5 Progressive Field secrets that should be known to all fans of the Cleveland Indians.
Progressive Field turned 26 in 2020, and what a run it’s been. The ballpark is still one of Major League Baseball’s crown jewels, a retro throwback to when baseball stadiums were cathedrals.
The ballpark’s hosted 455 consecutive sell outs and two All-Star games. It’s played host to 19 postseason series, including three World Series. The Corner has seen seen a pretty stellar run, considering old Municipal Stadium had gone 39 years without seeing playoff game the Indians stopped playing there in 1993.
Progressive Field has undergone several upgrades and renovations, especially in the last 10 years as the current ownership keeps the park up with the times.
Noticeable changes include the nosebleed seats being torn out of right field, in addition to upper box seats being moved from behind home plate. Plus, there’s the The Corner, which fosters a bar-like atmosphere just beyond right field.
The Indians’ lease at Progressive Field is up in three years, but expectations are that baseball will continue to be played on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario for a long time.
As with every ballpark, Jacobs Field, or Progressive Field, has it’s fair share of secrets, and these five especially, should be of particular interest.
1. A history older than Cleveland
For hundreds of years, the location of modern-day Progressive Field was used as a Native American burial ground, according to Cleveland.com.
In the late 19th century, Cleveland’s city council approved the location of the Central Market, to be situated on the intersection of Ontario, Woodland and Broadway.
By 1890, the market was, well, not a place you’d like to go. Historians from Case Western University wrote that it had become antiquated, and “lacked sanitary facilities.” The market house remained and was said to have become a safety and health hazard. The markethouse burned to the ground in 1949, 14 months after the Indians won their last World series.
The market persevered, though, as it still functioned until 1981, when it had fewer than 40 tenants. Interestingly, it was sold to the Domed Stadium Corp. in 1986. Alas, Clevelanders know that venture didn’t work out, and the market was finally razed and became a part of the Gateway Project two years later.
Elsewhere on the grounds, back in 1903, a Salvation Army Citadel hotel would’ve stood in the spot now occupied by centenaries field, while Eagle School stood on the street of the same name. Many of you will know Eagle St. at the street that runs behind the scoreboard and the home run porch.
In 1992, Charles Nagy and Mel Harder famously brought the past together with the future in this photo op set up by the Indians.
2. Design dedicated to Cleveland
While Factory of Sadness favorite I.M. Pei was capturing rebellion in the design of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, architects of Progressive Field sought to capture the essence of Cleveland in their design.
That’s why, you’ll notice a lot of exposed steel throughout the stadium, as the architects tried to blend the the retro re-do into Cleveland’s skyline.
The designers took it further, by adding vertical light towers, which further blended with the city’s skyscrapers. The lights are meant to resemble smoke stacks from the town’s industrial hey day.
The ballpark has undergone major renovations since it opened, but for the most part, the consensus is that Progressive Field has withstood the test of time.
Then known as Jacobs Field in 1994, the stadium came just after Baltimore’s Camden Yards, as ballparks started trending back to being traditional baseball cathedrals. The 1960s and 1970s saw stadiums flourish as multi-purpose use facilities.
That’s how it worked with Municipal Stadium, as the old Mistake by the Lake was a great place to watch a Browns game, but a cavernous experience for the 5,000 people who showed up to catch a Tribe game.
Other notable cookie cutter stadiums included Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers, Cincinnati’s Riverfront and Philadephia’s Veteran’s Stadium.
3. The one retired number that isn’t in the HOF
The Cleveland Indians have set forth some guidelines when it comes to retiring a number of having a statue built at Progressive Field. The player who is to be honored this way must be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
If you look up to the right-field nosebleeds, you’ll see No. 3 (Earl Averill), No. 5 (Lou Boudreau), No. 14 (Larry Doby), No. 19 (Bob Feller), No. 20 (Robinson), No. 21 (Bob Lemon) and No. 25 (Jim Thome).
But one sticks out that won’t be found in Cooperstown: No. 18, which was worn by Tribe great Mel Harder. DiBiasio is on the record, stating Harder should be in Cooperstown and he may have a point. Harder has a lifetime 223-186 record, and he totaled double-figure victories 14 times in his career.
