As a kid growing up a Cleveland Indians’ fan starting in 1965, we still were interested in the history of the team and the sport of baseball in general. One feature of the Streets and Smith’s Annual Baseball Magazine was the section showing the all-time leaders in certain categories.
That’s how we got to know Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Cy Young, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson. And we wanted to know more about them.
In old Municipal Stadium in the 60’s, there was an Indians’ Hall of Fame, we believe it was down the right field line, and you could see artifacts from the franchise’s past along with players who were honored by the franchise.
We would look at all of the franchise greats and leaders in different categories, and they never changed because the teams weren’t very good for one, and no one stayed here all that long. If the Tribe had a really good player, he was likely to be moved for prospects. And that was true even before free agency took effect.
When Andre Thornton entered the all-time Top 10 for home runs, that was a big deal to us.
Then, the new era of Cleveland baseball arrived with Jacobs/Progressive Field and new names were starting to show up on the Top 10 lists, names like Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, and Omar Vizquel took their place.
Thome and Belle and first and third respectively in homers, Thome and Ramirez are 3rd and 9th in RBI. Vizquel and Lofton are 8th and 10th in hits and are 3rd and 1st in stolen bases. The players on those great teams from 1994-2001 are littered throughout the franchise’s leaders and all of them are now in the Cleveland Baseball Hall of Fame.
Thome is enshrined in Cooperstown and Lofton and Belle should be in our opinion. Ramirez would be there as well if not for the PED issues surrounding him.
Last night, Jose Ramirez broke one club record that has stood for a long, long time, the number of games played in franchise history with 1620. The player who held the record, Terry Turner, played in last game in a Cleveland uniform in 1918, that’s 108 years ago folks.
Before Ramirez, the last players to join this list would be Jim Hegan, who last wore a Cleveland uniform in 1957. He ranks fifth. Lou Boudreau played here until 1950 is fourth, while Ken Keltner, tied for 7th, last played with the Indians in 1949.
That would be 69 years since Hegan was traded. That’s what a franchise icon Ramirez has become.
It has been discussed before, but this is just the first of many franchise records Jose Ramirez will own. Within a couple of years, he will likely be the career leader in home runs, runs batted in, and runs scored.
He is well within reach of having the most hits, doubles, and stolen bases too.
That little kid back in the ’60’s would never have imagined a player as good as Jose Ramirez spending his entire career in Cleveland.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 