Progressive Field had the October charge of a full house Saturday night, and Cleveland’s 2-0 Game 5 win over the White Sox sent the Guardians through to the American League Championship Series. Two familiar faces from the city’s wider sports scene were in the stands for the clincher: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Kelce watches his hometown club move on
Kelce, a Cleveland Heights native and longtime Guardians supporter, had a clear opening in his football calendar to make the winner-take-all Division Series game. Kansas City is on its bye week, allowing the 14-year NFL veteran to return home for one of the biggest nights on Cleveland’s baseball schedule.
- Kelce grew up attending Guardians games in the Cleveland area.
- He joined the club’s ownership group as a minority owner in May.
- The Super Bowl-winning Chiefs tight end was among the crowd as Cleveland secured its ALCS berth.
- It was not known whether Kelce’s wife, pop star Taylor Swift, also attended the game.
Kelce and Swift have previously taken in baseball at Progressive Field, and the upcoming ALCS against the Rays could provide another chance for the pair to be in the ballpark.
Mitchell wears Ramírez colors for the key swing
Mitchell arrived in a José Ramírez jersey, an appropriate uniform for the moment that broke the game open. Cleveland’s franchise cornerstone turned on a pitch down in the strike zone in the fourth inning and drove it out, giving the Guardians a 2-0 lead and setting off a roar around Progressive Field.
The home club made that advantage stand through the final innings, shutting out Chicago and earning the right to keep playing.
- Ramírez’s fourth-inning homer accounted for both Cleveland runs.
- The Guardians finished with a 2-0 victory over the White Sox.
- Mitchell, a New York native, has spent the past four seasons with the Cavaliers.
- He has helped Cleveland reach the NBA playoffs in each of those four seasons.
ALCS next on the Cleveland calendar
The Guardians now turn their attention to the Rays, with Game 1 of the American League Championship Series scheduled for Monday. It will air on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max. For one night, though, the scene belonged to a packed Progressive Field, a timely Ramírez blast and a city’s baseball team moving one round closer to the finish line.
