CLEVELAND – Opening Day has arrived, and the Indians will start their new season today against the Chicago White Sox at 3:05 p.m.
The crew at Progressive Field has been working around the clock to get the field ready for play and to welcome the sell-out crowd that will be in attendance. This will be the Indians 18th consecutive sell-out for the home opener.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early and get in their seats by 2:30 p.m. because of a pre-game ceremony that will begin at 2:30 p.m. As part of that tribute, the Indians will honor team great Bob Feller, who died on December 15. The Indians will also wear jerseys with Feller’s number 19 during the pregame introductions.
The number 19 will also be behind the pitcher’s mound, and the team will honor Feller with a video tribute before the game.
Another new element that the Indians will introduce today are some new food options. The Indians will offer the fried chicken and waffles, a Food Network steak sandwich, Major League Pizza and some new pork wings in a Caribbean sauce (a chef specialty).
“We try to change things up and give our fans the best food possible,” Progressive Field chef James Major said during an interview on NewsChannel5. “We’re just trying to elevate everything that we do and give fans the best experience possible when they come into the ballpark.”
With the arrival of the new season, the Indians are also releasing two new uniforms. The new jerseys feature block writing, one with “Indians” spelled out and the other with “Cleveland” written. Both of the hats for the new jerseys have a block letter “C,” as opposed to a Chief Wahoo.
The alternate home jersey has is a cream color, with a red hat, and the alternate road jersey is a gray jersey with a navy blue hat. All of the jerseys will feature a patch with Bob Feller’s silouette on the sleeve, and a number 19 patch for his number.
During Good Morning Cleveland on Friday, anchor Pete Kenworthy talked with marketing director Kurt Schloss about the uniform changes.
