Cleveland wins last home game before name change
CLEVELAND – Cleveland won its last home game before becoming the Guardians, beating the Kansas City Royals 8-3 on Monday to close a run that started in 1915 and will continue next season with a new identity.
Amed Rosario homered and Cal Quantrill pitched six strong innings to delight a Progressive Field crowd of 13,121 that came to see their team Clevland played one last time under its old name. Rosario finished with four hits and three RBIS.
Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer homered off his brother, Kansas City reliever Kyle Zimmer, in the eighth.
Salvador Perez drove in two runs for the Royals.
The home finale was the club’s final game in Cleveland as its old name, ending a 106-year run in a city where the name will forever be attached to those of legendary players like Bob Feller, Larry Doby and Jim Thome.
The team announced the name change earlier this year in the wake of a nationwide reckoning over racist names and symbols. For some, the change was overdue. Others still aren’t ready.
Cleveland won two World Series (1920 and 1948) under the old name, and came close to winning it all in 1995, 1997 and 2016 only to twice lose in heartbreaking fashion. Now, baseball’s longest current title drought carries on under a new name.
Monday’s matinee was a makeup from a rainout last week.
The adjustment allowed fans who wouldn’t have otherwise attended to catch history, and there were lines at the ballpark’s ticket office – an uncommon sight for a team that has struggled with attendance.
Once Cleveland plays its 2021 finale in Texas on Oct. 3, there will be a transition period before the name officially changes to Guardians. The switch to Guardians has begun. For Monday’s game, there were 2022 schedules featuring the team’s new scripted logo stacked in the back of the press box.