Tribe’s rich history dates back more than a century

It all started on April 24, 1901 — the day the American League came to life.

It was also the day the Cleveland Indians came to life.

A total of 107 years have passed since the Indians, then known as the Cleveland Blues, first took to the field.

They’ve been known as the Broncos (1902), the Naps (1903-1914) and the Indians (1915-present). They’ve had 41 managers, have enjoyed six trips to the World Series and have called three parks home — League Park, Cleveland Stadium and the current Progressive Field (renamed after the initial naming right was Jacobs Field).

They’ll head into the 2018 all-star break with an all-time regular-season record of 9,345-8,940 (.511).

They’ve had banner seasons, and seasons that were SUPPOSED to be banner but weren’t — everybody remembers the 1987 Sports Illustrated cover celebrating the Indians as the team to beat that year until they proved they weren’t with a 100-loss season.

They’ve been great. They’ve been bad.

They’ve been adored. They’ve been ridiculed.

They’re the Cleveland Indians.

Here’s a look at some of the best moments in franchise history.

Top 10 Players 1 >> Bob Feller

There is no Indian more revered than Rapid Robert, the legendary pitcher who played 18 seasons with the Indians, wrapped around a tour of duty in World War II.

Feller joined the Indians in 1936 and played 18 seasons. He is the Indians’ alltime leader in shutouts (46), innings pitched (3,827), wins (266) and strikeouts (2,581).

Feller, who has a shrine built in his honor in the Indians’ press box where he sat to take in games years after his retirement, appeared in eight All-Star Games and won 20 games six times. He also led the league in strikeouts seven times and threw a trio of no-hitters.

As proud as he was of his days with the Indians, he was more so proud of his service to his country. He joined the Navy and fought in World War II, putting his career on hold and likely in jeopardy.

“I needed to join the Navy,” he said. “If you ask the people in Europe who won World War II, they don’t say the Allies. They say the United States won the war and saved the world.”

Feller’s No. 19 is retired by the Indians.

2 >> Lou Boudreau

A Hall-of-Fame shortstop, Boudreau played 15 seasons in the majors, 13 of them with the Indians.

Boudreau’s No. 5 is retired by the Indians. He was with the Indians from 193852, serving as player-manager from 1942-50.

He led the Indians to their last world championship in 1948. He remains the winningest manager in Indians history and played in seven All-Star Games as a player.

Nicknamed “Old Shufflefoot,” Boudreau, who died in 2001, batted .295 for his career with 68 home runs and 789 RBI.

3 >> Mel Harder

A hard-throwing righthander, Harder’s 20-year career with the Indians (1928-1947) is longer than any other in franchise history.

Harder finished with a career record of 223-186, with a 3.80 ERA. He was a four-time All-Star and reached double figures in victories 14 times.

Nicknamed “Chief,” Harder ended up spending 36 seasons with the Indians. After he finished his playing career, he was the franchise’s pitching coach from 1948-1963.

After leaving the Indians, Harder coached with the Mets, Cubs, Reds and Royals.

His No. 18 is retired by the Indians.

Harder died in 2002 at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he was one of only five living players who played in the 1920s.

4 >> Larry Doby

A six-time All-Star, Doby’s significance goes well beyond his accomplishments as a player.

Doby, whose No. 14 is retired by the Indians, was the first black player in the history of the American League, entrenching himself in baseball lore as a pioneer in the sport.

In July 1947, three months after Jackie Robinson made history by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, Doby became the first black player in the American League.

Doby played 13 years in the big leagues, 10 of them with the Indians. He finished with 253 home runs and 970 RBI.

Later in his career, Doby

served as the second black manager in the majors with the White Sox. In 1995 he was appointed to a position in the AL’s executive office.

Doby was selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Doby died in 2003 at the age of 79.

5 >> Bob Lemon

Lemon spent his entire 13-year career with the Indians. He went 207-128 with a 3.23 ERA.

Lemon’s No. 21 has been retired by the Indians.

He was a seven-time AllStar and won 20 or more games seven times — he is only one of four American League pitchers to do so.

Like Feller, Lemon served in the United States Navy in World War II and missed three seasons. Upon returning, he led the Indians to the World Series in 1948 and 1954, going 23-7 in 1954 and earning his third award as the AL Pitcher of the Year.

After his playing days, Lemon compiled a 430-403 record as a manager with the Royals, White Sox and Yankees.

