There have been many memorable moments since the Indians began playing professional baseball in Indianapolis. This Day in Indianapolis Indians History reflects on 120 years of baseball in the heart of the Circle City.
American Association Semifinals
Sept. 15, 1938: Indians pitcher Jack Tising threw 10 innings of one-run ball as Indy evened its best-of-seven series at one game apiece with a 4-1 win in 11 innings at Kansas City. The Indians entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed and were eliminated in six games, 4-2, and Kansas City went on to defeat St. Paul in the American Association finals, 4-3.
American Association Semifinals
Sept. 12, 1939: In the series opener, the No. 3 seeded Indians topped No. 1 Kansas City by a score of 3-0 in a contest that lasted just 1 hour and 35 minutes. Left fielder Allen Hunt went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI, and Indy went on to defeat the Yankees-affiliated Blues in five games, 4-1. Bob Logan, Indianapolis' all-time leader with 1,019 strikeouts, fanned six batters over 9.0 shutout frames. The Blues' lineup featured shortstop Phil Rizzuto and outfielder Vince DiMaggio, brother of Joe DiMaggio.
Sept. 13, 1939: Second baseman James Adair and Allen Hunt both registered four-hit games as Indy tallied 18 hits in a 12-4 Game 2 rout at Kansas City. Catcher Bill Baker also drove in a game-high five runs in the triumph.
Sept. 14, 1939: Center fielder Mike McCormick went 4-for-6 with four RBI while third baseman Don Lang clubbed two home runs and drove in five runs in a 13-1 victory at Kansas City. The win pushed Indy's series lead to 3-0 over the Blues.
Sept. 17, 1939: The Indians eliminated the Kansas City Blues in their best-of-seven series, 4-1, behind a 6-3 victory. Allen Hunt finished off an impressive series with a 2-for-3 performance that included two doubles, two RBI and three runs scored. Kansas City had won the regular season title that season with a record of 107-47, eight games ahead of second-place Minneapolis.
American Association Championship
Sept. 19, 1939: Allen Hunt's torrid postseason continued in Game 2 against Louisville, in which he finished 2-for-4 with all three runs driven in to spark a 3-1 victory at Perry Stadium. The Red Sox-affiliated Colonels, who entered the postseason with a 75-78 record as the No. 4 seed, defeated Indy in five games, 4-1. Louisville was led by manager Donie Bush, an Indianapolis native who was honored when old Victory Field (named Perry Stadium from Sept. 5, 1931-Jan. 20, 1942) was renamed Bush Stadium on Aug. 30, 1967.