History of Post WWII Cleveland Indians

Veeck, who was often called the “Barnum of Baseball,” quickly became one of Cleveland’s most beloved figures.  He won over the hearts of his team’s fans with a philosophy that if America could win a world war, there was no reason why the Indians could not win a World Series.  More, he saw no reason why the fans should not have fun while the team at least attempted to win.  Almost immediately, he became notorious for his propensity to appease his fans.  He brought in circus acts and fireworks for postgame ceremonies, gave away used cars, and had bands that frequently played throughout the stadium aisles.  He made his star players frequently interact with those who attended. And, among other things, he generated trade rumors that created significant buzz amongst the media on almost a daily basis.  “We had something going almost every day,” said Veeck, “for in our three and a half years in Cleveland every day was Mardi Gras and ever fan was king.”  Here, Pluto explains where the philosophy of Veeck’s unique style of ownership may have emerged:

Veeck became an adult under FDR, and realized that the man was elected president four times partly because FDR understood the average citizen, even if he came from wealth himself.  He knew their fears.  He knew that much of what they wanted was a sense that someone in power was listening to them.  Even though many of FDR’s New Deal social programs didn’t work out, there was a sense that the man was trying.  He cared.  Veeck promised Cleveland a new deal for Indians fans.         

        

        Because of his superior ability to appeal to the average fan, Veeck’s impact was immediate.  Here, Veeck describes his impact in his own words: “When I took over the Indians with the season almost half over, the club had drawn only 289,000 people.  At the end of the season, in a city that had never reached a million attendance in its history, the figure was 1,052,289 for a team that finished in sixth-place, thirty-six games out of first place.”  In 1947, the Indians improved to a fourth place finish and drew an incredible 1.5 million fans.  But by 1948, Veeck realized that he had to give fans more- he had to produce a winning team.  So, he began a series of major acquisitions in attempt to improve his team.  He traded for second baseman Joe Gordon, made a gutsy trade to acquire the unaccomplished knuckleball pitcher Gene Bearden, and allowed his superstar and the team’s most popular player Lou Boudreau to remain player-manager despite doubting his managerial capabilities.  

        His most daring move was making Larry Doby, who signed in July of 1947, the first African American to play in the American League.  Similar to when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers only eleven weeks earlier, the signing of Larry Doby brought severely mixed reactions from people throughout the league and from across the country.  Still, as Terry Pluto explains, the signing of Larry Doby was “one of the best things Bill Veeck ever did.”  He became a seven-time All Star and the first black man named to the American League All-Star team.  He led the league in home runs twice and drove in 100 runs in five different seasons, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998.  And most importantly, he played a huge role in bringing Cleveland a World Series championship in 1948.  

        Prior to the 1948 season, the Indians had not won a pennant in twenty-eight years and had never captured a World Series title.  But in two years, Bill Veeck was able to bring to Cleveland what no other previous owner could.  For the people of Cleveland, 1948 was a dream year.  “It was like winning World War II all over again,” says Pluto.  The promotional genius of Veeck combined with his ability to make successful trades provided a winning formula that was rare for the Cleveland Indians.  Not surprisingly, the fans responded, and the Indians set a major league attendance record of 2,620,627 in 1948 that stood until the Los Angeles Dodgers attracted 2,755,184 fans in 1962. 

        Coming off a championship season, the Indians were expected to perform equally well in 1949.  During their championship season, the Tribe led the A.L. in Batting Average (BA), Earned Run Average (ERA), and Fielding Percentage.  Player-manager Boudreau won A.L.’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, Gene Bearden and Bob Lemon were twenty game winners, and Bob Feller added a similarly impressive 19 wins.  Understandably, Veeck considered his 1949 team to be “a better ball club [that] should have an easier time [than in 1948].”  Many even expected the beginning of a dynasty.  However, as their third place finish in the American League would show, the 1949 Indians were considered a massive failure.  In fact, what followed was a series of unsuccessful seasons.  

The Indian’s failure in 1949 resulted in Veeck’s decision to sell control of the Indians to a group headed by Cleveland insurance executive Ellis W. Ryan.  Beginning in 1950, Ryan hired Hank Greenberg as Vice President and General Manager and wasted no time in making over the Indians roster.  Player-manager Boudreau was released from the team after they had dropped into fourth place behind New York, Detroit, and Boston, and Al Lopez was hired to take over as the team’s manager of.  By the time the Indians opened their season in 1951, only eight players remained from those who had made significant contributions to the success of the world championship team in 1948.

While considered a massive failure, the seasons that directly followed the Indians World Series victory were actually relatively successful, at least when compared to the subpar standard that Cleveland baseball had set over the course of its previous years; from 1950 to 1953, the Indians won ninety games in all four seasons.  But the team never seemed to be able to pass the New York Yankees, who appeared in all but one World Series from 1949-1958.  Terry Pluto describes the “utter shock” felt by Cleveland fans when the Indians finally were able to beat the Yankees and win the American League pennant in 1954, their first pennant since the 1948 season:  

In 1954, Tribe fans never thought it would come.  That’s because the Yankees always seemed to catch the Indians.  It didn’t matter that Cleveland had the best pitching staff in the early 1950s with Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, Mike Garcia, Bob Feller, and the underrated Art Houtteman.  It didn’t matter that they had Al Rosen, who was the MVP in 1953.  Or that they had Bobby Avila, an amazing second baseman and a .300 hitter.  Or that they had Hall of Famer Larry Doby, a power-hitting centerfielder, or Jim Hegan, considered the best defensive catcher in baseball.  Or that they were managed by Al Lopez, who is in the Hall of Fame both for his work as a catcher and a skipper.  No matter how much talent the Indians had, the Yankees had more.  It didn’t matter that the 1950 Indians were 92-62… or the 1951 Indians were 93-61… or the 1952 Indians were 93-61 (again)… or the 1953 Indians were 92-62 (again).  The Yankees always won more games.  The Yankees were always a little bit better, and seemed destined to stay that way, now and forever, amen.  Then came 1954.  Glorious 1954.  The year of the 111 victories.  The year the Indians finally finished ahead of New York.

        But despite beating the powerhouse New York Yankees to claim the A.L. pennant, the Indians got swept in the 1954 World Series.  Reigning A.L. MVP Al Rosen offered his insight on what happened that series:  “It was a letdown, pure and simple,” he said.  “All year, people kept waiting for us to fold and the Yankees to catch us.  We always were the bridesmaids, and were sick of it.  When we finally beat them, it was like winning the World Series.”  Even Cleveland fans acted like they had actually won the series-- there was a parade through the streets of downtown Cleveland with over 250,000 who that watched the players drive through the streets in convertibles.  But the celebration proved too soon, as the Indians were swept and the New York Giants claimed the title as World Series champions.

        The Indians have returned to the World Series only twice since 1954, but lost both in 1995 and 1997.  Overall, there has never been a more successful period in Cleveland Indians history than in the decade that followed World War II.  Beginning with Bill Veeck’s purchase of the team in 1946, the Indians achieved things over the next ten years that it had never before accomplished.  Fan attendance rose to record highs and with their World Series victory in 1948, the team was able to capture the only world championship in franchise history.  Larry Doby broke the A.L. color barrier and guys like Lou Boudreau and Al Rosen won MVP awards and firmly established themselves as local legends.  And, because of the factors that led to the team’s success, the post-World War II Cleveland Indians have provided an era of baseball that is fascinating to explore.

 

         

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