6 >> Earl Averill

Averill played 13 seasons in the major leagues, 11 of them with the Indians.

An outfielder, Averill’s career spanned from 19291941. He was a six-time AllStar and had a dazzling .318 career batting average.

Averill, whose No. 3 is retired by the Indians, ended his career as the all-time club leader in many categories, including runs (1,154), triples (121), home runs (226), extra-base hits (724), total bases (3,201) and walks (726).

Nicknamed “Rock,” he entered the baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.

7 >> Jim Thome

A major case can be made for Thome being higher on this list. His No. 25 isn’t retired by the Indians yet — but it surely will be sometime in the future.

Thome, a former 13thround draft pick, played 22 seasons in the major leagues with six different teams. But he shined the brightest as a Cleveland Indian.

Thome’s final numbers are 612 home runs, 1,747 walks, 1,583 runs scored and 1,699 RBI. He is one of only six players in history to have at least 1,700 walks and 1,699 RBI — the others being Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Barry Bonds.

Only seven other players in big league history — Bonds, Ruth, Williams, Manny Ramirez, Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas and Jimmie Foxx — have at least 500 home runs, a .400 onbase percentage and a .550 slugging average. Thome was named to five All-Star Games and finished in the Top 10 of his league’s Most Valuable Player balloting four times.

He is being inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame this summer.

8 >> Early Wynn

Wynn pitched for the Indians from 1949-1957, then returned for a one-year stint in 1963.

A standout on the great Indians teams in the 1950s, Wynn over a seven-year span won 18, 20, 23, 17, 23 17 and 20 games. He averaged 18 complete games per year.

He ended his career ranked fourth in Indians history in strikeouts, fifth in wins and seventh in shutouts, innings and games started.

In 1963, at the age of 43, Wynn picked up his 300th win of his career, making him the only pitcher on the Indians Top 10 list in career victories to have 300 wins.

9 >> Nap Lajoie

You’ve got to give some credit to a guy who had the team named after him — The Cleveland Naps — while he was still playing for them.

From 1903-1914, the team was called The Naps. He was a player-manager from 1905-1914. He won four batting titles and had a career batting average of .339.

He is a member of the baseball Hall of Hame.

10 >> Tris Speaker

He played for the Indians from 1916-1926, and ranks first or second on the Indians’ all-time list in runs, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, walks, extra-base hits, batting average and on-base percentage.

His career batting average with the Indians was .354. Over a four-year span from 1920-23, Speaker averaged 52 doubles while hitting .377.

He was the team’s playermanager from 1919-1926, and led them to the World Series title in 1920.

Memorable moments 1 >> Bob Feller’s Opening Day no-hitter

On April 16, 1940, Feller pitched what is still the only opening day no-hitter in league history. He struck out eight and walked five. It was the first of his three career no-nos.

2 >> Addie Joss’ perfect game

On Oct. 2, 1908, Joss pitched a 1-0 perfect game over the White Sox. Chicago hurler Ed Walsh pitched a four-hitter and struck out 15 — and lost.

3 >> Len Barker’s perfect game

Large Lenny did the trick on May 15, 1981, against Toronto. He struck out 11 of the final 17 batters he faced. The iconic final out was a fly ball to center hauled in by Rick Manning.

4 >> Kenny Lofton did what?

In Game 6 of the 1995 ALCS, Lofton scored from second base on a passed ball. That helped lead the Indians to a 4-0 win over the Mariners in the franchise’s first American League pennant in 41 years.

5 >> Johnny Burnett’s hit-a-thon

In an 18-17 win over Oakland on July 10, 1932, Johnny Burnett went 9-for11, which is still a club record for the most hits in a game. If there was fantasy baseball in that day, Burnett would have been a good guy to have in your lineup.

6 >> 22-game win streak

From Aug. 24 to Sept. 16, 2017, the Indians didn’t lose a game, winning 22 straight games. It’s the longest streak in AL history, topping the 20 straight wins posted by the A’s in 2002. The Indians outscored the opposition, 142-37, over the course of the streak. They scored in double-digits six times and the pitching staff tallied seven shutouts. They did not trail at the end of 191 of the 199 innings. Kansas City beat Cleveland, 4-2, on Sept. 16, 2017 to snap the streak.

