Welcome to Progressive Field! The home of the Cleveland Guardians, formerly the Cleveland Indians. If you haven't guessed, the ballpark sits on the corner of Carnegie Ave and Ontario Street, which is the reason for the cache name. Now for some history.
Progressive Field opened in 1994 then known as Jacobs Field a.k.a. The Jake. Whether it was the shiny new ball park or the talent of the Cleveland Indians, this ball park created some early magic. One year after it opened, it hosted the 1995 World Series. It did so again in 1997. From 1995 to 2001, fans attending the games sold out 455 straight games, an incredible feat. By 2008, Progressive Insurance entered a deal for the naming rights to the stadium, replacing the lovable Jacob's Field moniker. The ball park did not host another world series until 2016 and it hosted the 2019 All Star Game.
An excerpt from Wikipedia: "Since moving to Progressive Field, the Indians/Guardians have won 11 Central Division titles, three American League pennants and have hosted playoff games in 13 different seasons. In the 1997 season, it became one of the few facilities in baseball history to host the MLB All-Star Game and games of the World Series in the same season."
It was this park and this team that caused me to fall in love with the game of baseball. I've been there for many incredible moments, memories, and games that make me smile when I think about them. It's only fitting in it's 30 year anniversary that I place a virtual here. I hope you enjoy your visit as much as I do each time I set foot at the gates.
I took the above photo at the 2019 All Star Game.
Logging Requirements: In order to claim a smiley, please answer the following questions below and send your answers to me. You do not need to buy a ticket to answer these questions as all answers can be obtained outside the gates.
1) Near the posted coordinates are three statues of legendary Indians players. From the plaque at the Lou Boudreau statue, what are the 7 offensive categories that Lou ranks in the top ten of?
2) Now visit the Robert (Bob) Feller statue. Near the bottom of the base on the side that faces the corner of E. 9th Street and Eagle Avenue, there are 7 stats engraved. Please pick any three of those stats and tell me their displayed numbers.
3) Take a look at the plaque on the Larry Doby Statue. What did Doby do in Game 4 of the 1948 World Series?
4) Walk just across Eagle Ave to the stone letters near the trees. Please tell me what they spell out?
5) Take a photo of yourself or a personal object you have on you with one of the three statues you got your answers from and include it in your log, but don't include the plaques with the answers. If you actually attend a game, you may still use the three statues or you can use the the Jim Thome statue inside the park. IMPORTANT: Previous photos of yourself with the statues DO NOT COUNT. They must be taken the day you visited to complete this virtual. Logs without photos will be given a friendly reminder to upload a photo. If a photo is not uploaded within 7 days of the reminder, the log WILL BE DELETED. Group photos are allowed, but everyone will need to upload the photo to be sure the log has the required photo.
Optional: If you are ambitious and want to see a great view of the city, the Guardian statues, and don't mind a little hike, go to the listed waypoint on the Hope Memorial Bridge. This is the best location on the bridge for the full view. It's also fantastic to see at night with the city all lit up. If you do choose to visit this location and take a photo, I would hope you would include it with your log.
Most nearby parking is paid only. There are some free spots, but they have restricted hours. If your willing to walk 8-10 minutes, there's free parking on Walnut Avenue. Please be mindful of all signage in the area and park legally if you don't want a ticket.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.