CLEVELAND — The Guardians' 2024 season gets underway Thursday night in Oakland, but fans are already looking ahead to the home opener on April 8, which will air right here on WKYC.
Not only will the first game at Progressive Field take place following a total solar eclipse in Cleveland, but it will also mark the official on-field introduction of new manager Stephen Vogt at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario following a 10-game road trip. On Thursday, the club revealed more details regarding the day's festivities, including the return of a pair of franchise legends.
Former Cleveland Indians greats Corey Kluber and Michael Brantley will both take part in the ceremonial first pitch, according to a release from the organization. The two announced their respective retirements from baseball this past offseason following stellar careers in Cleveland and elsewhere.
The "player to be named later" in the infamous CC Sabathia trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, Brantley spent his first 10 big-league campaigns with the Tribe, batting .295 with three All-Star appearances during that stretch. He finished third in the voting for the American League's Most Valuable Player Award in 2014 after becoming the team's first player in 18 years to record 200 hits in a season.
After leaving Cleveland in free agency, Brantley spent his final five seasons with the Houston Astros, earning two more All-Star nods and a World Series ring in 2022. He was back in Texas Thursday for his second team's season opener and also threw out the first pitch.
Meanwhile, Kluber was acquired in a trade for another former All-Star in Jake Westbrook, and after an inauspicious start developed into one of the best starting pitchers in Indians history. A three-time All-Star himself across nine years, he won at least 18 games four times and tallied 220 or more strikeouts in five straight seasons, all while becoming the only man in franchise history to notch two Cy Young Awards.
Kluber bounced around after leaving the Tribe, and though he tossed a no-hitter in 2021 with the New York Yankees, injuries prevented him from regaining his form as an ace. He recorded an ERA over 7.00 with the Boston Red Sox a year ago before deciding to hang up his cleats.
Besides the return of the Prodigal Sons, NASA Glenn Research Center Chief of Staff Ra-Deon Sledge (an R&B singer in her off-hours) will perform both the national anthem and "God Bless America," keeping with the eclipse theme. The traditional military Color Guard will also take place, complete with a fly-over from the U.S. Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing out of Youngstown.
One other note: While gates to the ballpark will open at 2 p.m. for the 5:10 first pitch, fans will temporarily be barred from entering from 3:05-3:25 p.m. during the path of totality of the solar eclipse. Spectators are welcome inside the stadium during the event, but the Guardians are warning that the eclipse "won’t be visible from a significant portion of Progressive Field due to the sun’s location and ballpark architecture."