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Oeditpus Rex

(42,376 posts)
8. The Spiders didn't 'become' the Indians
Wed Jul 23, 2025, 02:30 AM
Jul 23

They played in the National League from 1889-99 (in 1897 and '88, they were in the old American Association, along with the original Baltimore Orioles). In 1901, Cleveland was granted a franchise in the new American League and called itself the Napoleons (later shortened to Naps) for player-manager Napoleon Lajoie, one of the greatest hitters in history.

The club changed its name to Indians in 1915, perhaps in tribute to Sockalexis, who'd died in 1913 of the alcoholism that limited his career with the Spiders to parts of their final three seasons.

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