1889 Cleveland (Clevelands, Spiders)
Left & Center: These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the renderings.
Rendering accuracy: Year: documented Team: documented
Right: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy: Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated April 1889. Old Judge baseball card of E McKean (AA 87, 88, NL 89-99). Full view at left, detail view at right. The uniform in this photograph was most likely the gray uniform the team wore early during the 1889 season. A newspaper report from December 1888 described the uniform for the 1889 season as gray in color, with black cap and stockings. A report on May 1, 1889 stated the team had abandoned this gray uniform because the players felt it brought bad luck. This report suggests a photo date of April 1889. Photo of McKean shows a button placket with white buttons and an old-English letter “C” on the player’s right breast. The letter style and position of the letter on the shirt were similar to several of the Cleveland uniforms from 1888. Years McKean with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo B
Dated April 1889. Old Judge baseball card of S Sutcliffe (NL 89, PL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date may be determined by similarity in background to the McKean photo above. Detail view shows thin dark trim running down the pant seam and a pant leg extending well below the knee. Most of the pants during this period ended closer to the knee. Several of the Cleveland players photographed in 1889 wore a similar pant style. Years Sutcliffe with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo C
Dated April 1889. Old Judge baseball card of C O’Brien (AA 88, NL 89, PL 90). Full view at left, detail view at right. Photo date may be determined by similarity in background to the McKean photo above. Detail view shows a dark cap with a smooth front and no noticeable banding. Years O’Brien with team from baseball-reference.com. Image from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Photo D
Dated May 22-25, 1889. Year of photo can be confirmed by appearance of player Faatz in combination with players Tebeau, Radford, Sutcliffe and Beatin. This year was the only year these men played on the team together. Photo of team most likely taken at Philadelphia, Huntingdon Grounds. However, date of June 1889 in photo caption does not match with when Cleveland played their league games in Philadelphia. Based on the known dates of when these two teams played, the photo was most likely made in Philadelphia between May 22 and May 25, 1889–the nearest dates to June. Players in photo wore a dark uniform and stockings. A newspaper description from early May 1889 described this uniform as navy blue in color, with black stockings, white belt, white lettering, and a black and white “barred” cap. The uniform had lace ties ending above the lettering. The pants had a small area of quilted padding at the knees.
Top row, standing, from left: J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 1901), P Tebeau (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90), J Bakley (AA 88, NL 89, PL 90) and P Snyder (AA 87-88, NL 89, PL 90). Front row, seated: C Stricker (AA 87, 88, NL 89, PL 90), C O’Brien (AA 88, NL 89, PL 90), J Faatz (AA 88, NL 89), P Radford (NL 89, PL 90), L Twitchell (NL 89, PL 90), (T Loftus, mgr AA 88, NL 89), S Sutcliffe (NL 89, PL 90), E Beatin (89-91) and E McKean (NL 87, 88, NL 89-98). Player IDs from photo caption on another contemporary printing of this image (not shown). Research on player IDs from Ken Samoil. Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Philadelphia game dates from retrosheet.org. Original photo published in Athletic Sports in America, England and Australia (1889). Original photo by Levytype Co., Philadelphia.
Dated May 22-25, 1889. Detail view of photo D. Detail view shows that lettering across shirt was vertically arched. Detail view also shows cap with vertical stripes.
Photo D
Dated 1891, portrait likely made in 1889. Portrait of J McAleer (NL 89, 91-98, PL 90, AL 01). Full view at left, detail view at right. Image was included on a montage of player portraits issued in 1891. These portraits displayed a variety of subtle differences in uniform style suggesting some of the portraits were made in 1889 and 1890. Based on this, the McAleer portrait, as well as two others, can be identified as taken in 1889. Note that the detail view showed lettering that was vertically arched, matching the team photo above, see photo C. Also note that the angled strokes of certain letters were stair-stepped. This may be an example of the Kensington stitch mentioned in a newspaper report from August 1889, see below. Years McAleer with team from baseball-reference.com.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
December 1888: “The Clevelands next year will wear gray uniforms with black stockings, belts, and caps.” From the Buffalo Courier, December 11, 1888.
