On October 12, 1920 The Cleveland Indians did the unthinkable: they walked off the field as World Champions. For the Indians, the 1920 season was a test of faith, talent and rejuvenation the likes of which no other ball club in history has had to endure. The season began like a dream. For the past few years the Indians had been contenders, but always seemed to come up short. Boston and Chicago took turns edging Cleveland out, but in 1916, Tris Speaker, the greatest outfielder of his day, joined the Tribe. In Speaker, the Indians not only had one of the best hitters and fielders in the game, but one of the best minds as well. In 1919 he was made player/manager and everything clicked. For the first half of the season Cleveland battled Chicago and New York. Then, just as the Indians pulled in front, tragedy struck. Ray Chapman, the team’s popular shortstop, was hit and killed by a pitched ball. The team reeled in the sad aftermath and this is where Tris Speaker proved to be a true leader.

      When other teams would have buckled, Speaker rallied his boys, inserted rookie (and future Hall of Famer) Joe Sewell in Chapman’s spot and pushed Cleveland ahead. The season went right down to the wire, but the Indians took the pennant by two games over Chicago. The Indians then faced the Brooklyn Dodgers in the best-of-nine game World Series. Unlike Cleveland, Brooklyn had been to the Series before. Their 1916 loss to the Red Sox still stuck in their craw and many felt the Dodgers had the edge in the 1920 Series. They were wrong. Demonstrating the leadership quality that made him a Hall of Famer, Tris Speaker dedicated the 1920 World Series to Ray Chapman and the Indians responded in kind. After Cleveland’s ace Stan Coveleski won the first game, Brooklyn took the next two. Then the Indians poured it on. Coveleski won his second game of the Series and in Game 5 Bill Wambsganss turned an unassisted triple play as Brooklyn went down 8-1. The Dodgers never recovered. Cleveland easily took Game 6 and then the final Game 7. In the riotous aftermath of their first World Championship, the Indians jubilantly began handing their bats to the Cleveland fans that swarmed the field. A young fan by the name of Kenny Robenstein reached out and drew Tris Speaker’s bat. The bat has remained in Kenny’s possession from that joyous afternoon in 1920 up until 1999 when it was passed to Kenneth Bottomley, great nephew of Hall of Famer Sunny Jim Bottomley.

      The bat is a Hillerich & Bradsby Tris Speaker signature model bat. From the center brand we can date the bat to the 1919-1922 period. Looking at Hillerich & Bradsby factory records, its weight of 42.2 ounces is in the acceptable range of bats ordered by Speaker during this period. The bat measures 35 3/4”, and although Hillerich & Bradsby did not record bat lengths at this time, PSA/DNA has identified three other game used Speaker bats which range in length from 35 1/2” to 36”. The bat shows excellent use and is un-cracked. The back barrel shows slight checking from repeated ball contact, and this has been professionally repaired. Incredibly, several ball marks with stitch impressions can still be seen on the left and back barrel and there are cleat imprints on the upper right barrel. Over the last nine decades the ash wood has taken on an almost golden coloring, giving the bat a very special appearance. The center brand is accompanied by the special “Bone Rubbed” stamping signifying Hillerich & Bradsby’s “250” finish. A historically important bat attributed to the deciding game of Cleveland’s first World Championship obtained directly from the man most responsible for the victory, Tris Speaker. This bat comes with a Letter of Authenticity from PSA/DNA (1B11759) who have graded this Cooperstown-worthy bat a GU 8.

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