The
Uniforms of the Cleveland Indians!
Titled “Eat,
Sleep, Indians,” and licensed by Major League Baseball,
we present the uniforms history of the Cleveland Indians.
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Framed with our classy multi-grooved black frame and matted in
black with a white accent mat, this is one striking artpiece. Measuring 12 ˝ inches by 22 ˝ inches with
glass covering, it comes fully assembled and ready to hang or lean. The cost is a welcoming $49 each and there is a one-time $6 discount shipping cost regardless of how many items
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Framed Version 2
Framed with a gold metal frame, this is our “thrills but no frills” version.
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Framed Version 3
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Here then is the history of the Indians’ Uniforms …
#1A.
1906 Cleveland joined the National League in 1889 and were originally
known as the Cleveland Spiders. They were a part of the National League until
1899, after which the NL downsized from 12 to 8 teams with Cleveland (and their
20-134 record in 1899) being one of the casualties.
But the team was reborn in 1901
when they joined the brand new American League, and they are one of only four
AL teams to have stayed in the same city from day one (the other “Charter
Members” being the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox). To go along with their change of leagues,
they changed their uniform from white to blue, and appropriately changed their
team name to the Cleveland Blues.
There seems to be some dispute as
to their nickname from 1902 to 1907 or so, with some claiming they were known
as the Broncos in 1902, then the Naps from 1903 to 1915. Team nicknames in this
era were somewhat loose and somewhat unofficial, with different newspapers
calling the same team by different nicknames.
We’re fairly certain that by 1906
or 1907 they were generally known as the Napoleons or Naps. This was in honor
of their second baseman and manager Napoleon Lajoie (Lajoie, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, played for the
Indians from midway through the 1902 season to 1914, and interestingly managed
the team from 1905 – 1909).
The 1906 Naps finished the season
in 3rd place, with a record of 89-64, their best record to date -
isn’t it remarkable to think that as early as 1906 teams played in excess of
150 games per season?
Notice the blue collar on the 1906
home uniform, standard issue on all uniforms of the early 1900’s. This collar
was blue when turned down, as we have shown it, but when the collar stood up,
it was white. Note also that even though the jersey has four buttons down the
front, this is still a “pullover” style jersey that had to be pulled over the
head – once again, this was common in jerseys throughout baseball at this time.
We believe the first major league team to wear a completely buttoned front
jersey (ie one that didn’t have to be pulled over the
head) was the 1909 Phillies, followed by the 1911 Cubs. The pullover style
jersey finally disappeared after the 1939 season (we believe the A’s were the
last team to wear it), but of course pullovers resurfaced in a big way with the
double knit era of the 70’s and 80’s.
#1B.
1909 The Cleveland Naps road uniform has a classic look for the era.
Notice especially the thin blue pinstripe - a good three years before the
Yankees wore pinstripes. As best we can tell, the first instance of pinstriped
uniforms was in 1907. That year the Boston Braves’ road uniform were made from
a gray flannel with a fine green pinstripe. Later that same year the Cubs had a
new gray uniform with fine pin striping made for the World Series - they wore
it for the World Series opener in Chicago and were later reprimanded by the
league for not wearing a white uniform at home. The Yankees, most often associated
with pinstripe uniforms, first wore a pinstriped uniform for one year at home
in 1912 (the New York Times wrote about their 1912 home opener “The Yankees
presented a natty appearance in their new uniforms of white with black pin
stripes”), then every year from 1915 to the present.
The Indians finished the 1909
season in 6th place with a 71-82 record, and player-manager Nap Lajoie handed over the managerial reigns to Deacon McGuire
2/3rds of the way through the season.
Baseball is rightfully proud of
its past, and it’s remarkable how some statistics remain relatively constant
over baseball’s history. But there are some things that highlight the
difference in eras – for instance, from 1901 – 1909, the league leading # of
home runs in the American League were 14, 16, 13, 10, 8, 12, 8, 7, 9 – this was
indeed the “dead ball era”.
1909 was the last year for
Cleveland’s old wooden facility known as “League Park”. It was replaced in 1910
by a brand new concrete and steel ballpark also called League Park. The new
League Park, located at East 66th and Lexington, played home to the Indians for
the next 36 years.
#1C.
1916 In 1915 the Naps were no more, and Cleveland would henceforth be
known as the Cleveland Indians. Why the name change? After being known for over
a decade as the Napoleons or Naps in honor of their second baseman and manager
Napoleon Lajoie, Lajoie was
released by Cleveland and claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Athletics
prior to the 1915 season.
