In 1920, the Cleveland Indians won the World Series, beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in the best of nine series five games to two. Only a few years later in 1926, they finished second in the American League, three games back of the powerhouse Yankees. In 1929, they again finished in the first division, taking a third place finish a mere 30 games behind the Philadelphia Athletics.
Getting hitched when the Indians win the pennant
Alexander Hassenstein
At the start of the 1930 season then, it wasn’t all that far-fetched to think that the team had a fighting chance at the pennant. Which is why, when 24-year-old Indians fan Jack Legomsky got engaged to 21-year-old Esther Tetalman, a fellow Tribe follower, their engagement plan sounded only slightly crazy and not downright cuckoo.
The happy couple were not able to stick to their vow that season as the 1930 Indians finished 81-73, good enough for fourth place in the AL, 39 games behind the Athletics. In fact, the pair would have had to wait until 1948 if they wanted to live up to their promise, as Cleveland did not win another pennant until after the war, at which point Jack and Esther would have been 42 and 39 years old, respectively. If they did manage to keep their promise for 18 years, it would have been one of the most dedicated acts in baseball fandom.
A cursory glance at Ancestry.com shows that Jack and Esther were wed sometime between 1930 and 1934. That was probably the smart move for many reasons.
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