5 Things Cleveland Indians' Fans May Not Know About Their Pitchers

Down through the seasons, the Cleveland Indians have had more than their share of wonderful pitchers, especially in their early years. Fans of the Tribe are quite familiar with the exploits of pitchers such as Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, and Gaylord Perry, but do even they know some of their other hurlers have achieved great things? For instance, do Cleveland Indians' rooters realize who the greatest strikeout pitcher was prior to the Nolan Ryan era? Do they understand that one of their own had a special rule waived for his entrance into Cooperstown? Do they remember that in 1968, it wasn't only Bob Gibson having a dominant year, but one of the Indians as well? Here are 5 things every Cleveland Indians' fan should know about their own pitchers.

1. Addie Joss was so good, the Hall of Fame made an exception for him!

Joss pitched for the Indians for only 9 seasons, falling short of the 10 required by the Hall for enshrinement. But Joss, who tragically was felled by meningitis at the age of 31 in 1911, was so great that the rule was waived for him. Joss went 160-97 with a career earned run average of 1.89 for the Indians when they were the Bronchos and then the Naps. He won 20 games 4 times, including 27 in 1907. Joss has the second lowest ERA of any pitcher in Major League Baseball history, behind only Ed Walsh. He went into the Hall of Fame in 1978.

2. Sam McDowell won 5 strikeout titles for the Indians in the 1960s!

"Sudden Sam" played for the Indians during the lean years of the Sixties, but the flame throwing lefty won the strikeout crown in the AL a handful of times. He struck out over 300 batters twice and finished with 2,453 in only 2,492 innings. Alcoholism, which he later overcame in life, limited his greatness, as he was barely a .500 pitcher. However, only Feller's 7 whiff titles eclipse his among Tribe throwers, and that includes such fastballers as Len Barker, Herb Score, and Bob Lemon.

3. In 1968, Luis Tiant had an incredible season!

The Cuban righty blossomed in the "Year of the Pitcher", winning 21 times and pitching to a 1.60 ERA. Tiant struck out almost a man an inning and gave up over 100 fewer hits than innings pitched. "El Tiante" had never won more than a dozen games in a campaign before '68, and the very next year he managed to lose 20. The Indians gave up on him in 1970, sending him to the Twins who actually released him after going 7-3. The Red Sox gave him a chance and Tiant, who had 9 shutouts in that 1968 season, went on to win 20 games for them 3 times on his way to 223 triumphs in the big leagues.

4. Before last year, only one Indian had won a Cy Young, and it wasn't Tiant!

Tiant would have won the award any other year, but unfortunately for him, Denny McLain won 31 games in 1968. Prior to C.C. Sabathia's Cy Young in 2007, only Gaylord Perry had been honored with one. In 1972 Perry went 24-16 for Cleveland, with an ERA under 2 runs per game. The Indians only won 72 games that season, with the spit-ball throwing Perry winning over a third of that total. McDowell was 20-12 in 1970, but lost the Cy Young, ironically enough, to Perry's brother Jim, who pitched for the Twins.

5. Mel Harder was pretty good!

Harder is the most overlooked Indians' pitcher, but he is second all-time for them with 223 wins, trailing Feller's 266. Harder was a stalwart for Cleveland from 1928 through 1947, a 20 year span that saw him win double-digit games 13 times. Harder gave up more hits than innings pitched and he walked almost as many as he struck out, but he could get the tough outs when he needed to. Harder became one of baseball's most highly regarded pitching coaches ever, working with Cleveland from 1949 until 1964; he was credited with turning Bob Lemon from an infielder into a Hall of Fame pitcher. Harder passed away in 2002 at the ripe old age of 93.

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