On April 17th 1960, just two days before the start of the season, the Indians played an Easter Sunday exhibition game in Memphis, Tennessee. In what should’ve been seen as an omen, Russwood Park, the site of the exhibition, burned to the ground shortly after the end of the game. As the Indians returned home to face the Detroit Tigers on opening day, little did they know that in that opening series, not only would they be without their star hitter, outfielder Rocky Colavito, but he would be playing opposite them as a member of the Tigers. Tribe general manager Frank “Trader’ Lane had just traded Colavito to the Tigers in exchange for the reigning batting champion, center fielder Harvey Kuenn.
75 Years and Counting Part XII: The Story of the 1960 Cleveland Indians