December 1888: “[Manager] Tom Loftus has already selected one of the uniforms for next season [1889]. It will be of blue gray (Providence gray) with black stockings, belts, caps and cardigans–a pretty combination for a road suit. The second suit is likely to be white and black with striped caps and a blazer of broad black and white stripes.” From The Sporting Life, December 19, 1888.
March 1889: “On Monday [March 18] the uniforms will reach the [Hot] Springs [grounds], and the men will begin a series of games. [Manager] Loftus has decided to have both the club uniforms alike. […] They are Yale gray, with black stripes on the pants and black belts, caps, stockings, neckties and cardigans.” From the Philadelphia Times, March 17, 1889, page 16. Photos of this uniform, see above, show a line of black trim running down the pant seam.
April 1889: “The [National] League’s colors are varied, of course. […] Cleveland’s suit consists of gray shirt and pants, black cap, belt and stockings and black cardigan jackets. ” From the Cleveland Leader, April 8, 1889, referencing a story by Ben Mulford of the Cincinnati Times-Star. Research from Gary Kodner.
April 24, 1889, Cleveland v. Indianapolis, at Indianapolis, home opener: “There was a striking contrast between the somber gray and black-cap uniform of the Clevelands and the orange and blue of the Indianapolis club.” From the Indianapolis News, April 25, 1889, page 1.
April 1889: “In addition to its uniform of black and gray the [Cleveland] team is to have another of navy blue jersey cloth, with black and white banded cap, black stockings and white belt.” From Philadelphia Times, April 28, 1889. Research from Don Stokes.
April 1889: “The two uniforms of one pattern idea have been abandoned in the face of a cry that the gray and black suits are Jonahs. The cry was raised on account of light hitting and accidents. Reach is building new and artistic suits of navy blue jersey with black stockings, black caps with a band of white, and a white belt. […] The score cards this season will be in pamphlet form and have some of the features of a daily baseball paper.” From the New York Herald, April 28, 1889, page 10.
April 1889: “The fact that the new club broke even with the Indianapolis team, at the latter’s grounds, it’s almost as great a surprise to the friends of the Clevelands as to the Hoosiers themselves. The babies had had but little practice as an organization — the men were, for the most part, new to one another.” From the Cleveland Press, April 29, 1889, page 1. Use of the “babies” nickname.
May 1889: “[Cleveland’s] one uniform idea has gone by the board. The players killed it, and with a half notion that the gray and black was responsible for light hitting and some of the accidents. Al Reach is building the new suits. They are of the Philadelphia class and made of jersey cloth. The suits will be here by Friday next, when the team opens against Chicago. The new uniforms will be navy blue in color, with black stockings, white and black barred caps, white belts and ‘Cleveland’ in white block letters across the breast. The players chose this array themselves. The gray suits may as well be hung on the back hook. No more games will be won in them this season. The Jonah idea is a great one.” From The Sporting Life, May 1, 1889. Research from Chuck McGill.
May 3, 1889, Cleveland v. Chicago, at Cleveland, home opener: “The Clevelands’ new suit are very eyeable. The suit is tight and of navy blue jersey with black stockings and jackets, caps of black and white bars, and white belts. Across the breasts of each shirt is ‘Clevelands’ in raised white letters.” From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 4, 1889, page 4.
May 3, 1889, Cleveland v. Chicago at Cleveland, home opener: “The [Cleveland] men were arrayed in their new snug-fitting, natty-looking blue uniforms.” From the Cleveland Press, May 4, 1889, page 1.
May 3, 1889, Cleveland v. Chicago at Cleveland, home opener: “The Clevelands were gorgeously arrayed in new raiment [i.e., clothing]. Their suits of solid blue jersey, relieved by white belts, and cap of white and blue were a little the finest of anything the Cleveland club ever played ball in.” From the Cleveland Leader, May 4, 1889, page 3. The Leader also noted that the “admirers of athletic amusements had assembled to witness Captain Anson’s colts have a bout with Colonel Loftus’s babies.”
