CLEVELAND — Two hours earlier than the first pitch of his first home recreation in entrance of his new fan base, Guardians supervisor Stephen Vogt stood on the infield grass at Progressive Field, peered previous the higher deck via solar-filtered glasses and mouthed the phrases to Len’s “Steal My Sunshine.”

From daybreak to pseudo-dusk to first pitch, Cleveland was the middle of celestial consideration on Monday, with downtown attracting guests from throughout the globe to watch the solar, moon and Earth make once-in-many-generations magic. For the first time since 1806 and the final time till 2444, Cleveland fell within the path of totality for a photo voltaic eclipse — and it fell on the identical day because the Guardians’ home opener towards the Chicago White Sox.

GO DEEPER

Total Eclipse of the Park: The Guardians’ home opener coincides with a uncommon photo voltaic eclipse

An afternoon historically marked by pomp and circumstance was overshadowed by a shadow for 4 minutes. Mother Nature granted Cleveland excellent early-April climate for the event, too. With clear skies and temperatures within the 60s, viewers from Progressive Field to the shores of Lake Erie may witness the eclipse’s whole two-and-a-half-hour development from vibrant to darkish to vibrant once more.

At 3:12 p.m. ET, as fake dusk descended upon the ballpark and the temperature plunged, the PA announcer bellowed, “Totality is nearly here.” Fans shouted from the 2 ranges of The Corner bar in proper subject, an space overflowing with individuals in search of the optimum angle of the eclipse. The sequence unfolded above the stadium lights on the higher deck overlooking the third-base line. Fans additionally flocked to the stairwell on the again facet of the ballpark for a view that included the Hope Memorial Bridge and the Cuyahoga River.

More like CLEclipse, proper?#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/GxWg7pyNDB

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 8, 2024

As totality approached, José Ramírez, the Guardians’ All-Star third baseman, lastly stood up from the home dugout bench, the place he had been thumbing via social media posts on his telephone. His teammates had gathered on the infield grass to watch the proceedings. Ramírez leaned over the blue-padded railing and snapped photographs of the spectacle overhead.

At 3:15, with Pink Floyd’s “Eclipse” taking part in on the ballpark audio system in the mean time of most eclipse, it sounded as if the Guardians had delivered a walk-off win in October. A deafening roar and a darkened sky created as eerie and surreal a scene as a stadium has hosted.

Triston McKenzie, Cleveland’s beginning pitcher who was clearly elbow-deep in scouting reviews, walked out to the sphere at the moment and puzzled why it was already darkish. “Ohhh, the eclipse,” he mentioned.

It took assurance from a number of teammates to persuade Hunter Gaddis he may safely take away his glasses in the course of the interval of darkness.

Within a jiffy, the sky brightened, the temperature recovered and gamers returned to the clubhouse. Cleveland followers broke into a “José!” chant as they waited one other hour for the eclipse to formally finish, full daylight to return and pregame introductions to start.

The Guardians coordinated with metropolis officers and NASA specialists over the past two years to decide the very best method to a day missing precedent. They opted for a 5:10 p.m. first pitch as a substitute of their different choice, 7:10 p.m., as they most well-liked incorporating the eclipse into their plans. So, the customary schedule for the opener was interrupted by a two-hour science lesson. They shifted batting apply up within the schedule so these shagging fly balls wouldn’t have to put on solar-filtered glasses as they patrolled the outfield. At the eclipse’s peak, the Guardians paused admission to the ballpark for 20 minutes.

NASA astronomy communicator Josh Roberts supplied periodic perception on the scoreboard all through the afternoon. The workforce additionally displayed common updates of the NASA telescope feed from different places within the path of totality, together with Kerrville, Texas; Indianapolis; and Mazatlán, Mexico. Total photo voltaic eclipses happen each 18-24 months, however typically over huge oceans or uninhabited areas. On Monday, the trail of totality stretched from Mexico to Maine.

At the North Coast Harbor, on the entrance garden of the Great Lakes Science Center and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, NASA arrange certainly one of three hubs for the day for reside broadcasts (they did the identical in Kerrville and Indianapolis). Josh Dobbs, the previous Browns quarterback who additionally occurs to be a rocket scientist, made an look, as did astronaut Stephen Bowen. People flocked to the NASA Village when its gates opened at 10 a.m. for an array of space-themed actions and to safe a spot on the garden to take within the view. Speakers all through the world close to Lake Erie blared a space-themed playlist that included Toploader’s “Dancing In The Moonlight,” David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Journey’s “Wheel In The Sky” and Manfred Mann’s “Blinded By The Light.”

That final tune isn’t any joke; the Guardians recurrently reminded followers to put on the solar-filtered glasses they handed out on the ballpark entrances. The Guardians even had a workforce staffer ship a message to gamers urging them to do the identical. The last item they wanted, a workforce official mentioned, was a participant touchdown on the injured record with a scorched retina.

A view from the sphere in the course of the eclipse’s peak. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)

Before he managed his first home recreation with the Guardians, Vogt recalled viewing an eclipse whereas attending elementary college in Visalia, Calif., about 30 years in the past. He remembers the store instructor supplying college students with welding goggles.

His gamers weren’t certain what to anticipate. When pitcher Tanner Bibee realized the eclipse would trigger a two-hour break in pregame preparation, he quipped, “No wonder we’re stretching so early.” Logan Allen was initially scheduled to pitch Monday for Cleveland earlier than the membership’s collection finale in Minnesota was rained out on Sunday. That pushed Allen again a day and meant extra free time on Monday afternoon. He initially mentioned he wasn’t certain what he’d do earlier than studying he may view the eclipse from the sphere.

Left fielder Steven Kwan, who tried on a pair of photo voltaic glasses throughout an interview with reporters, puzzled what an at-bat would appear like in the course of the insanity. He surmised pitchers would profit from the dwindling daylight.

Said Vogt of the eclipse: “That was really cool. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Michael Brantley and Corey Kluber, a pair of longtime Cleveland All-Stars who every retired over the winter, returned to Progressive Field for tandem ceremonial first pitches. They had been handled to a showcase within the sky, too.

“It was kind of crazy how dark it gets,” Kluber mentioned.

“I really loved it,” Brantley added. “I didn’t know what to expect either, but then we went completely dark. It was sick.”

(Top picture of Stephen Vogt: Mike Lawrie / Getty Images)