Game # 13-Progressive Field-Cleveland Guardians vs. Detroit Tigers

We have arrived in Cleveland and are joined by our dear friends, Tom and Kat Gelardi. We began the day with a trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which conveniently is located near the baseball stadium. We spent a few hours touring the building which held many exhibits on the roots of rock and roll. There are also exhibits on cities that have had a major impact on rock and roll such as Memphis, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle. They also have exhibits that focus on individual artists. Jim enjoyed seeing his favorite Neil Young and I was delighted to see the Elvis exhibit. They had a very extensive Beatles exhibit which held many artifacts such as pianos that Paul McCartney and John Lennon used to practice and write music. Interestingy, they had a giant hot dog hanging from the center of the entryway to the museum. Not sure what that is about but we just chalked it up to a welcome sign for Jim Bray the Hot Dog Man. See the picture on Instagram! All in all it was very well done and worth the side trip prior to the game. Now on to the ballpark which opened in 1994 as Jacobs Field but in 2008 Progressive Corporation bought naming rights for $58 million. Is that why my insurance is so pricey? Progressive Field has a capacity of 34,788 but this Monday evening the attendance was low with only 12,509 fans. The stadium reminded me a little of Camden Yards in Baltimore with kind of a retro-style. The ballpark has a nice view of the Cleveland city skyline but not nearly as impressive as PNC Park skyline in Pittsburg. The stadium has a steel design with several large white vertical light towers. At the entrance of the ballpark are statues of Bob Feller, who holds the record of three no-hitters; Jim Thome who holds the record of the longest home run hit at Progressive Field, 511 feet; Lou Boudreau, MVP in 1948; and Larry Doby, first African-American to play for the Indians. We made our way through the gates with plenty of time before the first pitch to explore the stadium. As we were walking Jim was stopped by an usher, James, who wanted to know about our shirts. He explained we were on a journey to see all the MLB ballparks this season. Then Jim asked him the most important question, "What is the BEST hot dog in the ballpark?" He proceeded to recommend the "Slider Dog" at Happy Dog. This hot dog has mac 'n' cheese, bacon and Fruit Loops! Yes, Fruit Loops!! He gave the "Slider Dog" a 7.0. See the reel on Instagram @ourfieldofdreams2023. My choice of food was a good old fashioned hamburger which was pretty tasty. We made our way to our seats before the National Anthem and met up with our friend and fellow MLB Roadtrip buddy, Guy. This might be the last game we are at together as he is moving at a faster pace than us. We hope our paths cross again! We were happy to have our longtime friends Tom and Kat Gelardi with us for game #13. They will also be with us for the Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers (their hometown) games. We were overjoyed to receive a gift from the Guardians Guest Relations Department delivered to our seats in response to the letter I sent explaining our stadium tour. They gave us Guardian water bottles, Jose Ramirez photo sticks and a very nice handwritten welcome note. Thank you Guardian Guest Relations! The Guardians started off the 1st inning with great momentum. Steve Kwan doubled, followed by Amed Rosario's single and then Jose Ramirez sacrifice hit to score a run. Score Guardians 1, Tigers 0. The 3rd inning was where it all blew open for the Tigers. It was singles by Andy Ibanez, Eric Haase, Zach McKinstry and Javier Baez along with a double by Nick Maton that drove in 3 runs. Score Tigers 3, Guardians 1. Once again the Tigers bats were swinging in the 4th inning with a single by Eric Haase and double by Riley Greene bringing in a run. Score Tigers 4, Guardians 1. The bottom of the 4th the Guardians opened the inning with a hard hit home run by Jose Ramirez. Score Tigers 4, Guardians 2. Then in the top of the 6th inning the Tigers put a home run on the board with Andy Ibanez hitting a screamer over the left field wall. Score Tigers 5, Guardians 2. The Guardians bullpen was struggling giving up four singles by Miguel Cabrera, Eric Haase, Zach McKinstry and Riley Greene in the top of the 8th inning bringing in another run. Score Tigers 6, Guardians 2. During the 8th inning a light drizzle began and Jim began his ploy to exit the game. One thing Jim knows is that I do not like leaving games early ever! So my subtle look gave him the answer to his ploy. Thank goodness because in the top of the 9th inning the BEST PLAY OF THE GAME took place. Tigers Nick Maton hit a foul ball that was caught by JIM BRAY! His first Major League Baseball foul ball ever caught. He was ecstatic and now I have even more ammunition to stay until the end of the game. What a way to end the game! Also, during the game just as our friend Tom wearing his Detroit baseball cap left for the bathroom, Jim, Kat and I made it on the big screen. We gave Tom a hard time upon his return and told him the cameraman had to wait for him to leave because of his Detroit hat. Well that's a wrap and our next stop is the Cincinnati Reds as they take on the New York Mets. Until next time PLAY BALL!