May 9, 1889, Cleveland v. Indianapolis, at Cleveland: “The game was never in doubt after the first inning and the Spiders swung their bats like a lot of sluggers of the first class.” From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 10, 1889, page 4. This may be the first use of the Spider nickname in a Cleveland newspaper. At the same time, a local boxer by the name of Sam Eaton was getting some Cleveland press coverage. Eaton was nicknamed the “Cleveland Spider.” On entry from the Cleveland Leader on May 3, 1889, read, “Sam Eaton, the Cleveland Spider, thinks the offer of $50 for him to stand up before [fellow boxer] White for six rounds at Coral Hall next week is merely a bluff.” Researcher Peter Reitan suggests that Eaton borrowed the nickname from another boxer. Reitan writes: “In 1886, an Irish-born featherweight named Ike Weir burst onto the American boxing scene. By 1889, he claimed the featherweight championship of the world. Ike Weir was widely known by his colorful nickname, the ‘Belfast Spider.’” Weir info from Peter Reitan, Early Sports and Pop Culture History Blog: Nadjy’s Legs and Skinny Arms — Why Cleveland Became the Spiders, November 7, 2019, retrieved November 15, 2025.
May 1889: “Cleveland, O., May 18. […] The Cleveland Spiders – so called on account of their peculiar appearance in their suits of black and blue – are in the East fighting their way along as well as ever a new team fought.” From The Sporting Life, May 22, 1889. Research from Peter Reitan. This report may suggest the origin of the Spider nickname.
July 1889: “The Clevelands are to have new uniforms. They will be black, with white belts and the word ‘Cleveland’ in white letters across the breast. The caps will also be black. The new suits will be ready in about ten days. They will be of Jersey cloth, the same as the present outfits.” From the Cleveland Press, July 18, 1889, page 1.
July 1889: “A new uniform was picked out for the boys today, and it will be ready in about ten days. It is black even to the cap. A white belt will be worn with the suit and the word ‘Cleveland’ in white letters will be worked on the breast of the shirt. It is made of Jersey cloth, and the effect will be stunning.” From the Cleveland Leader, July 18,1889, page 3.
July 1889: “The Clevelands are to have new uniforms. Reach is building them. They are exactly like the New York suits of black cloth with white belts, black stockings and caps, and the word ‘Cleveland’ in white across the brass. This suit will carry out the ‘Spidery’ idea that has stuck to the men so well and which they like.” From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 19, 1889, page 4.
July 1889: “The Clevelands will be in tonight and play against the Pittsburg[h]s tomorrow [July 22]. Everybody will be glad to see the team which may show up in its new uniforms of black and white.” From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 21, 1889, page 9.
July 1889: “The new uniforms will be along about next week and may be worn in the Indianapolis series.” From the Cleveland Leader, July 26, 1889, page 3.
August 1889: “The new uniforms for the Cleveland club have reached the city and they will be worn for the first time Monday afternoon [August 5] in the opening Washington game. As stated before, the uniforms are a solid black, with the exception of a white belt and raised letters in white across the breasts of the shirts. A white button is fastened to the crown of the caps. The uniforms are much superior to the old ones as regards quality.” From the Cleveland Leader, August 4, 1889, page 3.
August 5, 1889, Cleveland v. Washington, at Cleveland: “There was so much blackness on the grounds. Twenty or more athletic young men clothed in garments of somber hue flitted about like giant elves. […] Both the Giant Killers and the Senators were clad in spick-span new working clothes. […] The similarity between the uniforms is great. The main difference is the cut of the cloth. The suits of the Washingtons are built on a ‘hug-me-tight’ plan, while those of the Clevelands are laid out on the oriental order, with Kensington stitching.” From the Cleveland Leader, August 6, 1889, page 3. According to wikipedia.com, a Kensington stitch is “used to create a solid, filled-in effect […] to give a massed sense of light and shade.”
