When the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians for the 2016 championship, it ended baseballs longest title drought. Not only that, but it allowed the Cubs to transfer the title of longest drought directly to the team they beat, as now the Cleveland Indians are currently (as of the end of 2025) the longest suffering franchise. They had some notable near misses in the midst of this drought; 1995, 1997 and 2016 being the most recent and prominent, but they've remained ring-less since the 1948 season...and even that one was all too close to being a defeat.
The American League in 1948 was a thrilling race down to the wire between three teams. The New York Yankees were defending their title, the Red Sox were just a couple seasons removed from their 1946 pennant and still trying to keep their title window open, and the Indians who were trying to crash the party between the two bitter rivals. In the final week of the season, all three teams were tied for 1st place. Player-Manager Lou Boudreau made a request to the press to stay out of the locker room at this critical time; the logic being that his players were so caught up in the pennant race chaos that he didn't want a writer to overhear something said out of context and have a story written up about it that could end up messing with the team chemistry. Amazingly, the writers agreed to such a request, something unheard of for today's media, sports or otherwise.
The Indians pulled slightly ahead going into the final slate of series. The Indians would face the Detroit Tigers to wrap things up while the Yankees and Red Sox would fight each other. The Red Sox would overcome the Yankees while the Tigers pulled off a shocking series win over Cleveland, resulting in Boston and the Indians finishing the season in a tie for 1st place. Gene Bearden took the mound for Cleveland in the One Game Playoff for the pennant, and his knuckleball baffled the BoSox hitters as the Indians claimed the 8-3 victory and the pennant.
The victory deprived baseball of an all-Boston World Series, as the Boston Braves had claimed the NL pennant that year. To date, only New York, St. Louis and Chicago (San Francisco Bay Area as well if you wanna count 1989) have ever had a one city World Series. Just like with the other Boston team, Cleveland handled business, winning the series 4-2.
Future title aspirations of this championship Indians team were quickly doused by an unprecedented Yankees dynasty that started the very next season, as the Bronx Bombers would rattle off 5 straight titles. The Indians would go on to be what dethroned that team when they would win the 1954 pennant, but that team would lose to the other New York team in the World Series. To date, Cleveland is still waiting for a return to the top of baseball.
The last Player-Manager to win a World Series, Lou Boudreau made it count in 1948 by also winning the MVP. He was Cleveland's best Run scorer with 116, as well as his team best .355 Batting Average, and his +5 defense was well earned by leading all baseball at Shortstop with a .975 Fielding Percentage and being apart of 199 Double Plays.
Most of Joe Gordon's Hall of Fame resume was done in New York, but it sure didn't hurt to add a title with Cleveland. His team leading 32 Home Runs and 124 RBI helped him finish 6th in MVP voting. Gordon as well as a couple others had color photos available from '48, which I took full advantage of when I could. I'd like to think that in that era it could be used to represent special players like the holographic cards we have today act.
Another '48 Indian destined for the Hall of Fame, Doby was in his 1st full season. He and teammate Satchel Paige became the first black players to win a World Series.
Other regulars on Cleveland's immortal winner. Keltner would join Gordon and Boudreau as hitting all starts, and gained MVP votes with his modest totals of 31 Home Runs and 119 RBI. Mitchell would lead the team with 204 Hits and 13 Stolen Bases.
Reserves off the bench. Seerey had been a regular in Cleveland's lineup in prior seasons, but this year he was packaged in a trade with the White Sox to bring in Bob Kennedy. Al Rosen would have a power hitting future with the team, but he was just getting started in 1948. Also worth noting was the beginning of the Boone family in baseball with the debut of Ray Boone.
Another full color card, so you know this guy was good. Lemon pulled off 20 Wins and led baseball with 10 Shutouts, while leading the AL with 20 Complete Games and 293.2 Innings Pitched. The guy was a workhorse who finished 5th in MVP voting and won 2 games in the World Series, including the clinching Game 6.
Feller won 19 games of his own in 1948 while leading baseball with 164 Strikeouts. He joined Lemon as pitchers in the all star game.
The runner up in Rookie of the Year voting, Bearden tied Lemon for the team high of 20 Wins. His 20th victory was a big one, too, as it was in the One Game Playoff against the Red Sox that clinched the pennant for Cleveland. He also led the AL with a 2.43 ERA.
Baseballs best Closer with 17 Saves, Christopher was given no save opportunities in the World Series, with Bearden getting the only Save in Game 6 to win the World Series. What bothers me about Christopher's career is that he retired one out shy of 1000 career innings. 999.2 would bother me, even if I only came back the following year to get one out...
Other pitchers on staff. Zoldak started the season with the St. Louis Browns but was traded in June to bolster Cleveland's rotation.
It's unfortunate that both of Cleveland's titles come with a heartbreaking medical situation attached to them, though this one is not as morbid as Ray Chapman in 1920. In September, Don Black got the start in the middle of the thrilling pennant race, but as he was batting in the 2nd inning, he collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage that led to a coma. He'd recover, but his season was over and after an attempt at a comeback the following spring, his career was done too. Not long after he went to the hospital, the Indians held a "Don Black Night" to raise money for his medical bills, and the players would be inspired to win the World Series in his honor.