So, why’s Harder the exception to the rule? Indians PR ace Bob DiBiasio explained to Cleveland.com that it’s because Harder played 20 seasons for the Tribe, and then coached for 16 more. Thirty-six years with franchise. That’s loyalty.
This nugget came to light when some fans tried to get a movement going for a statue to be built of Rocky Colavito, the former Tribe grade who was a fan favorite during the mid-to-late 1950s.
As for statues, the Indians have five bronze memorials honoring franchise legends. There’s three outside the ball park (Doby, Boudreau and Feller) Then, inside the gates, you’ll find Jim Thome, while Frank Robinson awaits you in Heritage Park.
A Cleveland.com article noted that the rules for statues are as follows:
"The general rule for the future, we’re told, will be this: Statues of players who did not play in Progressive Field will be outside the gates while those of players who have competed in the stadium will be inside the gates."
This article was published three months after the Tribe unveiled a statue of Robinson in Heritage Park, which of course, is inside the gates. Robinson, of course, played and managed at old Cleveland Stadium. I suppose a case could be made that Robinson competed against the Tribe during the Progressive Field Era, albeit it didn’t happen in Cleveland.
Robinson’s Montreal Expos took two of three from the Tribe in Canada during the 2002 campaign.
Feller was the first statue at Progressive Field, dating all the way back to the park’s inception back in 1994. He’s probably the franchise’s greatest all-time player, having amassed 266 career wins in a career that was paused as The Heater from Van Meter missed two of his prime years to fight in World War II.
Boudreau is one of two men to manage the Indians to the World Series championship, the other was some guy named Tris Speaker, who was also a player manager. Hey Tito, grab a glove!
Back in 1948, Boudreau wasn’t just filling out lineups, he was the MVP of baseball. He finished his career with a .295 average, accompanied by 1,779 hits and 789 RBIs.
Doby was the first African-American to play in the American League just a couple months after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Dodgers in April of 1947.
In October of 1948, Doby was a big reason the Indians were able to stomp out the Braves in six games, as he hit .318 with a .500 slugging percentage. His number was retired in a memorable ceremony in 1995.
4. The Chapman plaque
The Indians pay homage to their history in center field’s Heritage Park, but the plaque of Ray Chapman is of particular historical significance.
Chapman is the only Major League to be killed during a game, Aug. 17, 1920.
The plaque was thought to be displayed where the Indians used to play, at League Park on Lexington Street, on the east side. The Indians started playing games at Municipal Stadium in 1932, and the plaque made the trip, as well.
Eventually, it went missing, and the theory is that it went into storage in in the 1970s, possibly in an equipment room. The plaque persevered, though, making the journey to Jacobs Field, where it was unearthed in 2007.
Team historian Jeremy Feador views the piece as more artifact, than plaque, via Cleveland.com.
"“Plaques are cool, but this one is directly tied to the Chapman incident…it’s a direct connection to lost balllparks that are no longer standing, to players no longer here.”"
This August marks the 100th anniversary of Chapman’s death. He’s buried in Lake View Cemetery, which sits three miles from the location of old League Park. You’ll recognize his grave, as fans tend to leave baseballs behind on Chapman’s headstone.
5. Bob Feller’s museum
You may not know it, heck, I didn’t know it, but when the Terrace Club is now open to the public (who have a ticket to the game) and that’s not even the best part.
On the third floor of the that windowed mystery down the third base line is a home to artifacts and exhibits previously housed at the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, IA. Feller, of course, was from the small town and hosted baseball royalty at the museum that bared his name.
After Feller died, the museum eventually closed and all of the cool things Feller amassed throughout his life where shipped to Cleveland.
One of the most notable items living in the terrace club may be Feller’s bat, which Babe Ruth leaned against in the famous photo, entitled “The Babe Bows Out,” taken during Ruth’s last appearance at Yankee Stadium.
Feller’s opening day no-hitter glove is there, as is the mitt Feller’s dad used on the Feller farm to catch that infamous heater.
The Indians have tried to do more with history, evidenced by the outdoor museum celebrating the best players in the franchise’s history.
As one of the American League’s oldest franchises, it would be cool to see the Indians take the museum a step farther.
Down I-71 in Cincinnati, the Reds host the best team museum in the big leagues. The Redstockings were the first team in organized baseball, making it easy for the casual fan to get for hours on the Ohio River.