So you have decided to heed the call to adventure. Good for you.
If you need to recall what the Guide is or who I am, please refer to the included links.
Cleveland (actually) rocks!
The Guide has the following to say about going to a game at Progressive Field:
Flo from the Progressive Ads must have that Paul Rudd gene where she just doesn’t age. I was not prepared to see her as much as I have here. Oh my.
Locals still call Progressive Field “the Jake,” a nickname related to the ballpark’s original name, Jacobs Field. In this entry, we shall use both Progressive and The Jake interchangeably.
While Ohio is now slang for cringe, the Jake is by far the superior Ohio ballpark. Cleveland is a city that most people use as a punchline, similar to Fresno, Bakersfield, Detroit, or Newark. I had to dispel every negative expectation when I visited Cleveland in 2023. Yet with everything going against this trip, from the weather to the games (and how one just would not end) to the general lack of things to do, one would expect a miserable experience visiting The Forest City.
And yet, I had a ball. So let us break down the underrated pleasure of going to a Dodgers/Guardians game at Progressive Field, and describe everything you need to know.
The Five Questions of the Guide
1. Is it worth going here?
Yes, this ballpark is an underrated, solid experience.
Progressive Field. August 24, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
One might wonder why this park does not score higher. Frankly, it’s good but not great.
It does not have the allure of history that Wrigley Field of Chicago or Fenway Park of Boston have. While solid in value, going to the ballpark was slightly more expensive than Target Field of Minneapolis or PNC Park of Pittsburgh. Like Busch Stadium 3.0 of St. Louis, the neighborhood near the ballpark has seen better days, but there are signs of life downtown.
The hotel options are fine if you are willing to walk or rent a car, and the ballpark is directly by Interstate 90, so picture infrastructure designed for cars rather than pedestrians. Downtown Cleveland has seen a lot, but if the revitalization efforts continue, there is little reason not to enjoy going to Progressive Field.
The ballpark was built during the retro ballpark boom in 1994. Accordingly, you can appreciate all the unique architectural design choices that went into the stadium’s aesthetics, including the design elements from the nearby Guardians on the Hope Memorial Bridge, of which the team now derives its name.
Grid View
The view from just outside our hotel. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Inside the Main Team Store. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Adric in the Press Box. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Adric, Mom, and Me. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
The visiting television booth. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
The visiting radio booth. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Overlooking Discount Drug Mart Club Lounge. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Adric in front of the Kaulig Companies Club. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Adric, Mom, and Me on the field. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Inside the Guardian’s Dugout. Progressive Field. August 23, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
One can collect a First Game Certificate from the multiple Customer Service kiosks in the ballpark. I should comment on the excellent customer service I received at the ballpark. Rain necessitated a game suspension, effectively turning the getaway day into a de facto day-night doubleheader.
First Game Certificate. Progressive Field
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
The Cleveland Guardians gave patrons a voucher for a free game later in the season. Since I do not live in Ohio, I asked Customer Service if I could get my money back instead of a voucher I would not use. To my shock, they said yes. In essence, I got to see three very long games for the price of two.
The food at Progressive Field was middling but affordable. The main points in my notes were the sheer number of taps available and the fact that renovations to the left field upper deck and in-club seating were designed to improve aesthetics and fan experience. These improvements are now online.
2. How should I get there?
Progressive Field. August 24, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
To get to Cleveland, one will likely fly to Hopkins International Airport unless one lives in the Midwest. How one gets to the Jake depends entirely on where one stays in Cleveland. My original plan was to stay near a regional burger chain, Swensons, rent a car, and park at the ballpark about 10-15 minutes away.
One might think that this setup is ridiculous just for a regional burger, but those people clearly have never had a cherry phosphate and a Galley Boy from the chain. There is a parking garage behind the ballpark that I did not see, and you have to prepay to use it.
My plans changed when my mother came with me on this road trip. I picked the hotel around the corner to ensure a three to five-minute walk to the ballpark.
Light rail options end at Tower City Center, about half a mile from the ballpark. Free Downtown Trolleys are available weekdays from 7 am to 7 pm and only serve downtown Cleveland.
3. Where should I stay?
Hotels by Progressive Field fall into two categories: do you want to walk to the ballpark, or are you willing to drive to the game? If you are willing to drive, there is no shortage of hotels in the Cleveland area. With the ongoing outward migration of the Midwest, and Ohio in particular, car traffic will likely not be an issue.
Rather than renting a car, let me suggest that you, as a visiting Dodger fan, stay downtown in one hotel in particular.
The hotels near Progressive Field.