And why the “Indians”? Prior to
joining the American League in 1901, Cleveland was sometimes called the
“Indians” in honor of their star player Louis “Chief” Sockalexis.
Sockalexis was a native American who joined Cleveland
in 1897 and played only 94 games over a 3 year span,
hitting .313. Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward referred to Sockalexis as "a marvel". He must have made quite
an impression for the team to adopt Indians as their nickname, if indeed that’s
how the name came about. The 1916 uniform features a very unusual design
element: uniform numbers on the sleeve. This is the first time in major league
history that numbers were sewn on the sleeve, and it was a one
year experiment. Amazingly, it wasn’t until the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers
that uniform numbers made their first appearance on the front of a uniform.
And for those of you counting at
home, the 1916 Indians finished at exactly .500 with 77 wins and 77 losses, far
better than their 57-95 effort a year earlier, and not nearly as good as their
88-66 record would be in 1917.
#2.
1921 After coming off a World Series Championship the year before, the
Indians took a page out of the 1906 Giants uniforms, by displaying the words,
“Worlds Champions” on both their home (pictured here) and road jerseys.
The 1920 World Series was
Cleveland’s first trip to the fall classic since it began in 1903, and
player-manager Tris Speaker’s 98-56 Indians squared
off against Wilbert Robinson’s Brooklyn squad, then known as the Robins. After
falling behind 2 games to one, the Indians reel off 4 straight victories and
take the best-of-nine series 5 games to 2. The batting heroes for the Indians
were Indian great and hall-of-famer Tris Speaker, Sam O’Neill and Charlie Jamieson, while Stan Coveleski won 3 games and Duster Mails 1 (with a total of
15 2/3rds scoreless innings). This was to be the Indians’ only World
Series appearance until their record setting 1948 season.
The 1920 World Series saw several
“firsts”, all of which took place in game 5: Elmer Smith belts the first ever
World Series Grand Slam in the first inning. Then in the 4th Jim Bagby becomes the first pitcher ever to hit a home run in
the Series. And in the 5th, the improbable happens - Bill Wambsganss turns an unassisted triple-play, a feat that may
never be duplicated.
The 1921 “Worlds Champions” jersey
is still the pullover style jersey with four buttons down the front. It also
has a blue “cadet” collar, a small upright collar worn by many teams from about
1910 to the mid-late 20’s.
The 1921 Indians were no slouches
either – they finished with a 94-60 record, 4.5 games behind the AL leading
Yankees.
#3.
This Indians home jersey is now a
full button down style jersey with blue piping around the collar and down the
buttoned front. Of particular interest is the Indian head logo on the left
breast - this is the first time the Indians have used an Indian head logo on a
uniform. We had a devil of a time trying to find an original source photo for
this patch. I
By 1928, hall-of-famer
Tris Speaker has left the Indians after 11 glorious
years (the last 8 of which he player-managed) during which he batted below .300
only once (.296 in 1919), and the Indians are playing their games at League
Park at East 66th and Lexington where they’ll play for another 18 years. 1928
was an off year for the Tribe as they fell to a dismal 62-92 mark.
#4.
1935 We absolutely love this home jersey, especially because of its
innovative use of a wide red band around the collar and down the buttoned
front. The Indians wore this style of home jersey from 1933-1935, and they were
the first team to use this style. Note also how the Indian head logo is now on
the left sleeve (where it first appeared in 1929) and has been re-designed
since it’s 1928 debut.
The 1935 Indians were coached by
Washington’s pitching legend Walter Johnson, who guided the team to a 3rd
place 85-69 finish the season before. But after going 46-48 in the 1935 season,
Johnson is relieved of his duties part way through the season. The Indians
rebound a bit in the second half, and finish with an 82-71 mark.
It’s interesting to note that
between 1932 and 1946 the Indians played their games at two facilities. They
typically played their weekday games at League Park, their home since 1910.
Then on the weekends, they played at the massive new Municipal Stadium.
Municipal Stadium, which opened in 1932 and seated over 80,000 fans. Later
renamed Cleveland Stadium, it would become the Indians’ full time home from
1947 to 1993.
#5A & B.
1948 What a year, what a uniform, what a lot of stories!
First, the season: Under the
guidance of player-manager Lou Boudreau, the Indians finished the regular
season tied with Boston with identical 96-58 records, just two games ahead of 3rd
the place Yankees. Thus Cleveland and the Red Sox played a one game playoff in
Boston. Cleveland, behind rookie pitcher Gene Bearden’s knuckleballs, beat the
Red Sox 8-3 and advanced to the World Series. For more about this game, please
visit http://indians.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/history/cle_history_feature.jsp?story=2
.
