Connecting with the Cleveland Guardians
Today, June 20th, I had a jam packed day. After getting some much needed sleep I made my way to downtown Cleveland to watch a day game rubber match between two division leaders, the Cleveland Guardians and the Seattle Mariners. These are two teams that have been known for their pitching in the past. Seattle still is a pitching factory this year, but Cleveland’s rotation has not been as strong as years past. Where Cleveland has changed their approach is on the offense. And boy, did I get to see some offense.
Wearing their sleek City Connect Uniforms the Guardians launched two home runs on their way to a 6-3 victory over the Mariners. Coming into the game I was expecting the Mariners to get the best of the Guardians. The Ms had their ace pitcher, Luis Castillo, on the mound. Castillo did not look sharp with a pitching line of 5IP, 8 hits, 2 walks, and only 4 strike outs. The four players I paid most attention to were Josh Naylor, Steven Kwan, and Jose Ramirez on the Guardians and Julio Rodriguez on the Mariners. Sadly J-Rod did not hit well and did not have the opportunity to make any big plays in center field. Steven Kwan brought his batting average up to .400 with a lead off double in the first inning and Josh Naylor racked up some hits. My favorite player to watch was J-Ram by far. While he did not have a hit his at-bats were extremely competitive. Ramirez worked a walk towards the end of the game and had a fantastic steal of 2nd base. J-Ram does not look like the most athletic player but he excels on both sides of the ball and is a fantastic runner.
When we got to the end of the game the hottest closer in the game came out to put the Mariners to rest. Emmanuel Clase currently holds a 0.77 ERA and a 540 ERA+ (5x more effective than the average pitcher). By this time I had moved to sit nearly behind home plate. Clase mostly works with a cutter that sits at 99mph and a slider that it in the high 80s. I could feel the force when the catcher received the cutter. His cutter was blinding at that distance, I can’t imagine how much scarier it must be when you’re in the batter’s box. It was electric to see arguable the best closer this season.
Progressive Field itself feels modern, sleek, and clean. It almost felt too clean and lacks history. The large scoreboard in center field is distracting. For its size it feels like it should have more advanced statistics than it provided. The highlights of the ballpark were the food and Heritage Park. When it comes to the food the hot dogs are fantastic, but you NEED to top them with the stadium mustard. Heritage Park was similar the Yankee’s monument park, but it also highlighted the long history of black athletes and the many Negro League teams that called Cleveland their home. The most interesting monuments were dedicated to Satchel Paige and Frank Robinson (the first black manager in the MLB).
After the game I walked across the city to see Lake Erie and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As I am writing this I am watching the Cardinals and Giants face off at Rickwood Field. Rickwood is the oldest professional ballpark in the country and was home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. The recently passed Willie Mays made Rickwood’s centerfield his home at just 17 years old. It’s fitting to experience this game ahead of my trip to Kansas City. Kansas City is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and I absolutely plan on making a stop there.
Just two stadiums into the trip it is unbelievable to learn more about not only the history of this sport but also the unique connections each city has with the game.
