History of the Cleveland Indians

Professional baseball has been in Cleveland since 1889, when they were part of the National Association(predecessor of the National League). Cleveland's first professional team were the Spiders. They became legitimate contenders with the emergence of Cy Young from their farm squad. Though Cy Young would eventually win over 500 games, he was never able to bring the Spiders a much needed pennant. Frank Robinson, then the owner of the Spiders, also purchased the Cardinals. With his purchase of the Cardinals, he sent all his stars from the Spiders to the Cardinals. The rest of the team suffered greatly, going 20-134 in 1898 they were the worst team in history. This record still stands today. After that season, the Spiders were among 4 teams to leave the National Association. Cleveland did not have another professional ball club until 1901.

In 1901, Cleveland joined the American League. This time they were the Blues and did not fare any better than their predecessor. The following year they changed their name to the Broncho's. With the name change came success. From 1902-04, the Broncho's never had a losing season. In 1905, once again, they changed their name to the Nap's, in honor of Nap Lajoie. They remained the Naps until 1914.

In 1915, the Indians were born. Their name came in honor of former Spider player, Louis Sockalexis. Louis Sockalexis was a Penobscot Indian, who played for them in 1897. Their first season saw them finish at 57-97, ending in seventh place. In 1920, the Indians would finally receive their much needed pennant. However, this pennant came with a cost. On August 16, their shortstop, Ray Chapman is struck in the head by a pitch. He walked to first base, collapsed, and died at the hospital. This is the only time a player ever died from baseball related injuries in the major leagues. Joe Sewell was called up to replace the fallen shortstop and ended up becoming a hall of famer. He even stated he was playing with spirit of Ray Chapman in him. They not only won the pennant, but ended up defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers for the World Championship.