If you ignore the W-L column, it was a great week for the Guardians.
While the number in the win column may tell you that the Guardians had a rough week, there’s still plenty to be proud of this week.
Pride at Progressive
In what was the first home game I’ve been able to attend this year, the Guardians celebrated Pride Month with a wealth of festivities and giveaways. Friday night was their annual pride celebration that included two major giveaways – one that included a pride flag jersey (for a special ticket price) and a pride t-shirt that was given to the first 10,000 fans. The festivities also included ceremonial first pitches by prominent LGBTQ+ figures in Cleveland, multiple photo opportunities, and Summer of Pride-themed fireworks at the end of the night. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many fans and employees were partaking in the festivities, it made for an extremely warm and welcoming environment all night. Here’s hoping the team continues to put this event on each year and highlight the LGBTQ+ community.
Fry Makes Season Debut
While this was technically last week, the Guardians activated utility player David Fry on May 31st after he recovered from right elbow reconstruction. He made his season debut the next day, and it hasn’t taken him long to get back on track. He had a breakout game Friday night, going 2-3 with a home run and a walk. After seven games so far this season, he’s hitting .200/.294/.400. If he can keep these numbers up through the heat of the season, he’ll be a vital component in the race to the pennant.
History in the Frontier League
While this isn’t technically Guardians news, it is Cleveland baseball news, and it’s definitely a positive. In Sunday’s Lake Erie Crushers game versus the Tri-City ValleyCats, Kelly Dine became the first female to umpire a game in Crushers Stadium. Not only is Dine an umpire, she is also a registered nurse, a Navy Lieutenant Commander, and a teacher. She has umpired Little League, NCAA Division I, and MLB Draft League games prior to the Frontier League. This was just another line in her amazing story.