7 >> Back-to-back-toback-to-back

On July 31, 1963, the Indians hit four straight home runs in a 9-5 win over the Angels. Woody Held, Pedro Ramos, Tito Francona (father of the current Indians manager) and Larry Brown all went deep against hardluck Angels pitcher Paul Foytack.

8 >> An improbable comeback

There was no such thing as a lead being insurmountable on Aug. 5, 2001. The Indians trailed Seattle, 12-0, in the fourth inning but came away with a 15-14 win

when Jolbert Cabrera drove in Kenny Lofton for the improbable comeback victory in the 11th inning.

9 » Ironman Levsen

Dutch Levsen showed his durability on Aug. 28, 1926, when he hurled two complete-game victories in the same day. He beat the Red Sox, 6-1, in the first game and 5-1 in the second. He didn’t strike out a batter in either game.

10 » Ten-cent beer fiasco

It wasn’t a proud moment for the franchise, but the fiasco on Ten-cent beer night on June 4, 1974, is one to remember. During the game, intoxicated fans helped fuel a ninth-inning riot that caused the game to be forfeited because the game could not be resumed in a timely manner. The Rangers were awarded the victory after various players, officials and fans were injured, nine fans were arrested and damage was done to the stadium.

Did you know?

The Indians have retired the No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, though Robinson never played for the Indians.

In 1947, Robinson integrated American sports by breaking baseball’s color barrier.

His number as been retired by all of Major League baseball, never to be worn again in the league aside from a special day yearly when every player in the league wears No. 42 to honor Robinson’s legacy.

World Series history

The Indians have played in six World Series in franchise history, going 2-4.

Here’s a look at each one.

1920 » Indians 5, Brooklyn Robins 2

After overcoming the White Sox in the regular season during the legendary Black Sox scandal, the Indians rode Tris Speaker’s .388 average and Jim Bagby’s 30 pitching victories to the World Series. Highlighting the series were Elmer Smith’s first World Series grand slam, Bagby’s home run — the first in a World Series by a pitcher — and Bill Wambsganss’ unassisted triple play — the only on in World Series history.

1948 » Indians 4, Boston Braves 2

After winning the title in 1920, it took the Indians 28 years to get back to the show. Lou Boudreau, Ken Keltner and Joe Gordon had career offensive seasons, and newcomers Larry Doby and Gene Bearden also came up big that year. The Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 1-0, in a one-game playoff, then beat the Braves in six for the championship. Boudreau won the AL MVP Award.

1954 » N.Y. Giants 4, Indians 0

Oh, what could have been. The Indians went 11143 (.721) and set an AL record for wins that stood for 44 years. But the Giants, ignited by Willie Mays’ overthe-shoulder catch off the bat of Vic Wertz in Game 1, swept the Indians. The .721 winning percentage that year is still an AL record, but the Indians couldn’t close the deal.

1995 » Braves 4, Indians 2

The Indians secured their first AL pennant since 1954, a year after going 10044 and having the season aborted because of playerowner negotiations. Orel Hershiser outdueled Greg Maddux in a 5-4 win in Game 5 to pull the Indians within a game at 3-2, but Tom Glavine’s Game 7 gem and David Justice’s home run gave Atlanta a 1-0 win and the World Series title.

1997 » Marlins 4, Indians 3

One more inning. One more out. That’s all the Indians needed.

With the series tied, 3-3, the Indians went to the ninth inning of Game 7 leading, 2-1. Closer Jose Mesa allowed the Marlins to tie the game. And in the 11th, Edgar Renteria’s single gave Miami the win.

Cleveland became the first team to lose the World Series carrying a lead into the ninth inning of a seventh game.

2016 » Cubs 4, Indians 3

This one stung. The Indians held a 3-1 lead following a victory in Game 4 at Wrigley Field, but the Cubs rallied to take the final three games.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE The Indians’ Lou Boudreau (left) and Larry Doby (right).

ASSOCIATED PRESS Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller threw three no-hitters during his career. His no-hitter on April 16, 1940 remains the only nohitter thrown on an Opening Day.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Bob Feller, left, ace pitcher and manager Lou Boudreau of the Indians take time out from their spring training chores at Clearwater, Florida on Feb. 24, 1946, to exchange stories.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Rajai Davis celebrates after his two-run home run against the Cubs during the eighth inning of Game 7 of the World Series Nov. 2, 2016, in Cleveland.