The Yankees won the World Series eight times between 19 and appeared two more times (1955, 1957). In the 1940s and early 1950s, the Yankees and Indians had a strong rivalry because both teams played well.

The Yankees finished in third but just three games back of Cleveland.Īfter that incident, the Yankees, of course, became the most successful team in the sport. To date, Chapman is the only MLB player to die of an on-field injury.Īfter he died, the Indians struggled for much of the rest of the road trip (losing eight of their next 11 games) but they came back to win the American League after going 20-6 in September. At the time, players didn’t even wear helmets. Cleveland’s star shortstop Ray Chapman was hit in the head with a fastball from Yankees right-handed pitcher Carl Mays.ĭue to many circumstances of the time, Chapman didn’t receive the attention that a player in today’s era would. The Yankees were a half-game back at 72-43.Ĭleveland headed to New York to start a four-city road trip and in the first game, fate struck. The Indians and White Sox were in a virtual tie for first place at 70-40 and 72-42. at the time and New York City was first).īoth had not done a thing as neither team had even made it to the World Series, let alone win it.Įntering play on August 16, both the Yankees and Indians as well as the Chicago White Sox (coming off throwing the World Series the year prior) were in a dead-heat for first place. Both were teams in a booming metropolis (Cleveland was the fifth-largest city in the U.S. War on the Diamond: Yankees, Guardians/Indians rivalry starts with the Ray Chapman incident in 1920Īll the way back in 1920, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians were two teams that were very similar to each other. “War on the Diamond” is also based on Mike Sowell’s award-winning book “The Pitch That Killed,” and the story of Ray Chapman. “War on the Diamond” was directed by Andy Billman, who is best known for being a producer for ESPN’s 30 for 30 and the director of Believeland, a 30 for 30 episode from 2016 about Cleveland and how they had yet to have a major championship win in over four decades (it was broken just a month later by the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers).

15), a documentary on the rivalry and its history of it will be released. In fact, it started more than a century ago. In recent memory, the rivalry (which has largely been one-sided on Cleveland’s side) has been fueled by the playoffs but the genesis of the rivalry started much earlier than the club’s meeting for the first time in the postseason in 1997. Since 1997, they have faced each other six times in the playoffs, which is tied for the most playoff matchups between two teams since 1981. The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians (formerly the Cleveland Indians) have been rivals in the playoffs a lot of times in recent years. (Photo by Mark Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) / Chapman was killed after he was hit by a pitch in the head by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays in 1920. CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 10: A detailed view of the plaque honoring former Cleveland Indians (now-named Cleveland Guardians) shortstop Ray Chapman displayed in Heritage Park inside Progressive Field.

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