Factory Of Sadness
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Indians Home Opener: 3 of the best moments from past seasons

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 24: Starting pitcher Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the third inning of the Opening Day game against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 24, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Royals 2-0. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 24: Starting pitcher Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the third inning of the Opening Day game against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on July 24, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians defeated the Royals 2-0. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Indians play their first game in the new Jacobs Field ball park, 02 April 1994, in Cleveland, Oh against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first offical game will be played 04 April, against the Seattle Mariners with U.S. President Bill Clinton throwing out the first pitch. (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images)
The Cleveland Indians play their first game in the new Jacobs Field ball park, 02 April 1994, in Cleveland, Oh against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first offical game will be played 04 April, against the Seattle Mariners with U.S. President Bill Clinton throwing out the first pitch. (Photo by JEFF HAYNES / AFP) (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /

The First

Say what you will but Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field) is one of the greatest ballparks in the history of the game. It opened officially on April 4, 1994, with an attendance of 41,459. The game started at 1:21 PM local time and lasted for nearly three and a half hours.

Fans also got to have arguably the best possible game to go along with such a monumental day. The Indians took on the Mariners and saw themselves down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 8th. Facing Hall of Fame pitcher, Randy Johnson, the Indians own Manny Ramirez doubled to left-field, scoring DH Candy Maldonado and Sandy Alomar.

The game would go into extras and in the top half of the 10th, Kieth Mitchell would drive in Ken Griffey Jr. to put the Mariners up 3-2.

An Omar Vizquel groundout tied the game back up in the bottom half of the 10th.

Finally, the walk-off was hit by Wayne Kirby, going to left-field against reliever Kevin King. It served as one of the best ways to ever close out not just the season’s Home Opener but the first-ever ball game played in the-then Jacobs Field.

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