CLEVELAND — Baseball season is just about here and the Cleveland Guardians are continuing their preparations for Opening Day at Progressive Field.
On Wednesday, the Guardians announced the schedule of activities for the home opener against the Giants on April 15 at 7:10 p.m. 2,500 tickets still remain for the game and can be purchased by clicking here.
This year's home opener will be highlighted by the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Larry Doby breaking the color barrier in the American League. The recognition of Doby's milestone comes as Major League Baseball also will honor April 15 as Jackie Robinson Day.
Larry Doby's son, Larry Jr., will catch the ceremonial first pitch from two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks. Hanks has been a fan of Cleveland's baseball franchise since startind his acting career with the Great Lakes Theater Festival in the late 1970s. He also voiced the team’s name change announcement video back on July 23, 2021.
The National Anthem and God Bless America will be performed by Cleveland native Brianne Bryant, also known as Lady Bri, who also performs as a member of the band Welshly Arms. Bryant recently sang vocals for the Guardians new team music track “We Are Cleveland.”
Members of all six military branches – Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Space Force – will all be on hand for a joint color presentation, and a flyover will be performed by the 112th fighter squadron of the 180th fighter wing with a 4-ship of F-16s.
The Guardians Block Party will be held in Gateway Plaza and will begin when gates open to Progressive Field at 5:30 p.m. The Block Party, which will be open to the public, will feature DJ Kyro, the City Breaks dancing group, the Cleveland Strikers, Slider and the Dogs and more.
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