Читать книгу No Money, No Beer, No Pennants. The Cleveland Indians and Baseball in the Great Depression онлайн

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That was another time, though. A new era in Cleveland Indians baseball had begun.

Chapter 1

CHANGE OF THE GUARD

Cleveland baseball in the 1920s turned out to be a brief stop in the penthouse followed by a quick trip to the ground floor. The 1920 Indians captured a pennant and went on to whip the Brooklyn Robins in a thrilling World Series. Owner James C. Dunn had built a championship team with the likes of Tris Speaker, Stan Coveleski, Jim Bagby, Elmer Smith, and Joe Wood. The World Series champs seemed poised to dominate the American League for at least the next few years.

In 1921 the club performed well enough but fell victim to the New York Yankees and their superstar in the making, Babe Ruth. For the season the twenty-six-year-old Ruth hit an inconceivable fifty-nine home runs and notched 170 RBIs. The entire Cleveland team hit fewer than forty homers. The Indians won ninety-four ball games, good only for second place. Speaker had a terrific year, though, batting .362 and leading the Major Leagues with fifty-two doubles.