Today in Tribe History: September 5, 1874

Nap Lajoie is born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island. Read More

Today in Tribe History: April 21, 1910

The Naps open new League Park, but the Detroit Tigers spoil the day’s celebration as they defeat Cleveland by a 5-0 score. Read More

Today in Tribe History: March 17, 1907

Cleveland Naps vice president Charles Somers and manager Nap Lajoie firmly reject a proposed trade with the Detroit Tigers that would have sent Ty Cobb to Cleveland for Elmer Flick. Read More

Today in Tribe History: February 7, 1959

Long-time member of Cleveland’s American League baseball franchise and its one-time namesake, Nap Lajoie, passes away from pneumonia. He was 84 years old. Read More

Today in Tribe History: January 19, 1937

In a very Cleveland-centric Hall of Fame vote, three former members of the American League franchise are elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America as part of the second election. Read More

Today in Tribe History: September 27, 1914

Nap Lajoie joins the 3,000 hit club, becoming just the second Major League ball player* to do so.  Honus Wagner previously beat him to the plateau earlier in the season on June 9. Read More

Lajoie Takes Drastic Action, Causes Forfeit

The Indians have a long and sordid history of forfeiting games.

The most glaring example for most Tribe fans came in 1974, when an unruly crowd at 10-cent beer night got on the field and forced the end of a game, giving the win to the Texas Rangers. The Indians also forfeited a game in 1917. They were rolling around on the ground and throwing their gloves in the air to protest a close call, and umpire Brick Owens called the game, ruling it a win for the White Sox – the only win by forfeit in that team’s history.

But in 1903, a conflict between an umpire and one of the nascent American League’s stars proved pivotal. Read More

Today in Tribe History: April 21, 1910

The Naps open new League Park, but the Detroit Tigers spoil the day’s celebration as they defeat Cleveland by a 5-0 score.

A club record crowd of 18,832 were in attendance, exceeding any of the other nine opening days by … Read More

Today in Tribe History: February 7, 1959

Long-time member of Cleveland’s American League baseball franchise and its one-time namesake, Nap Lajoie, passes away from pneumonia. He was 84 years old.

Lajoie was a member of the second Hall of Fame class in 1937 for his efforts within … Read More

Today in Tribe History: January 19, 1937

In a very Cleveland-centric Hall of Fame vote, three former members of the American League franchise are elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America as part of the second election.

Needed 151 … Read More

Second Hall of Fame Class in 1937 Had Cleveland Feel to it

The concept of a baseball hall of fame had been used as a literary device by sportswriters for 25 years before plans were announced in 1935 for a hall of fame and museum in Cooperstown, New York.

The first year’s inductees were five of the game’s all-time greats: Ty Cobb, then and for a long time thereafter baseball’s batting leader; pitchers Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson; Honus Wagner, who could lay claim to the title of the best shortstop of all-time (and still has a strong case), and Babe Ruth, who had retired just a year earlier (although the Baseball Writers Association of America, then as now, was tasked with voting for players, under largely the same rules, the five-year waiting period after retirement had yet to be formally imposed).

But no Indians. That oversight would be rectified in a major way with the following year’s election, as all three players elected by the BBWAA were already Cleveland baseball legends. Read More

Today in Tribe History: September 27, 1914

1914 – Nap Lajoie joins the 3,000 hit club, becoming just the second Major League ball player* to do so.  Honus Wagner previously beat him to the plateau earlier in the season on June 9th.

Lajoie did so with a … Read More