All-Time Indians: Gene Bearden

The players featured in the All-Time Indians club (all 215 that have been written about to this point) generally earned their place by being incredible athletes and playing for an extended period of time. There are, however, a few who only saw success for a short period, but a few like Duster Mails in 1920 and Gene Bearden in 1948, got had their peaks at the exact time the team needed them most.

Like Mails, Bearden’s story focuses almost entirely on his rookie season, a year the Indians won the World Series and like Mails, Bearden was a huge part of that. He was originally signed almost a decade earlier by the the Phillies in 1939 and was traded into the South Atlantic League in 1940, then to the New York Yankees in 1942. It was there in the minor leagues that he caught the eyes of the Indians scouts and GM Bill Veeck initially tried to get him as a throw in for Allie Reynolds when Joe Gordon came to Cleveland. The Yankees backed out of that deal, but Veeck still got his man later in the 1946 off-season along with Al Gettel and Hal Peck in exchange for Sherm Lollar and Ray Mack.

While Lollar would become a seven time All-Star and three time Gold Glover, there was no room for either Mack or Lollar on the roster at the time with Jim Hegan catching and Gordon at second so the deal still seems fairly even. Bearden pitched for Oakland in the PCL for both 1946 and 1947 and played well both years, but struggled once promoted to Baltimore and eventually Cleveland in May of 1947. He allowed three runs and blew a save in one relief appearance before getting sent back to the minor leagues.

Going into the 1948 season, the Braves may have had Spahn and Sain and pray for rain, but the Indians had Lemon and Feller and not much better. Opening the season, of the first 11 games, Bob Lemon and Bob Feller each pitched four games with no other pitcher making more than one start. Al Gettel, Don Black and Bob Muncrief each got a shot during this span, but it wasn’t until May 8th, when Bearden’s turn came around that a real third starter was found.

In his starting debut, Bearden threw 8.1 innings and allowed just one run, which he matched by going 1/4 at the plate with an RBI. He earned his first of 20 wins that day, eventually earning the best record, 20-7, in a rotation that included two future Hall of Famers. In each of his first five career starts, Bearden threw at least eight innings including three complete games and his first of six shut outs in 1947. While it was still early in the season, twice he faced the Boston Red Sox early on and twice he pitched complete game shut outs. This would be important in the future because when the season ended with the Red Sox and Indians tied for the AL title, it was Bearden, not Feller or Lemon, who Lou Boudreau went to in the one game play-off.

Possibly even more than the World Series, this game showed the brilliance of both Boudreau and Bearden. Bearden had won his last six starts and made two relief appearances as well all in September and October with a 1.67 ERA across that span. His final two games of the regular season were both shut outs and it provided Boudreau the confidence to start the rookie. In that game, Bearden went the distance as well, allowing one earned and two unearned runs. To make sure he got the win, his manager supported him with two home runs and a third run scored as well.

Using Bearden in this game allowed the Indians to save Feller and Lemon for games one and two of the World Series with the Boston Braves. Going into game 3 of the series tied 1-1, Bearden pitched another shut out, winning the game 1-0 while allowing just five hits and no walks. Steve Gromek won game four and it wasn’t until Feller lost game five that the Indians made use of a single reliever in the series. Lemon started game six, but departed after 7.1 innings with the Indians up 4-1 and the bases loaded. Bearden came in for relief and allowed two to score on a sac fly and a double, but he kept the lead intact and after a quick ninth, the Indians were World Champions a second time, largely thanks to the rookie left hander.

Unfortunately for Bearden, the rest of his career would not come as easily. In 1949, after leading the AL with a 2.43 ERA in 29 starts and 229.2 innings, he would make just 19 starts and post a 5.10 ERA. His status as World Series hero likely earned him a long leash, but by August, he was removed from the rotation and in 1950 he would make just three starts with a 6.15 ERA before being released and selected off waivers by the Washington Senators.

He would never even near the numbers he posted in his rookie year when he came in second in the Rookie of the Year voting (he probably should have beaten future Indians manager Al Dark) and eighth in the MVP vote (where he righteously lost to player/manager Boudreau and also finished behind teammates Lemon and Gordon). Bearden made just one start for Washington in 1951 after a disappointing 1950 and was released and signed by the Tigers, where he struggled out of the bullpen. He was then traded to the Browns for 1952 where he was used regularly as a starter for the final time, but he still couldn’t turn things around. After being released yet again, at the age of 32 Bearden was selected off waivers by the White Sox where he did have a decent year, although almost exclusively as a reliever.

This would be his final season in the Major Leagues, but Bearden would continue on in the Pacific Coast League and the Giants minor league system until ultimately retiring in 1957. If he had maintained even a part of his 1948 in the next two seasons, he could have been part of the incredible Hall of Fame rotation of Early Wynn, Feller and Lemon. Instead, he is remembered for a single season, but he couldn’t have picked a better one. Bearden died in 2004 at the age of 83.