The Lost Decade: 1950s Indians had Eight Winning Seasons, One Postseason Appearance

Not many people talk about the Cleveland Indians of the 1950's as a dominant team of that era, but if you look inside the number you will see the team was very good and usually on the cusp of winning a title. The club in the 50's had eight winning campaigns, and also were in the postseason once, but again fell short of their goal of a title.

The New York Yankees dominated Major League Baseball in the 1950s, winning six World Series Championships while appearing in the Fall Classic nine times.

However, the Cleveland Indians were not too shabby in their own right, posting eight winning seasons, despite only making one postseason appearance.

So, why no love for the Indians in this era?

Simple, the postseason back then was one round, which was only the World Series.

The leagues in the MLB were set up as American League and National League with no divisions in place.

One could really argue that the postseason was flawed mightily at this point.

For instance, imagine having a winning season of 92-63 and finishing fourth in your respective league -- because the Indians did just that in 1950.

Out of the eight winning seasons the Indians had, five were seasons of 90 wins or more while the other remaining three years were second-place finishes with either 88 or 89 wins.

1954 is the lone exception for the Tribe, as they finished that season, 111-43, having one of the more memorable seasons in MLB history, however, they have nothing to show for.

The New York Giants swept the Indians in four games and it would be the Tribe’s last postseason appearance until 1995.

To give some perspective as to how good that team was, they still hold the all-time record for winning percentage in the AL.

Not to mention the Indians’ pitching staff in 1954 is probably not only one of the best in franchise history but in MLB history, as it featured three Hall of Famers in Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, and Early Wynn.

Additionally, the 1954 team also included two more Hall of Famers in Larry Doby and reliever Hal Newhouser.

In this decade, the Indians had their third AL Most Valuable Player in franchise history in Al Rosen, as he won the award in 1953, hitting .336/.422/.613 with a league-high 43 homers and 145 RBI. Since then, the Tribe has yet to have another MVP award winner.

Another bright spot in the 1950s was lefty Herb Score, who was the team’s first Rookie of the Year Award winner, going 16-10 with a 2.85 in 1955.

The Indians’ farm system also developed several superstars in Rocky Colavito and Roger Maris, despite eventually trading both players off for little to nothing.

With the influx of talent from the minors, the Indians were able to keep up many winning seasons, but it is interesting to think about how things may have played out if divisions were in place at this time.

If there were divisions, the Indians would more than likely be in the opposite one the Yankees would be in.

How would the Indians fair in a postseason format with the Yankees? Do they advance in some of those years or do they falter and underachieve like 1954?

One will never know, but it is fun to think about what could have been.

Indians’ winning seasons in the 1950s

1950 93-61 (4 in the AL 6 games back from 1 place)

1951 93-61 (2 in the AL 5 games back from 1 place)

1952 93-61 (2 in the AL 2 games back from 1 place)

1953 92-62 (2 in the AL 8.5 games back from 1 place)

1955 93-61 (2 in the AL 3 games back from 1 place)

1956 88-66 (2 in the AL 9 games back from 1 place)

1959 89-65 (2 in the AL 5 games back from 1 place)--