1920 Cleveland Indians
From BR Bullpen
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[edit] 1920 Cleveland Indians / Franchise: Cleveland Indians / BR Team Page
Record: 98-56, Finished 1st in American League (1920 AL)
World Series Champs
Managed by Tris Speaker
[edit] History, Comments, Contributions
The 1920 Indians' pennant is due primarily to a .303 team batting average (the St. Louis Browns led the league at .308) and the pitching of Jim Bagby, 31-12, Stan Coveleski, 24-14, and Ray Caldwell, 20-10. A big boost came from Duster Mails, brought up from the Pacific Coast League at the end of August, who won seven without a loss on a 1.85 ERA. But, more importantly, the Indians were able to overcome one of baseball's worst tragedies, the death of starting shortstop Ray Chapman as the result of a beaning on a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees on August 20. Chapman's replacement, rookie Joe Sewell filled in very ably, hitting .329 in 22 games, to start a major league career that would eventually lead him to the Hall of Fame.
The Indians had to overtake the defending AL champions Chicago White Sox and their four 20-game winners. The White Sox were racked by the Black Sox Scandal which came into full public knowledge in early September. They played poorly down the stretch as a result, allowing the Indians to clinch their first pennant.
The Indians went on to defeat the Brooklyn Robins in the World Series, to claim the first World Championship in team history.
[edit] Standings
| American League | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Indians | 98 | 56 | .636 | -- |
| Chicago White Sox | 96 | 58 | .623 | 2 |
| New York Yankees | 95 | 59 | .617 | 3 |
| St. Louis Browns | 76 | 77 | .497 | 21½ |
| Boston Red Sox | 72 | 81 | .471 | 25½ |
| Washington Senators | 68 | 84 | .447 | 29 |
| Detroit Tigers | 61 | 93 | .396 | 37 |
| Philadelphia Athletics | 48 | 106 | .312 | 50 |
[edit] World Series
| Game | Score | Date | Location | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indians - 3, Dodgers - 1 | October 5 | Ebbets Field | 23,759 |
| 2 | Indians - 0, Dodgers - 3 | October 6 | Ebbets Field | 22,559 |
| 3 | Indians - 1, Dodgers - 2 | October 7 | Ebbets Field | 25,088 |
| 4 | Dodgers - 1, Indians - 5 | October 9 | Dunn Field | 25,734 |
| 5 | Dodgers - 1, Indians - 8 | October 10 | Dunn Field | 26,884 |
| 6 | Dodgers - 0, Indians - 1 | October 11 | Dunn Field | 27,194 |
| 7 | Dodgers - 0, Indians - 3 | October 12 | Dunn Field | 27,525 |
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[edit] Further Reading
- Mike Sowell: The Pitch that Killed: The Story of Carl Mays, Ray Chapman and the Pennant Race of 1920, Ivan R. Dee Publisher, Chicago, IL, 2004.