Second, the World Series: This was
only the Indians’ second appearance in the World Series, their previous visit
being a win in 1920. This time they faced the 91-62 Boston Braves. The good
thing was the Indians simply stayed in Boston after their one game playoff
against the Red Sox. Lead by two wins by Bob Lemon, 10 2/3rds
innings of scoreless pitching by Gene Bearens, and
great hitting by Larry Doby, Lou Boudreau and Eddie
Robinson, the Indians won the Series 4 games to 2 over Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain’s Braves.
And stories? Ask anyone from
Cleveland born before 1940 about the 1948 season – you’ll get an earful…I
recall driving on Interstate 90 in Ohio in 1992 and hearing a replay of one of
the Indians games from the 1948 season – how’s that for reliving the past?
As for the uniform, look at the
new Indian head logo on the sleeve of both the home and road jerseys – this was
actually introduced in 1947 and was designed by 17 year old
high school student Walter Goldbach.
Note also the “swoosh” underlining
the word “Indians” on the home jersey. This style was introduced to baseball by
the 1932 Cubs, and has been worn by many teams since then. The Indians would
wear a “swoosh” on their home jerseys from 1946 to 1949, then it would be
re-introduced in the 1990’s.
#6.
1954 This home jersey is a simple design. There is no piping and the
text on the front of the jersey has been simplified – the result is a
wonderfully beautiful jersey. Note also the Indian head logo on the left
sleeve. This is “Chief Wahoo”, another in a series of Indian head logos. But
Chief Wahoo is different – he was introduced in 1951, and 50 years later a very
close facsimile is still gracing the Indians’ uniforms.
1954 saw Cleveland host the All
Star game, with the American League defeating the National League 11-9. More
importantly, the Indians set a club record with an amazing 111 wins in the
regular season against only 43 losses for a tremendous .721 winning percentage.
The reason? Pitching! Early Wynn goes 23 -11, Bob Lemmon goes 23 – 7, Mike
Garcia goes 19 and 8, Art Houtteman goes 15 –7 and
Bob Feller, then a 16 year veteran (not including the 3 ˝ years he took off for
WWII), went 13-3. The bad news? The heavily favored Indians fall in 4 straight
games to Alvin Dark, Don Mueller and Willie Mays of the New York Giants.
#7.
1969 Short sleeves become shorter on this home jersey, and buttons are
replaced with a long zipper. During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s many teams used
zippered jerseys instead of the more traditional button front jerseys, while a
handful of teams wore them well into the 70’s and even the 80’s. The Reds,
Yankees and A’s were the only three pre-1977 major league teams that never wore
zippers. The 1937 Cubs were the first team to wear a zippered jersey, and as
far we can tell the 1988 Phillies were the last to wear one.
The patch on the front of the vest
– a patch worn by all teams in 1969 - commemorates the 100th
anniversary of professional baseball (the barnstorming Cincinnati Red Stockings
were the first openly pro team in baseball history, going 65 and 0 in their
first season).
Note also the numbers on the front
of the jersey. Numbers first appeared on Indians uniforms in 1963. Uniform
numbers first made their appearance on the front of a uniform in 1952 - the
Brooklyn Dodgers were the first team to adopt them. The Braves followed suit in
1953, and the Reds joined in beginning in 1956. As noted earlier, the 1916 Indians actually
wore a uniform number on their sleeve, but it wasn’t until the ’52 Dodgers that
the number made it to the front.
As for the Indians’ ’69 season, it
was more miss than hit as the Tribe finished 46.5 games behind the Orioles with
a 62-99 record.
#8A.
1970 In an attempt to recapture an earlier era, the Indians adopt the
pinstripes once again, as shown on this home jersey. Thankfully, the zipper is
now gone and Chief Wahoo is still smiling on the left sleeve. As noted earlier,
Chief Wahoo was introduced in 1951, and 50 years later he’s still gracing the
Indians’ uniforms.
And it must have made a bit of
difference as the Indians rebounded from an off year in 1969 to a more
respectable 76-86 record in 1970.
#8B.
1975 The jersey is totally redesigned, but not many would say for the
better. This road jersey is of a
double-knit style that most major league teams succumbed to during the 70’s and
early 80’s. It was a pullover style, made of stretchy, synthetic polyester. The
pants were called “Sans-a-Belt”’s because the
elasticized waistline eliminated the need for a belt.
The jersey script resembles an
early Greek style of typography. It was dropped after 3 years of use. Thank
heavens.
