2009 Cleveland Indians season
| 2009 Cleveland Indians | |
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| Major League affiliations | |
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| Owner(s) | Larry Dolan |
| General manager(s) | Mark Shapiro |
| Manager(s) | Eric Wedge |
| Local television |
SportsTime Ohio · WKYC (Matt Underwood, Rick Manning, Al Pawlowski) |
| Local radio |
WTAM · WMMS Cleveland Indians Radio Network (Tom Hamilton, Jim Rosenhaus, Mike Hegan) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
The 2009 Cleveland Indians season marks the 109th season for the franchise, with the Indians attempting (but failing) to improve on their 81-81 record and third-place finish in the AL Central in 2008. The team played all of its home games at Progressive Field (formerly known as Jacobs Field).
The season began on April 6 with a 9–1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Home Opener was on April 10 with the Indians losing 13–7 to the Toronto Blue Jays. The season ended on October 4 against the rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
2009 is the first year that the Indians held Spring training in Goodyear, Arizona. Goodyear replaces Winter Haven, Florida after 15 years of Spring training.
The Indians ended their season at 65-97. For the Indians, this marks their first season since 1987 (the infamous "Indian Uprising" season) that they were below .500 for the entire season.
The Indians struggled at the beginning of the season, losing their first five and seven of their first eight games. They finished with an 8-14 record in April, and were in last place in the AL central for the entire month. One of the few highlights of the month was the Tribe defeating former Indian CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees 10-2 in the first game ever at the new Yankee Stadium. Starting pitcher Cliff Lee had his first win of the season in that game. Two days later, the Indians defeated the Yankees 22-4.
The Indians went 14-16 in May, but were in last place in the division throughout the entire month. The Indians struggled on many fronts, including an ineffective bullpen and poor hitting. Several players were sent to the disabled list including Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Asdrúbal Cabrera. The poor play and injuries allowed many minor league players to come up from AAA Columbus and contribute to the Indians. A turning point came in the season when on May 25, when the Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 after coming back from a 10-0 deficit. The Indians rallied to win 5 of the final 7 games in the month
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