Cleveland Indians News & Information
Lovingly nicknamed "the tribe" by fans, the Cleveland Indians are one of the oldest teams in the history of Major League Baseball. Since the inception of the American League in 1901, the Indians have called Cleveland and the Central Division home.
The Cleveland Indians got their start as the Cleveland Bluebirds and changed their name several times during the early years. Finally, in 1915, the team was renamed to the Cleveland Indians. The Indian's logo is one of the most widely recognized in the world of baseball. The Indian chief logo has been with the team since they were renamed and appears on the sleeves of the shirts and their caps. Cleveland Indians' team colors are dark blue, red, and white. Depending on whether or not the Indians are playing at home or on the road determines which uniform they wear. White uniforms are worn at home and have the word Indians written across the chest, while grey uniforms with Cleveland across the chest can be seen during away games.
The Cleveland Indians have played in three different venues throughout their existence. Starting in 1901, the Indians played at League Park near downtown Cleveland. Later, in the 1930's, the Indians moved to Cleveland Stadium where they remained until the opening of the 1994 season. 1994 saw the Indians move into the newly built Jacobs Field. Jacobs Field was recently renamed Progressive Field, though Cleveland Indians' ticket holders still refer to the ballpark as the Jake.
Jacobs/Progressive Field was one of the first modern ball parks to be built, and fans from all over came to check out the new park built in downtown Cleveland. With its monster scoreboard, giant video screen, and events for families, the Jake became a popular place to hang out. The popularity of the field coupled with the success of the team led to 433 consecutive sell out home games for the Cleveland Indians, which at the time was a record. Today, millions of Indians' fans buy tickets and travel to the renamed field in hopes of catching a fly ball or seeing their favorite slugger knock one out of the park.
The history of the Cleveland Indians is rich with many Hall of Fame players calling Cleveland home. Over the years, numerous players have been inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Several players have been awarded the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger Awards for excellent fielding and hitting. Many Indians' players have also been voted into the All Star game, and eight numbers have been retired by the team including that of Jackie Robinson. The number 455 was also retired by the team to commemorate the number of consecutive sell out games.
The success of a Major League Baseball team is often determined by the number of titles the team has won. On seven different occasions, the Cleveland Indians were the Central Division champs of the American League. In five of those seasons, the tribe went on to win the American League titles which earned them the chance to play in the World Series against the top National League team. With five trips to the World Series, the Indians have brought home the trophy twice, in 1920 and 1948.
In a city that has both an NFL team and an NBA team, the Cleveland Indians baseball team has remained popular. Even during the losing seasons, fans have stood by the team showing their support. Ask any baseball fan in Cleveland, and they will tell you that the best place to spend a day is at the ballpark.
