Cleveland Spiders

The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. The team played at National League Park from 1889 to 1890 and at League Park from 1891 to 1899.

Related Topics:
Major League Baseball - 1887 - 1899 - Cleveland, Ohio - National League Park - 1889 - 1890 - League Park - 1891

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The Spiders began their history in the old American Association (then a major league) in 1887. They were a weak team in their early years, but started to improve after 1890, one year after moving to the National League and signing future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young.

Related Topics:
American Association - Major league - 1887 - 1890 - National League - Baseball Hall of Fame - Pitcher - Cy Young

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They had their best seasons in 1892, when they finished 93-56 and finished second in the league and in 1895 when they won the Temple Cup, the equivalent of the World Series at the time. They continued to be a winning team until their final year.

Related Topics:
1892 - 1895 - Temple Cup - World Series

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In 1899, the Spiders' owners bought the St. Louis Browns baseball club. They decided that a good team in St. Louis would draw more fans, so they proceeded to transfer most of their stars, including Young, to St. Louis. The last Spiders team was the worst in major league history, finishing 20-134, and 84 games behind the pennant winning Brooklyn Superbas. The Spiders, who played out the final months of the season on the road due to lackluster attendance, were one of four teams contracted out of the National League at the end of the season. In 1901, Cleveland fielded a team in the new American League, and the Spiders were never heard from again.

Related Topics:
1899 - St. Louis Browns - Brooklyn Superbas - 1901 - A team - American League

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