Introduction: 1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes

At approximately 10:00 PM EDT on September 8, 1995, a popup by Baltimore’s Jeff Huson nestled into the glove of third baseman Jim Thome for the final out of a 3-2 Indians win. The victory set off a celebration not seen in Cleveland in 41 years. THE CLEVELAND INDIANS WERE HEADED TO THE POSTSEASON!

The long-awaited celebration in Cleveland was not much of a surprise. The Indians ran away from the pack in the American League’s Central Division, leading Kansas City by 21½ games heading into the month of September. Still, at the moment the horsehide was secured by Thome, you could not blame Cleveland fans if they were checking the sky above Jacobs Field to see if pigs had taken flight or consulting the weather report to see if hell had indeed frozen over.

Not since the 1954 World Series, when Cleveland was swept by the New York Giants in four games, had “Indians Fever” spread through the city like a pandemic. There had been some glimpses of hope, but they were few and far between. The Indians finished in second place, five games behind Chicago, in 1959. In the 35 seasons that followed, the Tribe finished .500 or above in seven of those years. Two of the seven seasons were partial seasons due to players strikes.

Cleveland sportswriter Terry Pluto wrote a book in 1994 that describes this period of Indians baseball. The book, The Curse of Rocky Colavito: A Loving Look at a Thirty-Year Slump, traces the trials and tribulations of a franchise and its general place of ignominy from the time Colavito was traded to Detroit on April 17, 1960, through 1993. For Tribe fans, you had to laugh at the insanity of it all, or you would just cry at the memories and anecdotes as written by Pluto.

But the light was shining brightly at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, it was not an oncoming train but instead the bright lights of a new baseball-only stadium. The Indians moved across downtown from their dreary home at Cleveland Stadium to the shiny, open-air Jacobs Field. The Indians posted a 66-47 record in 1994, finishing one game behind the White Sox in the newly formed Central Division. The season came to a crashing halt due to a players strike on August 12 and once again Cleveland fans were left with an empty season. But there was hope on the horizon. Yes sir, there was real, honest-to-goodness, not-just-BS-hope.

The Tribe has had wonderful success in their new ballpark, which turned 25 years old in 2019. The Indians have been to the postseason 11 times through 2018 and that is no small feat for a club branded with the tag “mid-market team.” The Indians ruled Cleveland from 1994 through 2001, winning two pennants and five playoff appearances. The Cleveland Browns had left town and were now putting down roots in Baltimore. The Cleveland Cavaliers, while competitive, were usually ousted in the first round of the playoffs. The Indians were the best ticket in town and 455 straight sellouts from June 12, 1995, to April 2, 2001, are a testament to their popularity.

While the Indians have made it to the brink of baseball nirvana, losing in Game Seven of two World Series (1997, 2016), it is the 1995 team that fans fondly remember the most.

Perhaps this is due to that team’s being the first to break through and make it to the postseason. Maybe it’s because of the different characters and personalities who made up that team. Maybe it is because they had an All-Star seemingly at every position.

As you leaf through the following pages in this SABR Digital Library book, you will be transported back in time to 1995. The biographies of all the players, coaches, and broadcasters bring back that glorious time once again for Tribe fans. The manuscript is also sprinkled with personal perspectives, as well as game stories from key matchups during the 1995 season.

Gabe Paul served as the Indians general manager from 1961 through 1973. He also was the team president from 1978 through 1984. Paul once said that as far as the Indians are concerned, the city of Cleveland is a “sleeping giant.” If you put a winning product on the field, the sleeping giant will awake. In 1995, Paul’s point was made loud and clear: The Sleeping Giant Awoke.

Terry Pluto wrote a sequel to his previous book, Reverse the Curse: How the Indians Became the Best Team in Baseball. Tribe fans liked the outcome of this book much better.

JOSEPH WANCHO is the editor of “The 1995 Cleveland Indians: The Sleeping Giant Awakes.” In 2014, he was at the helm of “Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians” (University of Nebraska Press). In 2018, he authored “So You Think You Are a Cleveland Indians Fan?” (Skyhorse Publishing). Wancho has been a member of SABR since 2005 and he currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Baseball Index Committee.