Progressive Field
is a ballpark located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, and is the home of the Cleveland Indians of the American League. Along with Quicken Loans Arena, it is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. It was ranked as Major League Baseball's best ballpark in a 2008 Sports Illustrated
fan poll. [1]
The ballpark is informally referred to as The Jake
, based on its original name, Jacobs Field
(after former team owners Richard and David Jacobs). It was known by that name since its inaugural season in 1994, until it was changed to Progressive Field prior to opening day 2008.
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PROGRESSIVE FIELD (FORMERLY JACOBS FIELD) TICKETS
EVENT | DATE | AVAILABILITY |
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Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics Tickets 4/19 | Apr 19, 2024 Fri, 7:10 PM | | Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics Tickets 4/20 | Apr 20, 2024 Sat, 6:10 PM | | Cleveland Guardians vs. Oakland Athletics Tickets 4/21 | Apr 21, 2024 Sun, 1:40 PM | | Cleveland Guardians vs. Boston Red Sox Tickets 4/23 | Apr 23, 2024 Tue, 6:10 PM | | Cleveland Guardians vs. Boston Red Sox Tickets 4/24 | Apr 24, 2024 Wed, 6:10 PM | |
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History
1990s
In
1994, the ballpark opened under the name Jacobs Field as the new home of the Cleveland Indians, which had previously shared
Cleveland Municipal Stadium with the
NFL's
Cleveland Browns.
In May 1990,
Cuyahoga County voters approved a 15-year
sin tax on
alcohol and
cigarette sales in order to finance the new sports complex. In June 1992, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown at the site of the new Jacobs Field before construction of the building began. On
April 4,
1994, the Indians played their first game at the new stadium.
President Bill Clinton threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and the Indians defeated the
Seattle Mariners 4-3 in 11 innings.
In
1995, it hosted its first
World Series, which the Cleveland Indians lost to the
Atlanta Braves, and two years later was the site of the
1997 MLB All-Star Game and the host of the
1997 World Series, which the Cleveland Indians lost to the
Florida Marlins.
Prior to the start of the 1997 season, two sections of seating were added onto the ends of the
bleacher section, increasing the capacity by about 1,000 to its current 43,345.
2000s
In
2004, its
scoreboard, the largest free-standing scoreboard in the
United States, was modernized with the installation of the largest video display in the world at a sports venue, built by
Daktronics of
South Dakota. The video board measures high by wide. Also in 2004, a center field dining area located behind the seating, formerly occupied by auxiliary bleachers, was replaced with a bar area called the Batter's Eye Bar.
In
2007, the Cleveland Indians opened Heritage Park, a section honoring the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame, the 100 greatest Cleveland Indians players,
[2] memorable Indians moments, and a memorial plaque for
Ray Chapman that was originally installed in
League Park. It is located behind the center field wall, shielded by plantings so it doesn't interfere with the
batter's eye.
[3]
On
October 5,
2007, in the eighth inning of a playoff game against the
New York Yankees, a swarm of insects (believed to be
midges from
Lake Erie)
[4] enveloped the playing field, distracting relief pitcher
Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain walked
Grady Sizemore who later scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
[5] The incident became known as the "
Bug Game".
Renaming
Named for former team owners the
Jacobs brothers, the original naming rights expired at the end of 2006.
[6]
On
January 11,
2008, it was announced that
naming rights to the park had been bought by
Progressive Corporation, an
insurance company headquartered in nearby
Mayfield Village.
Removal of the iconic Jacobs Field sign on the front of the building began the morning of
January 18,
2008,
[7] with the replacement sign installed on
March 25,
2008.
[8] Progressive agreed to pay
$57.6 million for the naming rights for 16 years.
[9] [10]
Attendance record
The ballpark set a major league record between
June 12,
1995 and
April 4,
2001 by selling out 455 straight games.
[11] Demand for tickets was so great that all 81 home games were sold out before opening day on three separate occasions. The Indians "retired" the number 455 in honor of the sellout record.
Ballpark firsts
Statistic
| Person(s)
| Date
|
First Ceremonial First Pitch
| President Clinton to Sandy Alomar, Jr.
| April 4, 1994
|
First Hit
| Eric Anthony (Seattle Mariners), home run
| April 4, 1994
|
First Indians Hit
| Sandy Alomar, Jr., single to right field
| April 4, 1994
|
First Double
| Manny Ramírez
| April 4, 1994
|
First Triple
| Ken Griffey, Jr. (Seattle Mariners)
| April 7, 1994
|
First Home Run
| Eric Anthony (Seattle Mariners)
| April 4, 1994
|
First Indians Home Run
| Eddie Murray
| April 7, 1994
|
First Indians Run
| Candy Maldonado, scored on Manny Ramírez 2-run double in the 8th inning
| April 4, 1994
|
First Grand Slam
| Paul Sorrento
| May 9, 1995
|
First Inside-the-park home run
| David Bell
| April 15, 1998
|
First Winning Pitcher
| Eric Plunk
| April 4, 1994
|
First Save
| Hipólito Pichardo (Kansas City Royals)
| April 15, 1994
|
First Triple Play
| Casey Blake-Asdrúbal Cabrera-Víctor Martínez (5-4-3)
| August 27, 2007
|
First Unassisted Triple Play
| Asdrúbal Cabrera
| May 12, 2008
|
Photo gallery
References
- MLB Ballpark Rankings: Cleveland Indians
- Top 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Players. Cleveland State University Library.
- Briggs, David. Tribe cuts ribbon on Heritage Park, MLB.com. 2007-03-29.
- http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/10/midges_from_lake_erie_help_cle.html
- Bugs irritate Joba Chamberlain, Yankees
- Hoynes, Paul. Tribe fielding offers to rename Jacobs Field, ''The Plain Dealer'', May 24, 2006.
- Jacobs Field sign passes into history
- The Cleveland Indians unveil new Progressive Field sign
- Goodbye 'Jake'
- Indians find Progressive partner
- Indians' record-setting sellout streak over