Cleveland Indians - The Second World War Years (1940-1949)

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1940

Decade

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Titles: World Champs (1948 beat the Braves)

Top Indians Players of the Forties

BallPark: League Park II (until 1947) / Municipal Stadium

Pitchers:

Bob Feller (38.65) - 100

Team Name: Indians

Al Smith (5.61) - 43

Jim Bagby Jr (5.02) - 38

Owner:

Bob Lemon (12.34) - 38

Alva Bradley (1940-1946)

Allie Reynolds (6.2) - 37

Bill Veeck (1946-1949)

Steve Gromek (10.42) - 31

Mel Harder (4.07) - 28

General Managers:

Happy Milnar (0.88) - 23

C.C. Slapnicka (1940-1941)

Gene Bearden (3.19) - 16

Roger Peckinpaugh (1941-1946)

Ed Klieman (5.39) - 13

Bill Veeck (1946-1949)

Joe Heving (5.14) - 10

Red Embree (5.09) - 10

Managers:

Mike Garcia (4.61) - 10

Ossie Vitt (1940)

Al Benton (4.98) - 7

Roger Peckinpaugh (1941)

Early Wynn (0.51) - 7

Lou Boudreau (1942-1949)

Satchell Paige (3.27) - 3

No Hitters:

Catchers:

Bob Feller (1940)

Jim Hegan (1.92) - 23

Bob Feller (1946)

Buddy Rosar (3.67) - 13

Don Black (1947)

Bob Lemon (1948)

First Basemen:

Les Fleming (9.51) - 20

Hall of Famers:

Mickey Rocco (5.56) - 17

Lou Boudreau

Hal Trosky (5.94) - 13

Bob Feller

Mickey Vernon (3.71) - 12

Bob Lemon

Early Wynn

Second Basemen:

Satchel Paige

Joe Gordon (17.62) - 26

Larry Doby

Ray Mack (5.92) - 10

Rookie of the Year:

ShortStop:

None

Lou Boudreau (59.86) - 114

MVP

Third Base:

Lou Boudreau (1948)

Ken Keltner (27.34) - 59

Notable Events:

Outfield:

Jeff Heath (18.31) - 47

1940 - Lefty Al Smith, 32, is picked up after being released by the lowly Phillies.

Larry Doby (8.07) - 24

Smith will go on to win sixty six games in the next six seasons for the Indians.

Dale Mitchell (7.71) - 24

Roy Weatherly (4.77) - 22

1940 - Indian players conduct a mutiny against manager Ossie Vitt in July.

Oris Hockett (3.32) - 22

The players involved were grizzled veterans who understood what they were

Pat Seerey (3.58) - 17

getting themselves into. However, they were battling for first place and didn't

Roy Cullenbine (8.92) - 16

want their manager to blow it. Because of the callibre of people involved in the

Hank Edwards (7.17) - 15

incident, one can only conclude that Vitt must have been behaving quite bizarrely.

Ben Chapman (2.54) - 9

Nevertheless, owner Alva Bradley had no choice but to turn down his players'

request. Even though it may have cost him the pennant, no way that Bradley

Notable Events:

could allow the players to set this type of precedent. He did not fire Vitt at that

time. Bradley did fire Vitt after the season ended (after the Indians had lost).

1947 - In the one that got away department, OF Gene Woodling, 23,

is dealt to the Pirates for aging catcher Al Lopez.

1941 - Jim Hegan, a twenty year old catcher is brought up to the majors. He will

While Cleveland got no value from Lopez as a player, they got a

end up as Cleveland's starting catcher for ten years, gaining a reputation as one

tremendous amount of value out of him as a manager after he took

of the best defensive backstops and one of the best handlers of pitchers in

over the reins in 1951. Meanwhile, Woodling would end up haunting

the game. Jim had been signed out of High School by the Indians in 1938.

the Indians as a vital cog in the Yankees lineup of the early Fifties.

The dealings the Indians had with the Yankees in this period had

1941 - The Indians end Joe DiMaggio's fifty six game hitting streak in July.

an impact on their rivalry of the late Forties and early Fifties with

Third baseman Ken Keltner makes a couple of great defensive plays to do it.

Cleveland getting the upper hand early with Gene Bearden and Joe

Gordon leading them to a title in '48 while the Yankees benefitted in

1942 - Twenty one year old first baseman Eddie Robinson is a rookie.

the early Fifties from the presence of Allie Reynolds and Gene

He'll be traded away to the Senators in 1949 for future Hall of Fame

Woodling (who came to New York via Pittsburgh).

righthander Early Wynn. The Indians also get a pretty good first baseman

in Mickey Vernon in the deal, as well. The transaction is quality for quality

1947 - Cleveland gains twelve games in the standings moving from

but Cleveland ends up getting a lot more quality than the Senators.

