Prelude to disaster

Retelling the 1920 Indians’ story

Many Indians fans must have been thinking things couldn’t get worse.

Undoubtedly, some thought the season would soon go down the drain.

After five consecutive losses — four to the hated New York Yankees and one to the lowly St. Louis Browns — even the national media were dumping on Cleveland fans.

From The Sporting News, the most prominent national baseball newspaper at the time:

ACID TEST SHOWS BLOW HOLES

IN FAITH OF CLEVELAND FANS

There’s a Lot of Quitting on Indians After New York Series,

But players swear things will all be well

“We would like to be able to write that the Indians rooters are still of high heart and solid for their team even in the face of the most crushing disappointment of the year. But so accustomed have Cleveland fans become to victory this season that out of the bitter ashes of the New York series there has arisen an undisguised hopelessness among the club’s following in general and a disappointment that has shown up some of the fans as rank quitters and poor sports.”

WILBUR WOOD

That would be a bitter pill for fans under normal — losing — circumstances. But it was in…