April 8, 1975 is a great day for
baseball. Frank Robinson becomes the first African-American manager in MLB
history – a player-manager to boot - and he does things in grand style, hitting
a home run in his first at bat.
And the Indians just miss the .500
mark with a 79-80 record, a harbinger of things to come in 1976 when they would
finish above .500 for only one of three times (the others being 1979 and 1981)
between 1969 and 1986.
#8C.
1981 Polyester has almost ridden its course, as this third blue jersey
shows. Because of a players’ strike, the season is much shorter than usual, but
memorable nonetheless for the Indians who finished with a 52-51 mark. On May 15th
Lenny Barker retires 27 consecutive Toronto Blue Jay batters, for a perfect
game and 3-0 win at Cleveland Stadium. Barker’s perfect game is one of only two
“No-No’s” in Indians’ history, the other being pitched by Adie Joss on October
2, 1908. Barker would go on to finish the 1981 season with an 8-7 record and a
3.92 ERA.
#9.
1989 The Indians do themselves and fans a favor and return to a clean,
classic jersey design, as shown in this handsome road uniform. Uniform numbers
returned to the front of the jersey in 1986, the first time since 1969.
The Indians finish 73-89, 6th
in the AL East, but good times are just around the corner…
#10.
1995 Welcome to the success known as the Indians of the 90’s!!! Not only
has the team become a perennial powerhouse, but they’re looking pretty good
doing it!
The “Indians” script on this 1995
home jersey is similar to their 1954 jersey. The patch on the right sleeve
commemorates their new ballpark, Jacobs Field, which opened a season earlier on
April 4, 1994.
Now the real news: A 41 year drought ended on September 8, 1995 – The Indians
clinch the AL Central Division to advance to post-season play for the first
time since 1954. The 1995 Indians go 100-44 (the player lockout caused teams to
miss the 1st 18 games of the season), winning the Division by 30
games, the largest margin ever recorded by a Division winner! One amazing
individual stat was the fact that on September 30, 1995, Albert Belle became
the first player in major league history with fifty doubles and fifty home runs
in the same season – a remarkable statistic!
But more importantly, the Indians
swept the Red Sox 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs. They then advanced to
the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, and the
Indians won 4 games to 2 to win their first pennant since 1954. Thus it was on
to the World Series for the 1st time since 1954 – this time is would
be the Indians vs the Braves (in 1948 it was also the Indians vs the Braves,
only then it was the Boston Braves). The Series went six games, but the Braves
came out on top in a dramatic 1-0 game in game 6 as Tom Glavine and Mark Wohler
one-hit the Indians in Atlanta.
#11.
1997 This third jersey was worn both at home and on the road. Notice the
team logo on the collar of the blue undershirt - a trend that started in the
mid 90’s and is now quite commonplace. The patch on the right sleeve is the
“A.L. champions” patch. During most of the 1997 season, the right sleeve of
Indians’ uniforms instead had a patch honoring the 50th anniversary
of Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier. All teams wore this patch
in honor of Jackie Robinson and all he achieved, and all MLB teams retired his
number 42 - the first time in the history of the big four North American sports
(MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) that a number has been universally retired (hockey has
since done it with Wayne Gretzky’s #99).
Now back to the season itself. After
capturing the AL Central, our beloved Indians win Round One of the Playoffs 3
games to 2 over the Yankees thanks to a 4-3 Game 5 victory. As it turns out,
this Indians victory prevents the Yankees from stringing together at least 5
World Series Championships in a row as they won in 1996, then three-peated from 1998-2000. The Indians’ 1997 victory is the
only Yankees series loss against 12 series wins over the 5
year period 1996-2000.
After knocking off the Yanks, the
Indians go on to beat Baltimore in 6 games to win the ALCS and the pennant, and
advance to the World Series for the 2nd time in three years. This
time the Indians arrive as favorites, facing the upstart Florida Marlins.
I could go on and on, but it
wouldn’t change the result. The Indians were overcome in Game 7. In 11 innings.
After leading 2-1 in the 9th. Enough said. Arghhhhh!!!
But what a run it’s been for the
Indians! They have been a model franchise in baseball in the late 90’s and
early 2000’s, including winning the Central Division Championship every year
from 1995 to 1999 and again in 2001. In ’95 they went 100-44, in ’96 they were
99-62, then 86-75 in ’97, 89-73 in ’98, 97-65 in 1999, 90-72 in 2000 (missing
the post season by a single game), then back on top in 2001 with a 91-71 record.
***************************************
The Cleveland Indians: “Eat, Sleep,
Indians,”
Order
Yours Today … and Revel in it!
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