1921 Cleveland Indians Replay.
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Turning back the clock 100 years and replaying the 1921 Cleveland Indians season. Cleveland won their first ever World Series title in 1920, but finished 4.5 games behind the New York Yankees in 1921. The Indians hit .308 as a team in 1921, slightly better than the league average of .292. The had solid pitching as well, giving up only 4.6 runs per game, good for second in the league.
I was unable to find daily transactions for the 1921 season, so I’ll approximate as best I can using the actual game logs. (Hard to distinguish between a player being injured an unavailable and just being seldom used).
Here are the 25 guys that I’m starting the season with:
Pitchers
Jim Bagby
Ray Caldwell
Bob Clark
Stan Coveleski
Duster Mails
Guy Morton
Ted Odenwald
Jesse Petty
George UhleCatchers
Les Nunamaker
Steve O’Neill
Pinch ThomasInfielders
George Burns
Larry Gardner
Lou Guisto
Doc Johnston
Joe Sewell
Riggs StephensonOutfielders
Joe Evans
Jack Graney
Charlie Jamieson
Tex Jeanes
Elmer Smith
Tris Speaker
Joe WoodManager
Tris SpeakerCoaches
Jack McCallister -
Cleveland opens the season with 4 games in St. Louis against the Browns. The Browns take the first 2 games of the season in walk-off fashion.
In game one, Ken Williams hit a 2-run homer off Stan Coveleski with 2 outs to give the Browns a 2-1 victory.
In game two, an error by Elmer Smith allowed Hank Severeid to score the winning run in a 4-3 victory.
The Indians dominated games 3 and 4 with victories by the score of 6-1 and 13-2.
Next up for Cleveland is 2 games in Detroit against the Tigers.
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Cleveland takes both games from Detroit to improve to 4-2 on the season.
In game one, Stan Coveleski went the distance, limiting the Tigers to just one run on 3 hits. Tris Speaker, Elmer Smith and Larry Gardner each collected 3 hits a piece for Cleveland as they cruised to a 10 - 1 victory.
In the second game, the teams combined for 23 runs on 34 hits, as the Indians prevailed by a score of 15-8. Harry Heilmann went 3 for 4 with 3 RBI in the loss for Detroit. Tris Speaker went 5 for 6 with 4 RBI to lead the way for Cleveland.
The Tribe heads home to Cleveland for an 8 game home-stand, starting with 4 games against the St. Louis Browns. The Browns have an identical 4-2 record, and share 3rd place with Cleveland.
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Cleveland takes 3 of 4 from the the Browns, including two wins in their final at-bat.
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Jim Bagby gets roughed up to the tune of 7 runs in 4 innings, but the Indians rally as Ted Odenwald and Jesse Petty shut the Browns out over the final 5 innings of the game. Trailing by 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th, Doc Johnston started a rally with a double, Tris Speaker singled him in to tie the game, and Elmer Smith doubled home Speaker with the winning run for an 8-7 victory.
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Ray Kolp shuts the Tribe down for 8 innings, but surrenders two meaningless runs in the 9th, as the Browns win 7-2. Ken Williams went 3 for 5 with 3 RBI for St. Louis. Ray Caldwell took the loss for Cleveland.
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Stan Coveleski goes the distance once again for Cleveland as the Tribe cruises to an 8-3 victory. Doc Johnston and Larry Gardner each collected 3 hits and drove in a pair of runs in the victory.
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The finale features a lot of offensive fireworks as the Indians out-slug the Browns by a final of 16 -15. George Burns and Smoky Joe Wood each collect 3 hits, and Wood drives in 4 runs along with starting pitcher George Uhle. Johnny Tobin went 6 for 6 in the loss for St. Louis. Cleveland scored 4 times in the bottom of the 9th to rally for the win. Ted Odenwald got the win in relief. Bill Burwell took the loss.
The Detroit Tigers now come to town for 4 games to wrap up the home-stand. The Tigers are 2-5 on the young season.
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The Tribe sweeps 4 games from Detroit to improve to 11-3 on the season and move into sole possession of first place.
Game 1: 8 - 4. Jim Bagby goes the distance to improve to 2-0. Elmer Smith goes 3 for 4 with 2 RBI to lead the way for Cleveland.
Game 2: 6 - 5, 11 Innings. Larry Gardner’s sac fly scores Tex Jeanes as Cleveland prevails in extra innings. Gardner and Joe Sewell each drove in a pair of runs for the Indians. Bob Jones homered in the loss for Detroit.
