The Cleveland Indians welcomed fans back into the ballpark for the first time since the end of the 2019 season yesterday. They ended up losing to the Kansas City Royals 3-0 in the home opener.
More than ten-thousand fans were on hand at Progressive Field. Even With the stadium partially filled, it still stood in stark contrast to last season when no fans were in the stands.
Logan Allen took the loss for the Tribe, giving up only two runs over five innings in a solid performance. A costly fielding mistake in the 2nd inning followed by a Whit Merrifield two-run home run ended up being the difference. The offense didn't help Allen at all.
One of those in attendance, Jon Grimm from Columbus has been looking forward to attending a game this year. It was hard for him to describe being back in the ballpark.
“Really, there’s no feeling. I can’t even describe it. I’ve been so much looking forward to returning to some form of normalcy and the Cleveland Indians baseball is something that I’ve missed most. Especially over the course of the last year,” Grimm said.
Another fan said that even with only a partially filled stadium and cooler weather than expected, it was still great to be back in the ballpark in person.
“I’m happy we’re back, out on the field again. That we’re here present at Opening Day,” said Cleveland's Ruben Santos.
