CLEVELAND, Ohio - José Ramírez was the man behind the plate Sunday, but the day belonged to Paul Hoynes.
Before the Guardians opened against Kansas City, the longtime Plain Dealer and cleveland.com beat writer was honored for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America’s Career Excellence Award he received at the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 25. The ceremony gave Hoynes’ Cooperstown recognition a home at Progressive Field, where he has spent decades covering Cleveland baseball.
Hoynes, 75, has been on the beat for 43 years, starting in 1983 and tracking the franchise through Municipal Stadium and Progressive Field. In that span, he has covered three World Series appearances, countless October runs and more than 6,000 games. He also has logged 13 managers, 18 Opening Day starting pitchers and seven general managers, while collecting more bylines than anyone in Plain Dealer history.
The Guardians marked the occasion with a framed photo of Hoynes that will hang in the Progressive Field press box alongside other BBWAA honorees, including Cleveland writers Sheldon Ocker, Hal Lebovitz and Gordon Cobbledick. They also placed a bronze plaque with the BBWAA and Hall of Fame logos at Hoynes’ longtime press box seat.
Hoynes was on the field with his wife, Jackie, sons Ed and Jim, and their families. Guardians senior vice president of public affairs Bob DiBiasio and vice president of communications and community impact Curtis Danburg presented him with a trophy before Hoynes took the mound for the ceremonial first pitch.
Ramírez, a seven-time All-Star whose Hall of Fame case is still being built, was waiting to catch. “It’s always nice to have him around,” Ramírez said through Guardians interpreter Agustin Rivero. “He’s a fun guy.”
Ramírez then made sure Hoynes had something else to write about. He went 2 for 4 with four RBIs and hit his first home run since June 6 in Cleveland’s 11-1 victory.
For Hoynes, the afternoon tied together a career that has covered some of the franchise’s biggest moments and some of its hardest, from the 1990s powerhouse teams and three trips to the World Series to the 1993 spring training boating accident that killed pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews.
Hoynes grew up in Cleveland Heights reading the work of Hal Lebovitz, Bob August, Danny Coughlin and Chuck Heaton. More than four decades later, his own name now belongs in that same conversation - and in the Progressive Field press box, where his picture now hangs and his seat now carries his name.
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Guardians May Need To Act Fast On Two Core Extensions
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Cleveland Fans Have One Last Shot At September Ballpark Giveaways
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The appeal goes beyond the merch, too, because these events are built to pull in kids, families and casual fans who want a little extra around the baseball. With dates, start times, venue addresses and parking details all laid out, the only real question is which night becomes the must-hit stop for collectors trying to squeeze in one more ballpark trip this month. [Read more 🡒]