Guardians fans got a little of everything around Progressive Field on Thursday: a sun-splashed afternoon, an early first pitch after the start time was pushed up from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. because of rain later in the day, and a crowd that showed up ready to make noise for Game 3 of the Tampa Bay-Cleveland series.
The weather did its part, too. Temperatures reached the mid-60s with no clouds in sight, and the ballpark had the feel of a playoff gathering built for long before first pitch.
Gateway Plaza was busy an hour ahead of the game, with 15-year-old Brady Lorince performing pop-rock songs for the early arrivals. She fronted a five-piece band and played close to the left-field gates, where fans were also finding a beer stand between Progressive Field and Rocket Arena and a Guardians Gear kiosk near the entrance.
Inside the stadium, the volume climbed fast. The decibel meter unofficially cracked 90 when Guardians starter Gavin Williams recorded the third out in each of the first two innings.
It went above 94 when he struck out Taylor Walls to finish the third, then jumped to 98.9 when Petey Halpin launched a home run into the right-center seats. That level, over time, can cause permanent hearing damage.
Guardians fans probably would not mind much if it comes with a Cleveland win.
There was also plenty of business happening around the game. Great Lakes Brewing Co. owner Pat Conway said he tries to share a pint with Paul Dolan at the start of every Guardians season.
With the postseason underway, he reached out to the team owner and told him, “I think we need another pint to get through the postseason.” The timing is packed for both men, with Cleveland in the American League Championship Series and Great Lakes staging its annual First Pour party Thursday morning to introduce Christmas Ale.
The crowd itself reflected the moment. Austin Controulis of the Guardians’ communications team, who made the trip south, estimated that 30 percent of the fans in Tropicana Field in St.
Petersburg were backing Cleveland in the first two games of the series. Back home, the mix at Progressive Field leaned heavily red and white, with only a small number of Rays jerseys visible.
Before the game, almost 20 different jerseys turned up outside the ballpark and along the concourse, and Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn was among the popular choices.
The most unusual jersey belonged to Nick Cekosh, who wore a Brewers jersey and cap. Cekosh, from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was in Cleveland for a planned visit to see his girlfriend in her hometown.
He said he’s pulling for a Brewers-Guardians World Series. “That’s what I’m hoping for,” he said.
“All the Guardians fans have been supportive - ‘Yeah, beat the Dodgers.’ Figured I’d stand out a little bit.”
He also works for Northwestern University, though he didn’t weigh in on the Ohio State-Northwestern game scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14.
The ceremonial first pitch also had a local twist. Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell took the mound for the moment, and his father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., works in the front office for the New York Mets.
Not long before the first pitch, the 50-50 raffle benefiting Cleveland Guardians Charities had already climbed past $7,000. A worker said it reached about $35,000 during an American League Division Series game against Chicago.
And for anyone who likes a ballpark soundtrack, there was one more familiar note in the air: “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” the walkup song for Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter, still sending fans into chorus as they sang along.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 deal that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay keeps looking like the kind of move Cleveland would love a do-over on. Caminero has since climbed into the top-prospect conversation and flashed the sort of impact that makes front offices wince in hindsight, while the Guardians return, pitcher Tobias Myers, has not produced nearly the same kind of major league value.
New reporting adds another layer to the regret. Before the clubs settled on Caminero, the Rays had reportedly pushed for other Cleveland minor leaguers, including Xzavion Curry, before the trade was finalized. Currys own big league path has been modest, which only sharpens the sense that the Guardians may have been closer than they knew to losing even more from a system that was already asked to give up a lot. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Cleveland An October Edge Few Teams Have
Gavin Williams keeps looking more like a October specialist than a young starter still carving out his place in a rotation. He struck out nine batters in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, helping the Guardians grab a 2-1 series lead and once again giving Cleveland the kind of frontline dominance that can tilt a postseason series. Through five career playoff starts, Williams has piled up 44 strikeouts, a rate that puts him in rare company in MLB history.
The broader picture is what has made this run so valuable for Cleveland. Williams has struck out 33 batters in 16 2/3 innings this October, and every outing seems to reinforce the same idea: the Guardians have a starter who can miss bats when the margin is smallest. For a team trying to turn October into something bigger, that kind of edge is hard to overstate, and it leaves the rest of the league waiting to see just how far this stretch can go. [Read more 🡒]
Vogts Bold Espino Trust Could Change Clevelands October Ceiling
Stephen Vogt showed plenty of trust in his pitching staff in a postseason game when he lifted Gavin Williams after five innings and went to Daniel Espino, a move shaped as much by workload management as by the inning in front of him. Williams had done his part, and Vogt clearly had bigger October considerations in mind, choosing to preserve the starter for what could come later if the Guardians keep advancing.
Espino rewarded that confidence by handling the Rays lineup and striking out Junior Caminero, another sign he can be more than just a situational arm if Cleveland needs answers against tough right-handed bats. For a club trying to stretch its October run beyond the usual limits, those kinds of decisions can matter just as much as the box score, because they hint at how far Vogt is willing to push when the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]