Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians

Front Cover
Joseph Wancho, Rick Huhn, Leonard Levin, Bill Nowlin, Steve Johnson
U of Nebraska Press, Apr 1, 2014 - Sports & Recreation - 346 pages

The 1954 Cleveland Indians were one of the most remarkable baseball teams of all time. Their record for most wins (111) fell only when the baseball schedule expanded, and their winning percentage, an astounding .721, is still unsurpassed in the American League. Though the season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the New York Giants in the World Series, the 1954 team remains a favorite among Cleveland fans and beyond.

Pitching to the Pennant commemorates the ê54 Indians with a biographical sketch of the entire team, from the –Big Three” pitching staff (Mike Garcia and future Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Early Wynn), through notable players such as Bobby Avila, Bob Feller, Larry Doby, and Al Rosen, to manager Al Lopez, his coaches, and the Indiansê broadcast team. There are also stories about Cleveland Stadium and the 1954 All-Star Game (which the team hosted), as well as a season timeline and a firsthand account of Game One of the World Series at the Polo Grounds. Pitching to the Pennant features the superb writing and research of members of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), making this book a must for all Indians fans and baseball aficionados.

 

Contents

1 Hank Greenberg
1
2 Al Lopez
11
3 Tony Cuccinello
18
4 Mel Harder
21
5 Red Kress
29
6 Bill Lobe
35
7 A Seven Year Olds Perspectiveon the 1954 Indians
37
8 Timeline April 13 April 30
39
34 Dave Pope
170
35 Timeline July 1 July 13
175
36 Luke Easter
177
37 Early Wynn
185
38 Hal Naragon
189
39 1954 All Star Game
194
40 Timeline July 15 July 31
200
41 Al Smith
202

9 Bob Feller
41
10 Dave Hoskins
51
11 Don Mossi
55
12 Hank Majeski
62
13 Dale Mitchell
65
14 Mike Garcia
71
15 Timeline May 1 May 16
76
16 Larry Doby
78
17 George Strickland
83
18 Cleveland Stadium 1932 96
88
19 Jim Hegan
92
20 Timeline May 17 May 31
97
21 Dave Philley
99
22 Bob Lemon
103
23 Rudy Regalado
110
24 Ray Narleski
116
25 Timeline June 1 June 15
121
26 Sam Dente
123
27 1954 Cleveland Indiansby the Numbers
130
28 Jim Dyck
134
29 Bob Chakales
141
30 Timeline June 16 June 30
152
31 Al Rosen
154
32 Wally Westlake
159
33 Dick Tomanek
166
42 Vic Wertz
206
43 Hal Newhouser
211
44 Bill Glynn
221
45 Timeline August 1 August 15
225
46 José G Santiago Guzmán
227
47 Bob Kennedy
230
48 Mickey Grasso
234
49 Bobby Avila
239
50 Joe Ginsberg
244
51 Timeline August 17 August 31
248
52 Cleveland Indians World Championships 1920 and 1948
250
53 Rocky Nelson
257
54 Art Houtteman
262
55 Bob Hooper
267
56 Timeline September 1 September 14
270
57 Ken Coleman
272
58 Jim Britt
279
59 Jimmy Dudley
283
60 Timeline September 17 September 26
286
61 1954 World Series
287
62 A Day in the Grandstand
297
Notes and References
303
Contributors
335
Copyright

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About the author (2014)

A member of SABR since 2005, Joseph Wancho serves as cochairman of the Minor League Research Committee and has made contributions to several books in the Memorable Teams in Baseball History series.