| 1948 Cleveland Indians | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Series Champions American League Champions | ||
| League | American League | |
| Ballpark | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | |
| City | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| Owners | Bill Veeck | |
| General managers | Bill Veeck | |
| Managers | Lou Boudreau | |
| Television | WEWS-TV (Van Patrick) | |
| Radio | WJW (Jack Graney, Jimmy Dudley) | |
| ||
The 1948 Cleveland Indians season was the 48th in franchise history. When the regular season resulted in a first place tie, the Indians won a one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox to advance to the World Series. Cleveland won the championship by defeating the Boston Braves 4 games to 2 for their first World Series win in 28 years. The Sporting News ranked the 1948 Indians the ninth-best team ever.[1]
It was reported years later that teammates Bob Feller and Bob Lemon devised a plan in August to help relay signs to Indian batters that involved a telescope mounted on a tripod (which Feller brought from the war) that was hidden on the scoreboard of Municipal Stadium.[2]
As of 2024, this is the Cleveland Indians' (now Cleveland Guardians) most recent World Series championship. With the Chicago Cubs' 2016 World Series championship, which ironically was over Cleveland, being their first since 1908, the Indians now own the longest active world championship drought in Major League Baseball and the second-longest of any of the big four American sports leagues. Only the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals franchise owns a longer active world championship drought of the big four American sports leagues, having not won a world championship since 1947.
This memorable season was the first to be broadcast on television in the Cleveland area on WEWS-TV.