Game 3: 5 - 0. Stan Coveleski hurls a 5-hit shutout to improve to 3-1 on the season. Doc Johnston and Tris Speaker each collect 3 hits to pace the Tribe.
Game 4: 8 - 7. The Tigers rally for 3 runs to take a 7-6 lead in the top of the 9th. The Indians answer back in the bottom of the frame. Consecutive singles by Smoky Joe Wood, Larry Gardner, Jose Sewell, and Riggs Stephenson produce a pair of runs and a series sweep.
Cleveland heads out on the road now for a 3-game series in Chicago against the White Sox. Chicago has played only 8 games so far this season, and they have a record of 3-5, currently residing in 6th place.
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The White Sox take 2 of 3 from the Tribe in Chicago.
Game 1: Red Faber goes the distance for Chicago and Jim Bagby gets knocked out after 5 innings. Ernie Johnson hit a 3-run homer for Chicago. Charlie Jamieson had 2 hits and 2 RBI in the loss for Cleveland. Final Score: 8-3.
Game 2: Dickie Kerr throws all 11 innings as the White Sox prevail by a score of 10 -9. Duster Mails gave up 7 runs in 3+ innings of work, and was relieved by Jim Bagby who went the rest of the way for Cleveland. Harry Hooper and Ernie Johnson each drove in 3 runs for the Sox. Smoky Joe Wood had 4 hits in the loss for the Tribe.
Game 3: Stan Coveleski and Bugs Bennett each go the distance as the Indians prevail by a score of 4-3. Charlie Jamieson has 2 hits and 2 runs driven in for Cleveland. Amos Strunk homered in the loss for Chicago.
The same two teams will square off for 4 more games, but the Indians will host this series.
At 12-5, the Indians remain in first place in the division, leading the second place Washington Senators by a game.
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Chicago takes the first 2 games of the series from Cleveland, but the Indians bounce back to take the last 2 games to earn a split.
In Game 1, Red Faber out-dueled Jim Bagby (2-3). Tris Speaker had two hits and drove in the lone run for Cleveland as the White Sox prevailed 3-1.
Bugs Bennett gave up 13 hits, but managed to give up just 2 runs as the White Sox won by a score of 8-2. Another solid game for Tris Speaker, as he went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Tribe. Eddie Mulligan and Amos Strunk each had 3 hits for the Sox. Stan Coveleski (4-2) took the loss for Cleveland.
Duster Mails went the distance for Cleveland in game 3, improving to 2-0 on the season. Elmer Smith and Joe Sewell each drove in a pair of runs as the Indians won by a score of 5-3.
George Uhle (3-0) pitches Cleveland to a series split, as Cleveand prevails 5-2. Larry Gardner had 3 hits and Smoky Joe Wood drove in 2 runs to lead the way.
With a record of 14-7, Cleveland remains in first place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Washington Senators, the next opponent for the Tribe. The Senators will visit for 4 games as the Indians continue their current 19-game home-stand.
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Time for a roster tweak for the Indians as Bill Wambsganss joins the squad. Two players have now appeared in their last games for the Indians:
Jesse Petty, who earned the victory in 2 games for Cleveland and gave up no runs in 9 innings of work will play the rest of his season for Indianapolis of the American Association:
Also done for the season is Lou Guisto, who is headed to Oakland of the Pacific Coast League:
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The Indians maintain a 2 1/2 game lead on the Senators after splitting the 4 game series with them.
In game 1, the Indians pounded out 16 runs on 25 hits, as they cruised to a 16-3 victory. Jim Bagby (3-3) got the win, despite going just 5 innings. Elmer Smith went 6 for 6 with a homer and 3 RBI to lead the way for Cleveland.
Stan Coveleski (4-3) gave up 7 runs on 14 hits as the Senators evened the series with a 7-2 victory in game 2. Walter Johnson got the win for Washington. Frank Brower and Bucky Harris each collected 2 hits and drove in 2 runs for the Senators.
The Senators offense kept humming in game 3 as they defeated Duster Mails (2-1) by a score of 9 to 3. Riggs Stephenson had two hits and drove in 2 runs for Cleveland. Sam Rice had 3 hits and drove in 4 runs for Washington.
The Tribe earned a series split with a walk-off victory in game 4. With the game tied at 5 a piece, Riggs Stephenson led off the bottom of the 9th with a double off George Mogridge. Stephenson moved to 3rd on a ground out by Steve O’Neill, and came home with the winning run on a sac fly by George Uhle (4-0).
Next up for Cleveland is four games against the New York Yankees. At 12-9, the Yankees are 2 games behind the Indians in the standings.
