CLEVELAND, Ohio – Blame the subdued hangover from the Cleveland Guardians Game 1 loss on Tuesday, but the pregaming spirit was sluggish.
“I couldn’t even sell water,” a vendor who goes by Cowboy Tom said from his spot near East 4th Street and Bolivar Road. “People were like – they pulled the plug. They were deflated.”
About two hours before Wednesday’s game – a must-win for Cleveland – downtown reflected that malaise. Tuesday, the Guardians’ collective anemic offense, a pair of errors and tremendous pitching from Tigers starter Tarik Skubal all combined to cast a gray cloud over Cleveland. And that has a direct effect on local businesses.
“Jolene’s was slammed after Monday’s game,” said Hangry Brands’ Jason Beudert. “Jolene’s and Society Lounge (both on East 4th) are always going to get a crowd, but you always see a difference whether they win or lose. And it’s gorgeous. It’s just tough. I get it. Games in the middle of the week – it’s just the way it fell. We’re not complaining. It’s worth it to have games we would not be having on normal midweek days.”
Major media-market teams will always receive prime-time television slots, like Tuesday’s Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees Game 1, which began a couple of hours after the Tigers-Guardians game ended.
The pregaming crowd was light in the Gateway District and surrounding area. Harry Buffalo had a few people in it a couple of hours before the game. Like many places on East 4th, Mabel’s BBQ was opening at 11:30 a.m. – same time as Progressive Field gates were letting in fans. The vibe was nothing like a later-round postseason game. The lot near Rocket Arena and East 4th and Huron had a few vehicles but little life – no parties, no music, no DJs.
Normally, folks have to get to the park very early to claim the bragging rights of being first in line. But Josh Gaub, who works in global environmental auditing for Timken Co., arrived at 9:53 a.m. near the centerfield gates. Gaub, of Valley City, goes to about 10 games a year. His dad was a season-ticket holder since 1994 and passed away two years ago, but the family kept the tickets. Gaub started going to postseason games in 2016 for standing-room-only tickets.
“We’ve been doing this for so long, I love it,” he said. “My wife thinks I’m a little bit crazy. I said, ‘I’ve got to get in line first.’ ”
Gaub added: “My wife’s yelling at me, dropping the kids off at school and day care and she’s, ‘Calm down, it’s going to be fine.’ ‘You don’t understand, I’ve got to get down there.’ I could have come an hour later and I would have been fine. You never know. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Game 2 sights and sounds
Parking prices
Per usual for a big game or event downtown, parking prices resemble the stock market, with a big fluctuation. The highest is always the lot on East 9th between Sumner and Carnegie avenues at $80 – and this is for the Wild Card. If the team advances you can bet it will hit $100, which it has in the past for big events. Walk a few feet on Sumner and pay $70. Other spots: East 9th and Bolivar, $60; High Street and East 4th near Harry Buffalo, $60; East 9th and Erie Court, $50; The Ten60 Bolivar garage, $40. The deal to be had: The 999 garage at East 9th and Chester – $20.
Best dressed pooch
Dogtopia, the dog-daycare business on Euclid Avenue, was in the spirit. Its giant dog statue was adorned with a Cleveland Guardians scarf draped around its neck.
Optimist of the day
Leaving Tuesday’s game a woman walking down to the main concourse said: “Well, at least he’s not pitching the next two games.” The line for Skubal, the Tigers’ winning pitcher Tuesday: 7.2 innings pitched, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts, 1.17 ERA.
Jersey spotting
In our never-ending quest to track jerseys like some folks spot birds, we saw a bunch in and out of the ballpark Wednesday before the game. We saw jerseys of more former players than current ones: Travis Bazzana, Stephen Kwan, José Ramírez, Cade Smith, Tanner Bibee, Tim Herrin and Bo Naylor. Former ones: Francisco Lindor, Shane Bieber, Carlos Santana, Ricky Vaughn (fictional, but he counts), Brad Hand, Triston McKenzie, Jim Thome, Jason Kipnis, Mike Clevinger, Travis Hafner, Carlos Carrasco and Yan Gomes. Speaking of Gomes, the former Cleveland catcher threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 2. Gomes played for Cleveland from 2013 through 2018. His last season with the team was his sole All Star appearance.
A fine day for baseball
If you think this is great October weather, you’d be right. It was 71, sunny and breezy downtown at first pitch. To compare, Oct. 1 last year saw a high of 75 with a low 59 and a bit of precipitation.
Make some noise
In the top of the fourth, a close play at third was overturned in Cleveland’s favor, with Detroit’s Zach McKinstry called out. The decibel meter hit 96.7. That’s the equivalent of a subway train at 200 feet or a jackhammer or lawnmower close up.
Super Sunday
Should Cleveland advance to the next round, fans better pace themselves for a long day. Game 2 of the American League Division Series will be Sunday – time TBD – at Seattle. At 9:30 a.m. that morning, the Cleveland Browns will play the Minnesota Vikings in London.