Based on a balanced attack of both hitting and pitching, the Indians went on to break the 1927 New York Yankees then-record of 110 wins, and not until 1998 when the Yankees took home their 112th victory on September 25th (a game in which I was an attendee!) would any team match the ‘Tribe’s accomplishment.
First off, when you have a pitching staff led by three future Hall of Famers in Bob Feller, Early Wynn and Bob Lemon, you can’t go wrong! Throw in another Hall of Fame pitcher who was at the tail-end of his career in Hal Newhouser, who put in a nice season, as well as others like Don Mossi, Mike Garcia and Art Houtteman, and you can see why the team always had a chance to win a game.
From the offensive side, the Indians were also stacked, with batting champ Bobby Avila (who batted .341 that year), Al Rosen and future Hall of Famer Larry Doby among others, helping the team finally break the grip of the Bronx, snapping the Yankees five-year reign as not only American League champs but World champs as well.
Sadly for them they could not carry their winning ways in the World Series, bowing the the eventual World Champion New York Giants and a kid named Willie Mays in four straight.
