Cleveland Spiders

Win-Loss Record: 738-764-29-1 (.491)

Post Season Record: 4-10-1 (.286)

Pre-World Series: (1892)

Temple Cup Appearances: 2 (1895, 1896)

Temple Cup: 1 (1895)

Franchise Players: Cy Young

Ballparks: National League Park II (May 4, 1887-October 4, 1890), Beylerle's Park (July 22, July 29, August 26 and September 2, 1888), Indianapolis Park (July 28-August 2, 1890) (1,534), League Park I (May 1, 1891-September 24, 1899), Euclid Beak Park, Collingwood, OH (June 12 & 19, 1898), Culver Grounds, Rochester, NY (August 27 & August 29, 1898), Ontario Beach Grounds, Charlotte, NY (August 28, 1898)

Team History

The Cleveland Spiders were both an expansion franchise in the American Association, and in the National League. Originally known as the Cleveland Forest Citys, the team spent two years (1887-88) in the American Association before jumping to the National League for the 1889 season. That year, owner Frank Robison noticing as to how spidery his players were decided to rename the team the Spiders. The team produced decent seasons during the 1890s even competing in three pre-World Series championships, including two appearances in the Temple Cup. Following the 1898 season, the Robison Brothers purchased the St. Louis Cardinals and moved many of the Spiders' best players to the team. As a result, the Spiders went 20-134 (.130), the worst single-season record in professional baseball. In addition, the team went 11-101 (.098) on the road, and 9-33 (.214) at home. Due to fact that Major League Baseball now plays 81 road games it is unthinkable that a team could produce as bad of a road record as the Spiders. The team had a two-game winning streak, which occurred from May 20-21, and had a losing streak of 21 games. Following the season, the Spiders along the Washington Senators, Louisville and Baltimore Orioles were dropped from the National League. However, their spot was taken by the Cleveland Blues in the American League.

Sources and Further Reading

• Peter Filichia: Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebrations of All 273 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present, Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1993.
• David L. Fleitz: Rowdy Patsy Tebeau and the Cleveland Spiders: Fighting to the Bottom of Baseball, 1887–1899, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2017. ISBN 978-0-7864-9947-2
• Russell Schneider: The Cleveland Indians Encyclopedia, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1996.