The 1926 Cleveland Indians: A Bright Season During a Challenging Stretch
This article was written by Gordon J. Gattie
This article was published in The National Pastime: Baseball on Lake Erie (2026)
George Burns, who would end up as the American League’s Most Valuable Player, led Cleveland’s offense in 1926. He would tally 216 hits, the most in the major leagues. (Wikimedia Commons)
The 1926 Cleveland Indians were an unexpected bright spot during a challenging period in franchise history. Between 1922 and 1939, the American League was dominated by the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Athletics. The 1926 Indians finished in second place, three games behind the Yankees. Cleveland compiled an 88-66 record, their best record and highest finish until the 1940 Indians finished one game behind the Tigers with an 89-65 record. The 1927 Clevelanders fell to sixth place at 66-87, and subsequent teams finished in the AL’s upper half only once between 1927 and 1934.
Future Hall of Famer and player-manager Tris Speaker managed the club for his eighth (seventh full) season, which turned out to be his final season with the team as player and manager. Cleveland’s offense was led by 1926 AL Most Valuable Player George Burns (major league-best 216 hits and 64 doubles), future Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Sewell (6.0 Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement, known as bWAR), and 38-year-old Speaker. The pitching staff was led by workhorse George Uhle, who led all major league pitchers with 8.9 bWAR, 27 wins, 32 complete games, 318⅓ innings, and 118 walks. Joining Uhle were veteran hurlers Emil Levsen and Joe Shaute, who each amassed at least 14 wins and 200 innings pitched.
Cleveland fans expressed hope for improving upon their 1925 sixth-place finish and 70-84 record. After winning the 1920 World Series and finishing second the following season, the Indians had been an average ballclub. Their best finish during that stretch occurred in 1923, when they finished third with an 82-71 record but 16½ games behind AL pennant-winning New York. The Indians dropped to sixth place during both 1924 and 1925, though core veterans Speaker, Sewell, and Burns performed admirably throughout 1925. However, the Indians’ team hitting and pitching was slightly below average.
Baseball prognosticators weren’t expecting much from Cleveland for the upcoming season. During spring training, The Sporting News Indians beat writer complimented the pitching but noted the hitting was struggling: “However that may be, it is rather strange that the Indians pitchers are doing valiant work while the batters are idle. Usually it has been just the reverse.”1 Although the offense was underperforming during the spring, optimism still existed that the team was “.. .likely to surprise many of its critics with some good baseball and a spot higher than seventh in the American League.”2 Other baseball writers were more confident in the team, suggesting that the AL was up for grabs, with only the Boston Red Sox not considered a viable contender. While the 1925 AL season was a battle between Washington and Philadelphia, the five other teams improved their prospects during the off-season. Better seasons were expected from Uhle and lefty Shaute, along with solid support from Levsen, Jake Miller, Benn Karr, and Sherry Smith. By Speece, Norm Lehr, Garland Buckeye, and Ray Benge were competing for additional staff spots. There were higher expectations for the Indians’ catching and infield as well. Cleveland was expected to finish between third and seventh.3
Cleveland hosted the Detroit Tigers for the first two games of the new season. Opening Day starting pitcher Uhle was already a seven-year veteran for Cleveland. He led AL pitchers with 26 wins and 318⅓ innings pitched during the 1923 season, but struggled during the next two seasons, ending 1924 with a 9-15 record and 4.77 ERA, but garnering an improved 13-11 record and 4.10 ERA during 1925. Fans were worried the 27-year-old right-hander had lost his touch, but Uhle regained his stellar form that had eluded him over the past two seasons. In the third inning, Freddy Spurgeon singled home Charlie Jamieson with the season’s first run. Burns doubled home Sewell in the following frame as the offense awakened. Uhle kept the Tigers’ claws clipped, blanking them for five innings. Detroit’s only run occurred on a sixth-inning groundout. Uhle allowed nine hits and overcame seven walks to pitch the Indians to an Opening Day win, and the lead sentence from The Cleveland Press’s game coverage read, “George Uhle seems to have something this spring he hasn’t had for the better part of three years.”4
Joe Sewell was a major part of Cleveland’s offense in 1926, and would eventually become a Hall of Famer. (Wikimedia Commons)
After winning their opener, the Indians completed April with a 10-5 record, two games behind AL-leading New York. Their April included a five-game winning streak and two extra-inning wins. Uhle delivered a 3-1 record and 2.83 ERA over 35 innings while Burns batted .400 for the month over 60 at-bats, getting at least one base knock in 14 of 15 games. One stellar Cleveland victory occurred on April 24 when they hosted Detroit. With the game tied 3-3, Detroit loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth. Cleveland starter Levsen, making his season debut, started a double play, firing home followed by catcher Luke Sewell throwing to first to complete the double dipper. A flyout ended Detroit’s threat. Two innings later, Sewell drove home Burns with the winning run. In a courageous effort, Levsen overcome a long time between outings, Tigers base hits during eight of the first nine innings, and high winds to earn his first win of the season.5 The second-place Indians were looking forward to the first series with New York, scheduled for mid-May.
