CLEVELAND — It may be the biggest football weekend of the year, but with the 2020 baseball season fast approaching, the Cleveland Indians are ushering in the excitement with Tribe Fest at the Huntington Cleveland Convention Center Saturday.
3News streamed live two sessions of interviews with the players and coaches, starting at 10 a.m./ET with “What’s New” co-hosts Jay Crawford and Betsy Kling anchoring the morning coverage.
During the afternoon session, which started at 1:30 p.m./ET, sports anchor Nick Camino and wkyc.com columnist Bud Shaw anchored the second half of our coverage on our Facebook and YouTube pages, in addition to the live stream on the site.
In the morning session, Crawford and Kling interviewed Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, as well as standout players from the 2019 season: shortstop Francisco Lindor, starting pitchers Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale, All-Star first baseman Carlos Santana and outfielder Oscar Mercado.
During the second session, Camino and Shaw spoke with starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac, as well as returning outfielder Bradley Zimmer and manager Terry Francona.
Along with autograph sessions and the ability to listen to the interviews as they happen, fans attending Tribe Fest will have the opportunity to take part in several interactive displays, as well as watch how bats are made at The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory’s Mobile Museum display.
Photos: Tribe Fest 2020
This year, the interactive exhibit will give fans the opportunity to “hold a piece of history” by getting to handle and look at game-used bats from current and former Indians players, including Hall of Famers Eddie Murray, Jim Thome and Larry Doby.
Doby’s bat was used in the World Series.
Bats from Sandy Alomar Jr., Joe Carter, Omar Vizquel, Santana and Kenny Lofton also will be a part of the exhibit.
For fans looking to see how bats are made, Hillerich and Bradsby Co. will have their craftsman use a hand-turning lathe to showcase the “old-fashioned” way of manufacturing. Hillerich and Bradsby Co. has made Louisville Slugger bats since 1884.
In addition to holding the bats of legends and seeing their creation, fans can win one-of-a-kind items like a personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bat.