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Another player has appeared in his last game of the season for Cleveland. 20 year-old Tex Jeanes will head to Galveston of the Texas League for the remainder of the season:
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May 14 - May 17
The Indians tumble out of first place after a disasterous 4-game sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees.The Yanks took game 1 by a score of 7-3, powered by home runs by Roger Peckinpaugh and Wally Pipp. Jack Quinn outpitched Jim Bagby (3-4, 5.08). Elmer Smith homered in the loss for the Tribe.
More home run power by the Yankees in game 2, as they prevail by a score of 8-3. Braggo Roth and Bob Meusel go deep for New York in this one, as Waite Hoyt keeps the Tribe in check. Stan Coveleski (4-4, 3.36) took the loss for Cleveland. Doc Johnston homered in the loss for the Indians.
Cleveland held a 4-3 lead after 7 innings in game 3, but the Yankees scored a run in the 8th and a pair in the 9th to prevail by a score of 6-4. Carl Mays outpitched Duster Mails (2-2, 5.80). Home Run Baker lived up to his name with a 2-run shot in this game. Elmer Smith provided a 2-run homer of his own in the loss.
The final game of the series featured a lot of offensive fireworks, the Tribe kept the game close, but was never able to take the lead from the Yankees who won by a score of 13-11. Alex Ferguson pitched 8 1/3 innings and went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI for New York. Rip Collins was summoned from the bullpen in the bottom of the 9th with one out and 2 runners on base, and he enduced a double-play grounder to end the game. Elmer Smith went 3 for 6 with 5 RBI including another homer in the loss for Cleveland. George Uhle (4-1, 6.62 took the loss, lasting only 6 innings).
Cleveland will try to get back on track when the last-place Philadelphia A’s come to town for 4 games. Philadelphia has a record of 8-17 this season.
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May 18 - May 21
The Indians remain in 2nd place, 2 games behind the Yankees after splitting a 4-game series with Philadelphia.
The A’s took game 1 by a score of 4-3. Tilly Walker’s 2-run homer off Stan Coveleski (4-5, 3.43) in the 8th inning providing the winning margin. Eddie Rommel went the distance for Philadelphia, limiting Cleveland to just 3 hits. Larry Gardner had two of those hits, and Elmer Smith the other, a homer, his 6th of the season.
Cleveland prevailed by a score of 6-3 in game two as Tris Speaker had 3 hits and Riggs Stephenson drove in a pair of runs. Jim Bagby (4-4, 4.80) went the distance for the win. Tilly Walker had 3 hits in the loss for the A’s. Scott Perry took the loss.
Elmer Smith’s walk-off homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning propelled Cleveland to a 4-2 victory in game 3. Duster Mails (3-2, 5.11) went the distance for the win. Slim Harriss started for Philadelphia. Bob Hasty relieved in the 9th and surrendered the game winner. Johnny Walker had 3 hits in the losing effort. Joe Sewell had 3 hits in the win for Cleveland.
Philadelphia earned the split with a 5-1 victory in the finale. Walker Witt and Johnny Walker each drove in a pair or runs. Pitcher Dave Keefe drove in the other run. Doc Johnston collected 3 hits in the loss for Cleveland, matching the combined effort of the rest of the team. George Uhle (4-2, 6.59) took the loss while Keefe went the distance for the win.
Cleveland’s home-stand concludes with a trio of games against the Boston Red Sox. The Sox are currently tied for 4th place in the division with a record of 13-13.
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May 22 - May 25
The Indians continue to sputter along, losing 2 of 3 to the Boston Red Sox.
Sad Sam Jones shut the Indians down in game one of the series, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits. Stan Coveleski (4-6, 3.43) pitched well, but took the loss. The deciding runs scored in the top of the 8th inning when Mike Menosky tripled in 2 runs, breaking a 1-1 tie. Doc Johnston had 2 hits and Tris Speaker drove in the lone Cleveland run.
In game 2, the Sox pounded out 19 hits on their way to a 13-4 win. The Tribe led by a score of 4-3 after 2 innings, but Hand Thormahlen would hold Cleveland off the scoreboard for the rest of the game, while the Red Sox scored 10 more times. Jim Bagby (4-5, 5.45) took the loss for Cleveland. Riggs Stevenson, George Burns and Joe Evans all had 2 hits a piece for the Indians. Nemo Leibold and Ossie Vitt each had 3 hits for the victors.