68 wins and sixth place to 80 wins and fourth place. Most of the

improvement is due to a better offense which is supplied by the

1942 - Allie Reynolds, twenty five yiear old righthander and something

newly acquired Joe Gordon and the emergence of Dale Mitchell.

of a late bloomer, is brought up from Wilkes-Barre. A solid member

Bob Lemon's move from the outfield into the starting rotation

of the Cleveland rotation, he is dealt to the Yankees for second baseman

boosts the pitching staff.

Joe Gordon in 1947. In a win-win kind of deal, Gordon is the missing link that

turns the Cleveland lineup into a formidable one while Reynolds will go

1947 - Hank Greenberg, a great baseball man, becomes Farm Director.

on to be a key member of the Yankees championship clubs of the early Fifties.

He buys into the club and becomes a minority owner in1949.

Also in 1949 Greenberg becomes co-GM with Veeck.

1946 - Bill Veeck purchases the Indians from Alva Bradley

1948 - The Indians gain another seventeen games in the standings.

1946 - Public outcry reverses Veeck's decision to deal Lou Boudreau to the Browns

For all of his showmanship, Veeck also is an outstanding baseball

man and it doesn't take long for him to leave his mark on the team.

1946 - Bob Lemon, 25 year old righthander, returns from the war and comes

The ninety seven wins propel Cleveland to the AL pennant.

to the Indians as an outfielder. It soon becomes apparent, however, that he's

It's virtually the same team that finished fourth the previous season,

a pretty good pitcher and switches to the mound where he has a Hall of Fame

but you can't help but feel that Veeck energized the squad.

career with Cleveland. Bob was signed by the Indians in 1938 out of High School

They were now playing all of their home games to big crowds in a

huge stadium and Veeck's attitude was contagious. Player

1946 - Twenty four year old outfielder Dale Mitchell joins the club after the

Manager Lou Boudreau leads the way wining the MVP in the process.

war and becomes a mainstay in the Cleveland lineup for the next ten years.

His numbers improve from 4-67-.307 to 18-106-.355.

Dale was signed out of the University of Oklahoma and played less than

Third baseman Ken Keltner improves from 11-76-.257 to 31-119-.297.

a year in the minors before being brought up to Cleveland

Joe Gordon improves a bit more modestly to 32-124-.280.

Dale Mitchell hits .336. Larry Doby is worked into the lineup

1947 - Bill Veeck stops using League Park in 1947. All games are now played

going 14-66-.301. Even light hitting Jim Hegan goes 14-61-.248.

at cavernous Municipal Stadium. It turns out to be a good thing as long as

Meanwhile the pitching improves a bit with both Bob Lemon

the Indians develop into an exciting winning team and fans fill the big ballpark.

and Gene Bearden winning twenty.

The power of positive thinking. Veeck also moves the outfield fences in and

out between each series depending on the percieved advantage to his club.

1948 - Cleveland beats the Red Sox in a one game playoff to win

This practice was outlawed after the season

the American League pennant. The Tribe goes on to beat the other

Boston club, the Braves, in the World Series.

1947 - Veeck plays Larry Doby in 1947. The American League's

first black player. Veeck also signs Satchell Paige the following season

1948 - Righthander Mike Garcia is a twenty four year old rookie. He'll

despite his age, rumored to be between 42 and 48.

break into the starting rotation in 1949. Mike was signed out of High

School in 1942 by the Indians

1947 - Righthander Gene Bearden is obtained from the Yankees in a deal

for twenty two year old catcher Sherm Lollar who had been signed by the.

1949 - Thirty Three year old slugging first baseman Luke Easter is

Indians three years earlier. Lollar, who would go on to be one of the top

brought up to Cleveland. He had been a Negro Leagues player

backstops in the American League, was expendable because Cleveland had

someone equally as good in Jim Hegan. Meanwhile, Bearden would have a

1949 - Twenty five year old second baseman Bobby Avila comes up as a

huge 1948 season leading the Indians to the World Series title before

rookie. He had been a Mexican League player

blowing out his arm.

1949 - Veeck sells the club, ending a brief and highly successful

1947 - Al Rosen is a twenty three year old rookie third baseman. He won't take

and entertaining era in Cleveland baseball. Veeck was forced to sell

over for incumbent Ken Keltner until 1950. He had originally been signed by

due to a divorce he was going thru. Hank Greenberg will stay on as

Cleveland in '42 out of high school.

Indians GM, but the Veeck-Greenberg partnership will resurface several

times in the future, altho' not with the Indians. Greenberg, a firm believer

in building the club thru a strong farm system, is the force behind the

tremendous Indians teams of the Fifties.