CLEVELAND — Beginning in May, more fans will be permitted to see the Cleveland Indians play in person, with the team announcing on Monday that it will increase the capacity at Progressive Field to 40 percent next month.
The Indians' announcement comes weeks after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that he was consolidating the state's coronavirus (COVID-19) related health orders. As a part of the decision, Gov. DeWine eliminated capacity limits for outdoor venues, including sports stadiums -- which were previously capped at 30 percent -- but said that social distancing measures would still be required.
"We didn't make a huge deal out of it, it was in the order, was we increased the size of the [seating] pods from six to 10 and at the same time, for outdoor, we took away capacity," DeWine said earlier this month. "But saying you take away capacity but you still have to have social distancing and you have pods of 10 instead of six -- the Reds, the Indians, the different minor league teams could tell you how that changes it.
"It changes it some. It could allow some more people in, but it's not going to dramatically change it because of the distancing requirements. At least that's how the baseball teams have explained it to me."
In addition to their capacity increase, the Indians announced that beginning with their homestand beginning on May 7, fans can be seated in "mixed pods," or pods consisting of multiple groups from separate parties. Per Ohio's new regulations, these pods will be capped at 10 people per pod.
All fans will continue to be required to wear a Center for Disease Control-recommended face mask while in the ballpark unless they are actively eating or drinking in ticketed seats.
Tickets for all Indians' home games in May will go on sale on May 3 at www.Indians.com/Tickets. Tickets will continue to be released on a weekly basis until a full capacity is permitted.
The Indians have also announced the following promotional calendar for May:
May 8 vs. CIN:
- 2021 Magnet Schedule courtesy of Progressive (All Fans)
May 21 vs. MIN:
- Sugardale Dollar Dog Night
- Fireworks presented by Dollar Bank
- $2 Pregame in the District presented by Miller Lite
May 22 vs. MIN:
- Sweatshirt-Material Blanket courtesy of Sysco Cleveland (10,000 Fans)
- $2 Pregame in the District presented by Miller Lite
May 23 vs. MIN:
- Kids Fun Day – in-game entertainment will be tailored towards kids. Will not include Kids Run the Bases or Family Deck activities until further notice.
May 28 vs. TOR:
- Sugardale Dollar Dog Night
- Fireworks presented by Wayside Furniture
- $2 Pregame in the District presented by Coors Light
May 29 vs. TOR:
- Stainless Steel Tumbler courtesy of Moen (10,000 Fans)
- $2 Pregame in the District presented by Coors Light
May 30 vs. TOR
- Kids Fun Day – in-game entertainment will be tailored towards kids. Will not include Kids Run the Bases or Family Deck activities until further notice.