rangers. They officially became the Guardians on November 19, 2021, and played their first regular season game on April 7, 2022.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"One thing about the Cleveland Indians: They may, in the words of a once-popular song, have been a headache, but they never were a bore." - Author Gordon Cobbledick in The American League (1959)

Cleveland Guardians History

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Cleveland Guardians Franchise Facts

Cleveland Blues Rosters | 1901 - 1904
  1901 1902 1903 1904          
Cleveland Naps Rosters | 1905 - 1914
          1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914          
Cleveland Indians Rosters | 1915 - 2021
          1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2021                
Cleveland Guardians Rosters | 2022 - Today
  2022 2023              
Bold Seasons : Uniform Numbers Worn
Cleveland Blues Schedules | 1901 - 1904
  1901 1902 1903 1904          
Cleveland Naps Schedules | 1905 - 1914
          1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910 1911 1912 1913 1914          
Cleveland Indians Schedules | 1915 - 2021
          1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020 2021                
Cleveland Guardians Schedules | 2022 - Today
  2022 2023              
Bold Seasons : Box Scores Online
Cleveland Indians 100-Win Seasons
Year Record Manager
1954 111-43 Al Lopez
1995 100-44 Mike Hargrove
2017 102-60 Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians 100 Loss Seasons
Year Record Manager
1914 51-102 Joe Birmingham
1971 60-102 Alvin Dark
" " Johnny Lipon
1985 60-102 Pat Corrales
1987 61-101 Pat Corrales
" " Doc Edwards
1991 57-105 John McNamara
" " Mike Hargrove
Cleveland Indians No-Hitters
Name IP Date
Bob Rhoads 9.0 09-18-1908
Addie Joss 9.0 10-02-1908
Addie Joss 9.0 04-20-1910
Ray Caldwell 9.0 09-10-1919
Wes Ferrell 9.0 04-29-1931
Bob Feller 9.0 04-16-1940
Bob Feller 9.0 04-30-1946
Don Black 9.0 07-10-1947
Bob Lemon 9.0 06-30-1948
Bob Feller 9.0 07-01-1951
Sonny Siebert 9.0 06-10-1966
Dick Bosman 9.0 07-19-1974
Dennis Eckersley 9.0 05-30-1977
Len Barker 9.0 05-15-1981
Bold = Perfect Game
Cleveland Indians Cycle Hitters
Name Inn. Date
Bill Bradley 9.0 09-24-1903
Earl Averill 9.0 08-17-1933
Odell Hale 9.0 07-12-1938
Larry Doby 9.0 06-04-1952
Tony Horton 9.0 07-02-1970
Andre Thornton 9.0 04-22-1978
Travis Hafner 9.0 08-14-2003
Rajai Davis 9.0 07-02-2016
Jake Bauers 9.0 06-14-2019
Bold = Natural Cycle
Cleveland Indians Cy Young Winners
Year Name Position
1972 Gaylord Perry RHP
2007 C.C. Sabathia LHP
2008 Cliff Lee LHP
2014 Corey Kluber RHP
2017 Corey Kluber RHP
Bold = Unanimous
Cleveland Indians MVP Winners
Year Name Position
1948 Lou Boudreau SS
1953 Al Rosen 3B
Cleveland Indians Rookies of the Year
Year Name Position
1955 Herb Score P
1971 Chris Chambliss 1B
1980 Joe Charboneau OF
1990 Sandy Alomar, Jr. C
Cleveland Indians Retired Numbers
# Name Position
3 Earl Averill OF
5 Lou Boudreau SS
14 Larry Doby OF
18 Mel Harder P
19 Bob Feller P
20 Frank Robinson M
21 Bob Lemon P
42 Jackie Robinson 2B
Cleveland Indians Batting Champions
Year Name #
1903 Nap Lajoie .344
1904 Nap Lajoie .376
1905 Elmer Flick .306
1916 Tris Speaker .386
1929 Lew Fonseca .369
1944 Lou Boudreau .327
1954 Bobby Avila .341
Cleveland Indians ERA Champions
Year Name #
1903 Earl Moore 1.74
1904 Addie Joss 1.59
1908 Addie Joss 1.16
1911 Vean Gregg 1.80
1923 Stan Coveleski 2.76
1933 Monte Pearson 2.33
1940 Bob Feller 2.61
1948 Gene Bearden 2.43
1950 Early Wynn 3.20
1954 Mike Garcia 2.64
1965 Sam McDowell 2.18
1968 Luis Tiant 1.60
1982 Rick Sutcliffe 2.96
2005 Kevin Millwood 2.86
2008 Cliff Lee 2.54
2017 Corey Kluber 2.25
Cleveland Indians Home Run Champions
Year Name #
1915 Braggo Roth 7
1950 Al Rosen 37
1952 Larry Doby 32
1953 Al Rosen 43
1954 Larry Doby 32
1959 Rocky Colavito 42
1995 Albert Belle 50
Cleveland Indians Strikeout Champions
Year Name #
1920 Stan Coveleski 133
1938 Bob Feller 240
1939 Bob Feller 246
1941 Bob Feller 260
1943 Allie Reynolds 151
1946 Bob Feller 348
1947 Bob Feller 196
1948 Bob Feller 164
1950 Bob Lemon 170
1955 Herb Score 245
1956 Herb Score 263
1957 Early Wynn 184
1965 Sam McDowell 325
1966 Sam McDowell 225
1968 Sam McDowell 283
1969 Sam McDowell 279
1970 Sam McDowell 304
1980 Len Barker 187
1981 Len Barker 127
Cleveland Indians Wild Cards
Year Record Manager
2013 92-70 Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians Central Division Titles
Year Record Manager
1995 100-44 Mike Hargrove
1996 99-62 Mike Hargrove
1997 86-75 Mike Hargrove
1998 89-73 Mike Hargrove
1999 97-65 Mike Hargrove
2001 91-71 Chuck Manuel
2007 96-66 Eric Wedge
2016 94-67 Terry Francona
2017 102-60 Terry Francona
2018 91-71 Terry Francona
2022 92-70 Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians A.L. Pennants
Year Record Manager
1920 98-56 Tris Speaker
1948 97-58 Lou Boudreau
1954 111-43 Al Lopez
1995 100-44 Mike Hargrove
1997 86-75 Mike Hargrove
2016 94-67 Terry Francona
Cleveland Indians World Championships
Year Opponent M.V.P.
1920 Brooklyn n/a
1948 Boston n/a
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Guardians Franchise Facts | Research by Baseball Almanac
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Did you know that Municipal Stadium was built in three-hundred seventy days at the cost of $2.8 million AND it was the first ballpark built with public funding?

Indians World Series Appearances
1920 World Series 1995 World Series
1948 World Series 1997 World Series
1954 World Series 2016 World Series
Bold = Indians World Series Wins

The Cleveland Indians (Blues) played their first Major League game on April 29, 1901. Their opponent was Milwaukee and they defeated the Brewers 4-3 at League Park.

Ballpark first year attendance marks for the Cleveland franchise are: League Park (1901) 131,380; League Park II (1910) 239,456; Municipal Stadium (1947) 1,421,978; and Jacobs Field (1994) 1,995,174.