Cleveland Indians Baseball
Professional baseball in Cleveland pre-dates the founding of the American League. Cleveland had teams in the National Association, early National League, and American Association before the Cleveland Spiders joined the NL in 1889.
In 1915, Cleveland decided to revive a name the old 1890's NL team had once use, Indians in honor of Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot Indian, who played for the team in 1897. In their first season known as the Indians the club finishes in 7th Place with a 57-97 record.
In July 1947, only a few months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, and became the first black player in the Majors in 60 years, Larry Doby becomes the first black player to play in the American League. Doby who had previously made a name for himself with the legendary Newark Eagles of the Negro Leagues would go on to have a Hall of Fame Career with the Indians.
The Cleveland Indians appeared in the World Series in 1948 and 1954 (when they won 111 games in a 154-game season), and were in regular contention for the pennant with the dominant New York Yankees. In 1955, Rookie Pitcher Herb Score bursts upon the American League scene, leading the league in strikeouts with 245, establishing a rookie record that stood nearly 30 years, while winning the Rookie of the Year award.
The Cleveland Indians have won six times American League Central Division Championship in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. They have won five American League Pennants in 1920, 1948, 1954, 1995, and 1997.
Jacobs Field
Built within the physical boundaries of three main streets in downtown Cleveland (Ontario to the west, Carnegie to the south, and E. 9th Street to the east), Jacobs Field offers a fan-friendly facility featuring an intimate environment. Despite its modern luxuries, Jacobs Field has some of the features of classic ballparks. The field is asymmetrical, and bleachers sit atop a 19-foot left-field wall. Since the park isn’t completely enclosed, fans can look out over the buildings of downtown Cleveland.
The seats at Jacobs Field are extremely comfortable because they have more legroom due to wider aisles. Also, the better elevation between rows means clear and unobstructed views to the field. A very unique feature at Jacobs Field is the angled seating sections. They are located just beyond the dugouts in both the lower and upper decks. These seats are angled 8 to 12 degrees, offering fans that sit in these sections a view of the middle of the diamond without the crick in the neck.