August 5, 1889, Cleveland v. Washington, at Cleveland: “The [Cleveland] boys wore their new suits of black, for the first time, and as the visiting players were also clothed in somber habiliments, the game was devoid of anything flashy.” From the Cleveland Press, August 6, 1889, page 1.
August 5, 1889, Cleveland v. Washington, at Cleveland: “The players of both clubs appeared in new black Nadjy uniforms, which did not seem to interfere with the playing of the infants [i.e., Cleveland].” From the Washington Post, August 6, 1889, page 2.
August 1889: “The Clevelands have a new uniform. It is all black, even to caps and stockings. The only white in the suit is the belt and the letters across the breast of the shirt. The uniform was ordered when the team was in Philadelphia, and, as [manager] Loftus jokingly remarked: ‘We got the mourning in advance.’ The suit is not a Nadjy, the trousers being made loose after the present pattern of the Cleveland’s solid blue suit.” From the New York Evening Telegram, August 7, 1889. Regarding the term “Nadjy,” researcher Bill Grindler adds: “Nadjy refers to an operetta of the same name which opened at the Casio Theater on Broadway on May 14, 1888. In this operetta the title character of ‘Nadjy’ appears in at least one scene in an all-black ballerina costume including a hat.”
August 1889: “The Clevelands’ new uniform are of solid black with white belts, and the name of the club across the breast in white.” From The Sporting Life, August 21, 1889. Research from Chuck McGill. Note, this account repeats what had been previously reported by the New York Evening Telegram earlier in this same month.
August 1889: “The Clevelands have a new uniform. It is all black, even the caps and stockings. The only white in the suit is the belt and the letters across the breast of the shirt.” From the Havana (NY) Journal, August 24, 1889. Note, this account repeats what had been previously reported by the New York Evening Telegram earlier in this same month.
1889, referenced in April 1890: “The [Cleveland] uniforms are handsome, and a decided improvement over last year’s blue suits, or the black uniforms that were worn later in the season [1889].” From the Cleveland Leader, April 19, 1890, page 3.
Circa 1889, referenced in 1891: “When Cleveland selected the Nadjy uniform a few years ago [i.e., about 1889] there were several slims in the team and they were called ‘The Spiders.’ It was an appellation that made the aesthetic residents of the Forest City squirm, and they rebelled against it. Cleveland journals raised their hands in boycott, and nowadays ‘Pastsy Boliver’s Blues’ comes nearer to filling the bill.” From the Utica Tribune, August 16, 1891.
1889 Cleveland uniform summary
Uniform: light gray, black cap and stockings
First worn: discarded end of April
Photographed: player portraits from April
Described: March, April
Material:
Manufacturer:
Supposition:
Variations:
Other items: dark blue jacket with white pinstripes
Home opener report: yes, May 3 v. Chicago (wore dark blue uniform)
Uniform: dark blue, blue and white striped cap, black stockings
First worn: May 3, Cleveland
Photographed: team photo from late May
Described: April, May
Material: jersey cloth
Manufacturer: Al Reach
Supposition:
Variations:
Uniform: all black
First worn: August 5, Cleveland
Photographed:
Described: July, August
Material: jersey cloth
Manufacturer: Al Reach
Supposition:
Variations:
Team genealogy:
Cleveland 1887-1899
Cleveland was formed to join the American Association (AA) in 1887. The AA was a major league operating 1882-1891. Cleveland moved to the National League (NL) in 1889. The NL began operation in 1876 and Cleveland played in the NL from 1889 to 1899. After the 1899 season, Cleveland was dropped by the league and the team disbanded. Information from wikipedia.
Rendering posted: October 2, 2016
Diggers on this uniform: Bill Grindler, Chuck McGill, Don Stokes, Gary Kodner, Ken Samoil, Nigel Ayres, Peter Reitan,