1920 Cleveland Indians

1920 Cleveland Indians / Franchise: Cleveland Guardians / BR Team Page

Record: 98-56, Finished 1st in American League (1920 AL)

Clinched Pennant: October 2, 1920, At Detroit Tigers

World Series Champs

Managed by Tris Speaker

Coach: Jack McCallister

Ballpark: Dunn Field

History, Comments, Contributions

The 1920 Indians' pennant is due primarily to a .303 team batting average (the St. Louis Browns led the league at .308) and the pitching of Jim Bagby, 31-12, Stan Coveleski, 24-14, and Ray Caldwell, 20-10. A big boost came from Duster Mails, brought up from the Pacific Coast League at the end of August, who won seven without a loss on a 1.85 ERA. But, more importantly, the Indians were able to overcome one of baseball's worst tragedies, the death of starting shortstop Ray Chapman as the result of a beaning on a pitch thrown by Carl Mays of the New York Yankees on August 20. Chapman's replacement, rookie Joe Sewell filled in very ably, hitting .329 in 22 games, to start a major league career that would eventually lead him to the Hall of Fame.

The Indians had to overtake the defending AL champions Chicago White Sox and their four 20-game winners. The White Sox were racked by the Black Sox Scandal which came into full public knowledge in early September. They played poorly down the stretch as a result, allowing the Indians to clinch their first pennant.

The Indians went on to defeat the Brooklyn Robins in the World Series, to claim the first World Championship in team history.

Standings

American League	W	L	Pct.	GB
Cleveland Indians	98	56	.636	--
Chicago White Sox	96	58	.623	2
New York Yankees	95	59	.617	3
St. Louis Browns	76	77	.497	21½
Boston Red Sox	72	81	.471	25½
Washington Senators	68	84	.447	29
Detroit Tigers	61	93	.396	37
Philadelphia Athletics	48	106	.312	50

World Series

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance
1	Indians - 3, Dodgers - 1	October 5	Ebbets Field	23,759
2	Indians - 0, Dodgers - 3	October 6	Ebbets Field	22,559
3	Indians - 1, Dodgers - 2	October 7	Ebbets Field	25,088
4	Dodgers - 1, Indians - 5	October 9	Dunn Field	25,734
5	Dodgers - 1, Indians - 8	October 10	Dunn Field	26,884
6	Dodgers - 0, Indians - 1	October 11	Dunn Field	27,194
7	Dodgers - 0, Indians - 3	October 12	Dunn Field	27,525

Further Reading

• Scott Longert: The Best They Could Be: How the Cleveland Indians became the Kings of Baseball, 1916-1920, Potomac Books, Dulles, VA, 2013. ISBN 978-1612344935
• Mike Sowell: The Pitch that Killed: The Story of Carl Mays, Ray Chapman and the Pennant Race of 1920, Ivan R. Dee Publisher, Chicago, IL, 2004. (Originally published in 1989).
• Rick Swaine: Do It for Chappie: The Ray Chapman Tragedy, Tucker Bay Publishing, Crawfordville, FL, 2019. ISBN 9781733673556
• Joseph Wancho: "October 2, 1920: Jim Bagby wins his 31st game as Cleveland clinches its first pennant" SABR
• Gary Webster: Tris Speaker and the 1920 Indians: Tragedy to Glory, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2012. ISBN 978-0-7864-6796-9