The Cleveland Indians All-Time Perfect Starting Rotation

The Cleveland Indians have had their share of great pitchers over the years, from the likes of Bob Feller to Corey Kluber, the franchise has boasted some of the best throwers on the mound.

Sports Illustrated today compiled a current list of what they are calling the “Perfect Starting Rotation,” and we are going to take a crack at the all-time Indians “Perfect Starting Rotation” players that will bring back some great memories of yesteryear.

As always we encourage our readers to leave a comment with your opinion on our list and if you think we missed out on a player who deserves a spot.

5. Early Wynn (1939 to 1947, 1963)

The Indians were Wynn’s second Major League franchise, as he started his career with Washington from 1939 to 1948, with a year off to serve in the military.

Wynn pitched for the Tribe from 1939 to 1947, and he came back for one last year in 1963. He was part of the Indians “Big Four” rotation with Bob Feller, Mike Garcia and Bob Lemon.

In his Indians career he threw in 343 games with 164 wins and 102 losses with a solid 3.24 ERA and 1277 strikeouts. Wynn also compiled 36 complete games in his Tribe career.

4. Bob Lemon (1946 to 1958)

Lemon threw for 13 seasons for the Indians from 1946 to 1958, and for three years prior to playing baseball he served in the United States military.

The pitcher earned his place in baseball greatness in 1976, as he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In his career he won 207 games with 128 losses.

He was a seven-time All-Star, a three-time AL wins leader, and a one-time AL strikeout leader in 1950. Lemon also led the league in innings pitched four times, and he led the league in complete games five times in his stellar career.

3. Corey Kluber (2011 to 2019)

Likely to get the most comments on the list is popular Indians hurler Corey Kluber, who did enough in nine seasons with the Tribe to earn a pair of Cy Young awards.

Kluber threw nine seasons for the Indians from 2011 to 2019, winning double digit games five times in his nine seasons.

He compiled a mark of 98-58 with a 3.16 ERA. He was a driving force in the 2016 season leading the Indians to the World Series before losing in seven games.

He went 56-20 in the three seasons prior to the injury filled 2019 in which he went just 2-3 in seven starts.

2. Addie Joss (1902 to 1910)

This 6-foot-3, 185-pound righty was a force for the Indians from 1902 to 1910, winning double digits in eight of his nine seasons with Cleveland.

How dominant was Joss? He put up a 1.59 ERA in 1904 starting 24 games. In 1907 he went 27-11 with a 1.83 ERA. He followed that up with 24 wins the following season and a 1.16 ERA.

Joss threw a one-hitter in his first MLB start, and came close to a no-hitter in his second start. He missed 1910 with a torn elbow, and looked to make a return in 1911, but collapsed before the start of an exhibition game April 3, and died 11 days later from tubercular meningitis.

1. Bob Feller

A no-brainer for this list, as Feller is the best pitcher in the history of the franchise. He pitched 18 years for the Indians, taking three years off to serve in the military, something he was always proud of.

From 1946 to 1951 Feller won 118 games (19.6 wins a year), losing 74 games. He’s the only major leaguer to throw a no-hitter in an Opening Day start.

He was a workhorse, leading the AL in strikeouts seven times, and it was not uncommon for Feller to start anywhere from 25 to 40 games in a season. He could be seen sitting in the press box at Indians games all the way till his passing in 2010.