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The Cleveland Indians are based in Cleveland , Ohio and are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Founded in 1901, the Indians have won two World Series championships, one in 1920 and again in1948. One of their best seasons came in 1954, when they won a then-record 111 games and returned to the World Series again, after winning six years prior. This time, however, they were unable to win. From 1960 to 1993, the Indians experienced a thirty year slump.
They managed one third place and five fourth place finishes but spent the rest of the time at the bottom. Cleveland 's struggles over the 30 years were highlighted in the 1989 film 'Major League'.
Throughout the 1980s, the Indian owners had pushed for a new stadium because the old stadium was falling apart with chunks of concrete falling off in sections. It seemed as if the team's fortunes were starting to turn. In 1989, power-hitting outfielder Joe Carter was traded to the San Diego Padres for two unproven players, Sandy Alomar, Jr. and Carlos Baerga. Alomar won Cleveland 's fourth Rookie of the Year award and a Gold Glove while Baerga would become a three-time All-Star. In 1992, the Indians were named 'Organization of the Year' by Baseball America in response to the changes made.
In 1994, the new Jacobs Field opened and in 1995 they won their first ever divisional title and earned a World Series berth, for the first time since 1954. However, the World Series ended in disappointment with the Indians losing in six games to the Atlanta Braves. They were able to repeat as AL Central champions in 1996, and because of this turn around tickets for every home game for the Indians sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale. The 1997 season saw the Indians take their third consecutive AL Central title and went on to face the Florida Marlins in the World Series which featured the coldest game in World Series history. The series was tied after game six, but lost in the eleventh inning of game 7. In 1998, the Indians made the playoffs for the fourth straight year but lost the ALCS in six games to the New York Yankees.
The Indians were able to return to the playoffs in 2001 when they won the Central division with a 91-71 record. On August 5, 2001, the Indians completed the biggest comeback in MLB History. Cleveland rallied to close a 14-2 deficit in the sixth inning to beat the Seattle Mariners 15-14 in 11 innings.
They struggled a bit over the next couple seasons until the 2007 season when they won their division for their seventh Central Division title in 13 years and their first post-season trip since 2001. Even though they did not advance past the playoffs Cleveland won other awards. Grady Sizemore won the Gold Glove award, Cleveland 's first since 2001 and pitcher CC Sabathia won the second Cy Young Award in team history and Eric Wedge was awarded the first Manager of the Year Award in team history.
Cleveland Indians Stadium Information:
Cleveland Indians play at Progressive Field in downtown Cleveland , Ohio , which was ranked as Major League Baseball's best ballpark in 2008 by Sports Illustrated. The stadium opened in 1994, under the name 'Jacobs Field' which was its name until 2008. One year later it hosted its first World Series, which the Cleveland Indians lost to the Atlanta Braves, and the again two years later it was the host of the 1997 World Series, which the Cleveland Indians lost to the Florida Marlins.
The seats at Progressive Field are among the most comfortable with more leg room because of wider aisles. Also, better elevation between rows brings clearer and more unobstructed sight lines to the field. A truly distinctive feature at Progressive Field is the angled seating sections which are located just beyond the dugouts in both the lower and upper decks. The seats are angled at 8 to 12 degrees and offers fans a great view of the middle of the diamond. In 2007, the Cleveland Indians opened Heritage Park , a section which honors the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame, the 100 greatest Cleveland Indians players, memorable Indians moments, and a memorial plaque for Ray Chapman that was originally installed in League Park .
Cleveland Indians Stadium Driving Directions:
Progressive Field is only a short walk from many of Cleveland's downtown garages and surface parking lots and there are more than 30,000 parking spaces are available for most events.
The Regional Transit Authority also offers convenient and reasonably priced service to Progressive Field. The Rapid Transit provides direct service to Tower City , which is only a 10 minute walk from Progressive Field.
If you are driving :
From the East
. Take I-90/Rt. 2 west; follow signs to Downtown, remain on Rt. 2 as I-90 curves away to left; exit at E. 9th St.;left on E. 9th south to area parking.
East Alternates
. Continue on Rt. 2 past E. 9th Street; exit at W. 3rd Street ; left on W. 3rd to area parking.
. Stay on 1-90 to Prospect Avenue west ; right on Prospect west to area parking.
From the West
. Take I-90/Rt. 2 East or west Shoreway from Lakewood ; continue across Main Ave. bridge; exit right on W. 6th St. to area parking.
From the South
. Take I-77 north; take E. 9th St. exit; follow signs to either E. 9th St. north or Ontario St. north to area parking.
South Alternate
. Take the E 22nd. Street/E. 14th Street Exit and stay on E. 22nd, E. 18th Street or E. 14th North to area parking.
From the Southwest
. Take I-71 north to Inner Belt merge; continue on Inner Belt (I-90) to either Ontario St. or E. 9th St. Exit right onto Ontario north or E. 9th north to Ballpark area parking.
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