Cleveland ran into a frustrated Yankees team for their series. The Yankees played .800 ball in April and won their first game in May, but then dropped six of their next seven games, defeating Detroit in the final contest before facing Cleveland. Heading into the series, the teams were tied atop the AL standings with identical 15-9 records. The Yankees swept the series, winning the first game in ten innings and the second with five unanswered late runs. In the finale, Levsen limited New York to two hits, though one was a Babe Ruth first-inning two-run homer. The Indians threatened in the ninth inning with the winning run aboard, but New York center fielder Earle Combs made a great running catch to end the game and preserve a 2-1 New York victory.6
The series sweep was early in a 16-game winning streak that resulted in an 6-game lead for New York by Memorial Day.
Cleveland rebounded to win their next two series, then lost eight of their next nine games. But their lone win during that awful stretch was exciting. Hosting the St. Louis Browns on May 25, the Indians led 4-1 after seven innings with staff ace Uhle on the mound. The Browns tied the game in the ninth on an unearned run. Uhle, who often struggled with his control, walked no batters during this contest. In the 11th inning with one out, Homer Summa was thrown out at home; next, the decent-hitting Uhle delivered a walk-off two-run round-tripper into the left field bleachers.7
After their May swoon, the Indians were firing on all cylinders in early June, climbing the standings from sixth place back into second place, with Uhle pitching well, Sewell delivering timely hits, and Speaker making the right moves.8 But the good feelings subsided, and amid late June struggles, Cleveland dropped to fifth place and 13 games off the pace.
A 20-win July and playing above .500 ball during August and September brought the Tribe as close as two games from the league lead. The Indians displayed their resilience in a game at Philadelphia on July 21. Through eight innings, Levsen and Philadelphia’s Howard Ehmke were locked in a scoreless duel. In the ninth inning, Cleveland batted around, scoring six runs on six hits to stun the Athletics. Cleveland’s rally started with Freddy Spurgeon’s leadoff double. Speaker bunted down the third base line; hoping the ball would drift foul, Philadelphia fielders didn’t touch base the ball until it completely stopped.9 Speaker’s sacrifice bunt attempt turned from an expected runner on third with one out scenario into runners on second and third with no outs. Joe Sewell singled and the scoring started. Cleveland’s 6-0 win returned them to second place for the first time in nearly a month.
Two star Clevelanders showcased excellence during August. On August 11, the Chicago White Sox scored five 13th-inning runs to drop Cleveland farther behind New York, but manager Tris Speaker delivered a double in the third inning. On August 28, Levsen pitched two complete-game wins against Boston; in each game, Levsen allowed a lone run on four hits.10 During his amazing feat, the emerging star walked only three batters—and recorded zero strikeouts—over his 18 innings. Levsen’s two complete-game victories on the same day have not been replicated since.11
1926 would be Tris Speaker’s final season as player/manager for Cleveland. He would never manage at the major league level again. (Wikimedia Commons)
The Indians carried a seven-game winning streak into the final month. A four-game losing streak midmonth hampered their efforts, and losing three of their last four games ended their postseason prospects. Cleveland’s 1926 campaign ended on a high note when 1926 MVP Burns singled home Jamieson with the winning run in the season’s final game to dramatically conclude the season; Burns went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and his league-leading 64th double.