The Indians salvaged game 3 of the series with an 8-3 victory behind a complete game effort by George Uhle (5-2, 6.11). Uhle held the Sox off the scoreboard for 8 innings, until they touched him for 3 runs in the 9th, when the game was already in hand. Uhle also contributed a 3-run homer to his cause.
Cleveland wraps up it’s 19 game homestand with a disappointing record of 7 -12. They remain in 2nd place in the division with a record of 19-17. They trail the first place Yankees by 2 1/2 games.
The Tribe now packs their bags for a 22 game road trip, that will begin in St. Louis against the Browns. Cleveland has taken 5 of the 8 games that they have played against the Browns so far this year. The Browns are in 4th place with a record of 18-17.
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Cleveland batting stats after 36 games:
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Cleveland Pitching Stats after 36 games:
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Thanks for posting the comparison stats/information as the replay unfolds. Interesting comparisons.
Did you manually tabulate the actual stats on a per game basis for say the 36 game table? Or is there a website out there that I can pull up historical actual season stats up through a given game?
Thanks for any info.
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There is no website that shows the stats as of a certain date…at least not that I’m aware of. I use the game logs from baseball-reference.com. I copy each players’ game by game stats into a spreadsheet, and then use some nifty formulas to total the stats for the range of games that I’m interested in.
It’s fine for a single-team replay like this, but I would not want to try doing it for a full-league replay. Would take a while to do all that copying and pasting.
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May 26 - May 29
The Indians continue to scuffle along, as they drop 3 of 4 to the Browns at Sportsman’s Park.
The series got off to a good start for Cleveland with a 9-5 victory in the opener. The Tribe scored 4 runs in the top of the 13th inning to secure the victory. Jim Bagby (5-5) got the win with 4 innings in relief of Stan Coveleski. George Burns went 6 for 8 with 5 singles and a double. Bill Jacobson went 4 for 6 in the loss for St. Louis.
The Browns got homers from George Sisler and Bill Jacobson to take game 2 by a score of 8-5. Jim Bagby (5-6, 5.51) took the loss, exiting after 5 innings. Steve O’Neill had 2 hits and an RBI in the loss for Cleveland. Johnny Tobin went 4 for 4 to lead St. Louis. Dixie Davis got the win.
St. Louis took game 3 by a score of 8-3. Bill Bayne was the winning pitcher, in relief of Bernie Boland, while Duster Mails (3-3, 5.43) took the loss. Charlie Jamieson went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI in the loss for Cleveland. Hank Severeid went 4 for 5 with 3 RBI to lead the Browns.
The Browns dominated the final game of the series, winning by a score of 11-1 behind Urban Shocker. George Uhle (5-3, 6.81) took the loss, giving up 11 runs in 7 1/3 innings of work. Johnny Tobin, Wally Gerber and George Sisler each collected 3 hits for St. Louis. Steve O’Neill went 3 for 4 and accounted for the lone Cleveland run with a homer.
With a record of 20-20, the Indians have sunk into 4th place, and trail the first place Yankees by 5 1/2 games. The Tribe heads to Detroit now for 3 games against the Tigers. Detroit is in 5th place with a record of 21-22.
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@alecotto75 Understood and thank you for the response. Sounds like I will need to brush up on more Excel (the basics are understood - anything else is a roll of the dice!).
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May 30 - May 31
Another series loss as the Indians drop 2 of 3 to the Detroit Tigers.
Detroit took game 1 of the series by a score of 9-5 as Howard Ehmke out-dueled Stan Coveleski (4-7, 3.99). Detroit scored 8 times across the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings to secure the victory. Ty Cobb went 3 for 5 and scored a pair of runs for the Tigers. Charlie Jamieson went 3 for 4 with a double in the loss for Cleveland.
The Tribe bounced back in game 2 with an 8-5 win. Jim Bagby was pulled after just 5 innings having given up 5 runs. Ray Caldwell (1-1, 7.04) and Ted Odenwald were spotless in relief. Cleveland scored 5 times in the 8th inning to secure the victory. Bobby Veach went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI in the loss for Detroit. Larry Gardner went 4 for 5 and scored 3 times for Cleveland.
Detroit took the deciding game of the series by a score of 7-4. Cleveland grabbed an early 3-0 lead off Hooks Dauss, but a 4-run rally in the 6th inning by Detroit propelled them to victory. Duster Mails (3-4, 5.60) went the distance, but took the loss for the Tribe. Dauss got the win for Detroit.
Cleveland now finds themselves a game under .500 and in 5th place in the division. They are 8 games off their actual 1921 pace. They head to Boston now for 4 games against the Red Sox. The Sox are in 3rd place at 18-17.
