CLEVELAND — No, your eyes are not deceiving you.
On Thursday, photos began circulating on social media appearing to show blue seats being installed at Progressive Field in Cleveland. It was a jarring sight for some, as the current hunter green seats have been a staple of the ballpark since it opened in 1994.
It is well known by now that the Guardians are conducting an extensive renovation of the stadium, a $200-plus million project that will include what team President Chris Antonetti calls a heavy emphasis on "social experiences." With the field about to turn 30 years old, it makes sense that a basic upgrade in seating would be in order, although such plans had not been explicitly detailed before.
Indeed, even the Guards' video showing the final renderings for the renovations appeared to (albeit briefly) show the seats still in their green color. However the change in hue came about, 3News can confirm it is indeed happening, with our photographers snapping pictures of navy blue seats already in place along the first-base line with padded ones near home plate (and looking a lot darker in the daylight than in the original dawn photo).
Even the Guards themselves pretty much spilled the beans on X (formerly Twitter) using an old meme from the classic film "Old School."
So what's the timeline for the change? Well, according to The Athletic's Zach Meisel, the seats won't be fully switched over by Opening Day of next year, similar to the rest of the renovation project as a whole. That could make for a somewhat awkward color combo when Cleveland first takes the field in April.
Regardless, we'll certainly miss the old green, an overlooked yet wonderful feature dating back to the glory days of what used to be Jacobs Field in the late '90s. For now, as we process this news, we leave you with the vocal talents of Eiffel 65.