Cleveland Indians - The World War I Years (1910-1919)

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1910

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1917

Decade

102

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Titles: None

Top Indians Players of the Teens

BallPark: League Park II

Pitchers:

Stan Coveleski (26.75) - 57

Team Name: Naps (1910-1914)

Jim Bagby (20.31) - 51

Indians (1915-1919)

Vean Gregg (22.57) - 47

Willie Mitchell (13.2) - 42

Owner:

Guy Morton (14.41) - 39

Charles W. Somers (1910-1916)

Cy Falkenberg (9.68) - 31

Jim Dunn (1916-1919)

Fred Blanding (8.13) - 27

Fritz Coumbe (6.67) - 13

General Managers:

George Kahler (5.34)- 13

Ernest S. Barnard

Bob Roy (1916-1917)

Catchers:

Steve O'Neill (11.41) - 39

Managers:

Ted Easterly (4.82) - 16

Deacon McGuire (1910-1911)

George Stovall (1911)

First Basemen:

Harry Davis (1912)

Doc Johnston (1.53) - 13

Joe Birmingham (1912-1915)

Joe Harris (6.33) - 12

Lee Fohl (1915-1919)

George Stovall (1.8) - 11

Tris Speaker (1919)

Second Basemen:

No Hitters:

Nap Lajoie (23.12) - 52

Addie Joss (1910)

Bill Wambsganss (2.91) - 22

Roy Caldwell (1919)

ShortStop:

Hall of Famers:

Ray Chapman (25.27) - 74

Cy Young

Addie Joss

Third Base:

Stan Coveleski

Terry Turner (16.97) - 33

Nap Lajoie

Ivy Oison (1.09) - 11

Elmer Flick

Tris Speaker

Outfield:

Shoeless Joe Jackson (Pending)

Tris Speaker (27) - 71

Shoeless Joe Jackson (34.95) - 64

MVP:

Jack Graney (14.02) - 55

None

Braggo Roth (10.48) - 34

Joe Birmingham (1.11) - 18

Notable Events:

Elmer Smith (4.21) - 12

Smokey Joe Wood (2.12) - 8

1910 - Opening up the decade, the Naps are a decent ballclub just one year

removed from coming within a half game of winning the pennant. However,

Notable Events:

their best players are over thirty and their young players are just good enough

to hold the fort. Cleveland will hover around the .500 mark for the first four

1914 - Second Baseman, Bill Wambsganss, 20, joins the Naps from.

seasons of the Teens before the bottom drops out.

Cedar Rapids.

1910 - Jack Graney, a twenty four year old outfielder joins the Naps. He'll

1914 - Guy Morton, a twenty one year old righthander, is obtained

be a starter in Cleveland's outfield for the remainder of the decade

from Waterbury. Altho' never having a big season, he becomes

another solid innings eater on the staff.

1910 - The Batting race comes down to the final at bat with Ty Cobb nosing

out Nap Lajoie by .00007. The Chalmers Automobile Co. had promised

1914 - The Naps lose thirty five games in the standings and end up

a new car to the batting champ. Cobb, with a large lead with two games

finishing last losing 102 games. The pitching completely collapsed.

left skipped those two games claiming an eye ailment. Meanwhile, Browns

Twenty three game winner in '13 Cy Falkenberg bolted for the Federal

manager Jack O'Connor, who hated Cobb, as did just about everybody else,

League. Star lefty Vean Greg, who had won twenty in '13, was signed

ordered his players to let Lajoie get hits. In the final day of the season double

to a big contract, hurt his arm and was dealt to Boston mid season.

header, Lajoie went eight for nine (the ninth an error) and Cobb won the title

Twenty five year old righty Fred Blanding, who had won fifteen in '13

by virtue of the error ruling. Chalmers ended up giving a car to both players

hurt his arm and was finished. Twenty four year old lefty Willie

to turn this into a feel good story. The irony of the story is that many years

Mitchell's ERA went from under two to over three.

later, a review showed that Cobb had been awarded one more hit than he

should have earlier in the season and that Lajoie was the true batting champion.

1914 - Nap Lajoie becomes the first player to get 3000 hits

1910 - Cy Young wins his 500th game.

1915 - Lajoie leaves the club for the A's. The team can no

longer be called the Naps. A contest is held and the fans pick the

1910 - Twenty one year old outfielder Shoeless Joe Jackson joins the club

nickname Indians. A widely held belief is that the name Indians

at the tail end of the season. Jackson had been obtained from the A's in a

came in honor of Chief Sockalexis who played in Cleveland

trade for Bris Lord - one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history.

twenty years earlier, but it was merely a naming contest that did it.

Jackson, along with Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, stood head and shoulders

above every other hitter in baseball in the Teens.

1915 - The great Shoeless Joe Jackson is sold to the White Sox

This was a salary dump as Owner Charles Sommers was

1910 - Willie Mitchell, a twenty year old lefthander, joins the Naps rotation.

hemorraging money.

Altho' he he never has a big year, he turns out to be a solid innings eater

for a number of seasons.

1916 - Charles Somers, without whom the American League would

Mitchell had been signed out of Mississippi State University

never have gotten off the ground (he bankrolled three of the

eight teams originally), sees his coal and real estate holdings

1911 - Addie Joss tragically contracts spinal meningitis in early April and dies.

go belly up during the economic recession. League President

Joss was universally well liked, as well as being a great pitcher, and an

Ban Johnson tries to get other owners to kick in to bail Somers

all-star game was played for his family's benefit that season.

out, but they turn their backs on Somers, who ends up being

forced to sell the team to James Dunn. Somers ends up owning the

1911 - Vean Gregg, a twenty six year old lefthander joins the Naps as a

Indians top minor league affiliate, the New Orleans Pelicans, until

rookie. He will go 72-26 for Cleveland as one of the top pitchers in the game.

his death in 1932.

Gregg, came late to the Big Leagues. He felt he could earn more as a semi-pro

playing pick up games and working a day job as a plasterer than he could

1916 - Dunn replaces Jackson by buying Tris Speaker, who was

playing pro ball. Vean finally joined organized ball in 1910 with Portland,

holding out for more bucks from the Red Sox. Cleveland also

won 32 games, and was brought up to the big leagues the next year.

threw in a pretty good young pitcher to sweeten the deal,

Sad Sam Jones.

1911 - Twenty five year old shortstop Ivy Olson joins the club. Olson ends

up having a terrific career with Brooklyn in the Twenties.

1916 -Jim Bagby and Stan Coveleski, a pair of twenty six year

Cleveland let him go in 1914 because they had a better young shortstop

old righthanders, are picked up off the scrap heap and join

in Ray Chapman. Olson was obtained from Portland.

Cleveland. Bagby had been released by the Reds,

Coveleski by the A's, a few years earlier. Both become aces.

1911 - Nineteen year old catcher Steve O'Neill joins the club. He'll have

a thirteen year career with Cleveland, mostly as their starting catcher.

1917 - With the newly acquired Bagby, Coveleski and Speaker

Steve was purchased from the A's

leading the way, Cleveland emerges as a contender and will be near

the top for the remainder of the decade. They finish third in '17.

1914 - Sad Sam Jones, a twenty one year old righty, comes up to the

Naps from Portsmouth

1918 - Cleveland closes out the decade finishing second the final

two seasons and are clearly on the upswing.