Screenshot courtesy of Google Maps
While there are several hotels within half a mile of the Jake with things to do and eat near them, for my money, one’s best bet is the Hilton Garden Inn around the corner from the ballpark. Yes, you will need to ride-share to points of interest, but the fact that you are less than three to five minutes from the left field entrance is a significant selling point.
As an aside, the other main draw to Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There is no reason not to visit this museum if you go to Cleveland, as it’s a straight shot down 9th Street about a mile away. I spent a few hours there and felt I saw most of, if not all of, what I wanted to see, while texting Eric Stephen a ridiculous number of Dolly Parton puns. What a way to make a living.
Your mileage may vary, but museum tickets were slightly more expensive than game tickets. Also, while there are hotels near the museum, if you go to see the Dodgers, you might as well stay by the ballpark and make things easy on yourself.
4. Where should I sit?
Section 326. Progressive Field. August 24, 2023
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
As you can see from the diagram below, seating at Progressive Field is needlessly complicated for a stadium of this size. Also, the stadium’s recent renovations have rendered some of my recommendations moot.
There used to be a restaurant overlooking left field on the third base side, the Terrance Club, where you could buy and enjoy a buffet-style meal for an additional charge before the game. I took refuge there before the infamous rain delay of the August 23rd game, during which the grounds crew did absolutely nothing wrong. The views of the game were practically non-existent, but I avoided the rain. This restaurant was modified into other seating and dining options after the 2024 season.
With all those observations, this Guide aims to simplify matters for visiting Dodgers fans.
For visitors from out of town, there is no reason to sit in the outfield or in the upper deck (the 400 and 500 sections), as tickets are generally affordable.
While the Jake does have the Mini Monster in left field, much like Fenway’s Green Monster, it is best to see from afar or on tour rather than watch a game from it if you can help it. Progressive Field does have a unique bullpen setup, which is best seen before the game.
Section 101. Progressive Field. August 24, 2023
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
Overlooking the bullpens. Progressive Field. August 24, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
With those facts in mind, where you sit depends on answering a single question: Is it a day game or a night game? Night games are easy; just about any lower-level or loge-esque seat will be fine, depending on one’s budget.
Seating chart of Progressive Field
Courtesy of the Cleveland Guardians / Illustration by Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
If it’s a day game, like a getaway day, your best bet is to sit with access to the Echo Victory Club in Sections 308 to 321, which is circled in yellow in the diagram.
Essentially, these seats are akin to the loge section at Dodger Stadium. Shade will be at a premium if the game starts at noon, in which case you can watch the game from the air-conditioned Echo Victory Club. Otherwise, the sun’s positioning will be behind home plate for midday starts, leaving most of the ballpark in shadow. The photo landscapes of Sections 1 and 2 provide the best example.
Section 117. Progressive Field. August 22, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
If it’s a night game, one might consider sitting in the right field corner, along with any of the sections I have previously mentioned, circled in red in the diagram. You have a nice view of the action and can get a nice view of the ballpark. The problem with this section is apparent in the photograph, as if you sit here during the day, you get to endure the full concentrated power of the sun.
Regardless of where you sit, prepare to see Stephanie Courtney, the actress who plays Flo from the Progressive commercials, everywhere in the ballpark from when the Guardians score, or when they hit a home run. A decent seat is not a significant challenge when attending Dodger games at Progressive Field.
5. After your trip, is it worth going back?
Adric at Progressive Field. August 24, 2023.
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA
In the disclaimer to the Guide, I described the informal range of subjective outcomes after visiting a location. So far, I have been to three games at Progressive Field in 2023, of which the Dodgers won two. After these visits, my rating of going to Progressive Field is:
Hey, that was fun. I can hardly wait to go back!
My mom liked Progressive Field and even went on the tour with me. However, she opted to go last minute to a Barry Manilow concert at Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, rather than attend the de facto doubleheader. She wanted to save her strength and energy for Fenway Park. That summary is an apt description of the Progressive Field experience.
I want to point out that the weather did not cooperate while we visited in 2023, with ridiculous amounts of rain, wind, and humidity. The coup de grâce was the actual funnel cloud that went over our hotel the evening before we left town. As a native Californian, most weather does not faze me. Tornadoes do, as we do not have to deal with those here.
Also, I had to endure Noah Syndergaard’s only quality start as a Guardian when all I wanted was the Dodgers to tune him up like a church organ. Sometimes, you can’t always get what you want, but you get what you need. Progressive Field is not the best ballpark in the AL Central, but a decent second place is nothing to dismiss.
If those words aren’t enough to convince you to head out to see the Dodgers play in The Land, you are genuinely missing out, considering you only have the opportunity every other year on the current schedule.
Adric: See you next time!
Michael Elizondo / True Blue LA