Tris Speaker and the 1920 Indians: Tragedy to Glory

by Gary Webster

During the Cleveland Indians’ checkered 110–year history, only two of its teams have brought home baseball’s ultimate prize. While the 1948 team continues to be revered by Clevelanders, little has been written about the 1920 team that won the city’s first pennant and World Series. Few, if any, World Series championship teams faced as much adversity as did the 1920 Indians. Among the obstacles they faced were the death of their star pitcher’s wife in May; the shadow of the Chicago “Black Sox” scandal; and the tragic deadly beaning of shortstop Ray Chapman, the only fatal injury ever sustained by a major league player on the field of play. This chronicle of that extraordinary season highlights an overlooked chapter in the history of one of baseball’s most beloved underdogs.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2012