CLEVELAND — T-minus 48 hours until Opening Day at Progressive Field!
A lot has changed with Cleveland's Major League Baseball team over the past year, notably the new name of Guardians. But with America's pastime set to return to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario Friday night, what are some of the other recent developments fans can expect to see at the stadium?
For starters, the team has welcomed several delicious new food items to its roster, helping complement the wide array of local eateries located around the concourse. These include:
- The Southwest Burger at Build a Burger
- Chicken and waffle at Fat Rooster
- Plant-based nachos at the Tostitos Nachos stands
- A mac and cheese bowl at Melt Bar and Grilled
- The pork mac and cheese cone at Throwin' Smoke BBQ
- The Wisconsin brat Burger at Brew Kettle
- The Southside Slope Sandwich at Fat Heads
- The footlong chili dog at Cleveland Dogs 'n Shakes
"We always put the fans as a focus of our actions, and every decision we make is always about the fan," Guardians representative Curtis Danburg said. "When you think about baseball, you think of food. Obviously, you have to have the classics; you have to have Cracker Jack, you have to have hot dogs, but it's fun to kind of wrinkle in some new items."
Staying on the food front, those wishing to avoid the long lines can now order from 10 different stands and walk to pick up their cuisine when ready. This expands from six locations in 2021, and can be done through the MLB Ballpark app.
Two refreshment areas will only accept mobile orders, while eight others will also take walk-ups. They are:
- Hometown Sausages (section 171) – Hybrid
- Kosher Dogs (section 164) – Mobile only
- Great Lakes Bar (section 164) – Hybrid
- Gluten Free Stand (section 153) – Hybrid
- Ballpark Classics (section 149) – Hybrid
- Charred Dog (section 121) – Hybrid
- Harvest & Grounds (section 139) – Hybrid
- Miller Bar (section 138) – Hybrid
- Sausages & Dogs (section 119) Mobile only
- Ballpark Classics (section 556) – Hybrid
Back to the name change, the team shop is now stocked full with brand new Guardians gear, including home white jerseys and road gray and blue jerseys. The organizations says red home jerseys are expected to be available sometime before the end of May.
Finally, a change that comes after tremendous fan feedback: After not allowing most larger bags inside Progressive Field in 2021, spectators will once again be able to bring in bags that do not exceed 16 inches on either side and eight inches deep left to right. Additionally, all manufactured diaper bags will be permitted, and special "no bag" ticket lanes will be placed at the left and right field gates so some fans won't have to deal with slower lines.
First pitch for Friday's sold-out home opener against the San Francisco Giants is set for 7:10 p.m.