July 26, 2002
Tigers 8, Indians 5
W: Brian Powell
L: Charles Nagy
S: Oscar Henriquez
HR: Bobby Higginson (DET), Jim Thome 2 (CLE)
Attendance: 38,738
Time of Game: 2 hours, 58 minutes
Stadium Facts
Location: Cleveland, OH
First Game: April 4, 1994
Capacity: 43,368
Type: Open
Surface: Grass
The last stop on my ballpark tour in 2002 was Jacobs Field in Cleveland. All of the 2002 stops have been a little difficult to write about this far removed, however, this one was the hardest of all. Unlike the other four parks, this game was the only time I have every been to Jacobs Field. So not only do I not recall a lot about the game, I only have a vague recollection of the stadium itself. Hopefully I'll make it back there again soon, because it is a very nice park. I decided to attend this game since I was in the Cleveland area for a wedding the following day.
Not coincidentally, the transformation of the Cleveland Indians from the laughingstock of the league to a perennial contender occurred right around the time they moved from the "Mistake on the Lake", Cleveland Municipal Stadium, to Jacobs Field (renamed to Progressive Field prior to the 2008 season). The Indians grew accustomed to playing in front of tiny crowds at the old stadium, but that changed drastically. From June of 1995 through April of 2001, the Indians had 455 consecutive sellouts, a MLB record that was recently broken by the Red Sox. During that span, the Indians won five consecutive division championships ('95-'99) and two American League pennants ('95 and '97). The Indians don't draw quite that well any longer, however the franchise is still in significantly better shape than it was prior to 1994.
The Jake is located near downtown Cleveland in the same complex as the Cavaliers arena. It is one of several downtown sports complexes in the country. The open design of the outfield provides a view of the downtown skyline from many of the seats, much like Detroit and several other parks. The most recognizable part of the park is left field. Above the very tall left field wall is a huge section of bleachers. The wall is somewhat reminiscent of the Green Monster in Fenway, but not nearly as large. Behind the bleachers is an enormous scoreboard. It was the largest free-standing scoreboard in the country until Nationals Park in DC exceeded the mark last year.
There are a number of places along the concourse, particularly in the outfield, for people to stand and watch the game. The layout of the seating area is quite unique. Three levels of boxes and suites stretch around a good portion of the park. Since there is no intermediate seating level in most areas, the upper deck seats are closer to the field than in some other parks. The club level seats on the first base side look like great seats. However, the seats in the third level in right field are a very long ways from the action.
I sat in one of the last rows of the lower level in right field. It would have been a great place to be if it was raining because the second level completely covers the last several rows. But I was just as glad there was no rain this night.
This was an ugly game for Indians pitchers, especially starter Charles Nagy. Nagy was knocked out of the game in the fourth inning after surrendering a dozen hits and six earned runs. The Tigers scored two in the top of the first on a double by the previously mentioned (Miller Park review) Italian sausage abuser, Randall Simon. Most of the Tigers damage was done in the fourth inning. Nagy surrendered five consecutive hits in the inning before being relieved. Robert Fick's double gave the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
The Indians got back in the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth off Tigers starter Brian Powell. The teams swapped solo home runs in the sixth (Bobby Higginson for the Tigers and Jim Thome for the Indians) to make it 7-4. The last run of the game came via Thome's second home run of the game in the bottom of the 8th. The 470 foot bomb to right field might have been the longest home run I have ever seen in person. It sailed into the seats a level above me. Oscar Henriquez retired the Indians in order in the 9th to pick up his second, and final, career save. The Tigers won 8-5. Detroit tallied 19 hits, including seven doubles. Their 3-4-5 hitters (Higginson, Simon, Fick) each had four hits.
Neither of these teams were very good in 2002. The Tigers win was just their 39th of the season (with 62 losses). The Indians dropped to a disappointing 44-57 for the defending AL Central Champions. Jim Thome's two home runs gave him 30 for the season. He caught fire the rest of the year and finished with a career high 52 home runs. This was his final season with the Indians before heading to Philadelphia via free agency.
I definitely want to make it to another game in Cleveland soon. If for no other reason, so I can replace the awful photos below. Leaving the ballpark that night, I dropped my camera, exposing the film to light. Thus, almost all the photos I took were ruined. The two below were the only ones not completely lost. I suppose I could replace them with photos other people took, but I'd rather make all the photos personal shots. This led me to purchase a digital camera prior to my 2003 trip.
This wraps up my 2002 tour. It was spread out over two months and a wide geographic area. This was the only year I didn't take a trip specifically for the purpose of going to baseball game(s). 2003 was a completely different experience as you will soon see.
Photo Album
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Next stadium: Yankee Stadium, New York
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