Cleveland kicked off the home opener of its 123rd season on the kind of brisk, early-spring, day that can feel colder than a blizzard when you're in a baseball stadium. But the sun was shining and the crowd on hand was enthusiastic for another season of baseball at Progressive Field. Some of the most ecstatic were the ones in the increasingly popular standing section.
After last season's young team took the league by storm, winning 92 games and making it all the way to the fifth game of the American League Division Series (ALDS), expectations for this year's team couldn't be higher.
"We're trying to get the standing room seats– well not seats, because we're standing" Clevelander Anthony Alford said with a laugh, "but it's a good time down there. So we want to get in and get the momentum from last year's playoffs. So it should be a fun time."
Alford and his girlfriend were among the many fans who lined up more than four hours before the game started to get the exact standing-area space they wanted for the game.
Youngstown friends Mike Hagyari and Adam Buser were the very first in line for the standing section. They had their sights set on a very specific spot.
“We’re super early. We bought the standing room only tickets, and we're trying to get the best spot by the right field foul pole," Hagyari said. "It's one of those things. It's opening day. It's right there by the field. I mean, this is Christmas morning for a lot of us Cleveland sports fans. So we just want to try to get one of the best seats in the house.”
Among those in the stands was a beaming Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs star was at the game and posed for pictures while conversing with fans. Also spotted at the game was Cavs center Robin Lopez, and Clevelander and Super Bowl champion, Travis Kelce, who threw out the opening pitch.
The day didn't go totally according to plan, with the Guardians letting an early 3-0 lead slip away. Seattle won the game 5-3 with some powerful offense in the middle innings. Still, even late in the game on a chilly day with the team losing, spirits in the standing section couldn't have been brighter.
"Go Guardians," shouted Kelly Kern, a Cleveland area teacher who was in the standing section with a group of friends. This is her 15th home opener.
"It's really different after COVID. But it's my first year with the Guardians, and I love the standing room seats. I love it," said Kern.
The Guardians offered a new promotion this year offering standing section access for all home games for $49 a month. Also new for this season are the betting options at the stadium and the cashless payment options that allow fans to get back to their seats in a hurry, to beat the new pitch clock rule that is speeding up the game.
"I've always been here, every year," said Kern.
The Guardians didn't bring home the win, but they're still off to a strong start to the season at 5-3. The Guardians remain at home for their next five games.