MVP Burns established full-season career highs for batting average (.358), hits (216), doubles (64), RBI (115), and plate appearances (657). Uhle reached career highs with 27 wins, .711 winning percentage, and 32 complete games while overcoming a league leading and career high 118 walks. Levsen enjoyed the best season of his six-year career, compiling a 16-13 record and 3.41 ERA over 237⅓ innings. Tris Speaker ended his Cleveland managerial tenure with a 617-520-2 record; he ranks fourth in games managed (1,139) and wins (617). The team’s shortcomings included injured pitchers, light-hitting catchers, and underperforming outfielders.12
Following the season, Speaker was forced out of baseball by American League President Ban Johnson for allegedly betting on a 1919 baseball game against the Tigers. Ty Cobb, by then the Tigers player-manager, was also forced out. Though he left his post following the season, AL President Ban Johnson forcibly removed Speaker and Cobb amid allegations of fixing a 1919 game between the Indians and Detroit Tigers. Speaker’s surprise retirement announcement landed on the front page of the Plain Dealer.13 While the immediate focus was identifying Speaker’s replacement, Speaker was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. He never again managed at the major league level, though he played in 1927 with Washington and ended his career in 1928 with Philadelphia—with Cobb as a teammate.14
During the exciting 1926 campaign, the Indians exceeded expectations. Uhle pitched a complete game and delivered a walk-off home run in the same game, Cleveland scored all six runs during the ninth inning of a 6-0 win, Speaker hit his 700th career double, Levsen pitched two complete games in the same day, and the Indians won their final regular season game with a Burns walk-off single. This Cleveland ballclub should be remembered for its colorful cast of characters, best season over a 17-year stretch, and unexpected dramatics after the season concluded.
GORDON J. GATTIE is a lifelong baseball fan and a SABR member since 1998. Currently a civilian US Navy engineer, his baseball research interests include ballparks, the minor leagues, and statistical analysis. Gordon earned his PhD from SUNY Buffalo, where he used baseball to investigate judgment performance in complex dynamic environments. Ever the optimist, he dreams of a Cleveland Guardians World Series championship. Lisa, his wonderful wife who roots for the New York Yankees, and Lexi, their adorable Labrador Retriever, enjoy visiting baseball-related sites. Gordon has contributed to several SABR publications, including books, The National Pastime, and the Games Project.
Sources
Baseball Reference: http://www.baseball-reference.com
Cleveland Guardians 2025 Information and Record Book.
Retrosheet: http://www.retrosheet.org/
Ritter, Lawrence. The Glory of Their Times (New York: Vintage Books, 1985)
Snyder, John. Indians Journal: Year-by-Year and Day-by-Day with the Cleveland Indians Since 1901 (Cincinnati: Clerisy Press, 2008).
Notes
1. Francis J. Powers, “Now, If Tris Can Get Both Ends to Meet,” The Sporting News, April 1,1926: 3.
2. Powers, “Now If Tris Can Get Both Ends to Meet,” The Sporting News.
3. Henry P. Edwards, “American League Chase Will Be Much Closer Than 1925, Edwards Says,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 11, 1926: 24.
4. Joe Williams, “George Uhle Shows Return of Old Stamina in Victory,” Cleveland Press, April 14, 1926: 24.
5. Henry P. Edwards, “Indians Beat Tigers in Eleven Innings, 4 to 3,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 25, 1926: 19.
6. Henry P. Edwards, “Babe Ruth’s Homer, One of Two Hits Off Levsen, Beats Indians, 2 to 1,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 15, 1926: 18.
7. Henry P. Edwards, “Uhle Hits Homer in 11th, Strikes Out Ten, as Tribe Beats Browns, 6 to 4,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 26, 1926: 22.
8. Francis J. Powers, “You Can Knock ‘em Down But Not Out,” The Sporting News, June 24 ,1926: 1.
9. Henry P. Edwards, “Levsen Blanks Athletics While Tribe Rallies in Ninth to Gain 6-0 Victory,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 22, 1926: 17.
10. Henry P. Edwards, “Levsen Hurls Double Victory Over Red Sox,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, August 29, 1926: 23.
11. Leonard Gettelson, “Iron Man Pitching Performances,” Baseball Research Journal, Society for American Baseball Research, Vol 6, 1977, https://sabr.org/journal/article/iron-man-pitching-performances/. Levsen’s accomplishment as the last pitcher to win two complete games in a single day was also verified at baseball-almanac.com: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats24.shtml.
12. Francis J. Powers, “They Can’t Blame It All On Speaker,” The Sporting News, October 28, 1926: 3.
13. Henry P. Edwards, “Tris Quits, M’Callister In Line,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, November 30, 1926: 1.
14. Don Jensen, “Tris Speaker,” SABR Biography Project. Accessed February 16, 2026, https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/Tris-Speaker/.