GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Cleveland Indians sold out their April 10 home opener against the Detroit Tigers in 11 minutes.
The team said Tuesday that Progressive Field, which has been remodeled this winter, will be packed to capacity for the 22nd straight year for the opener. The ballpark opened in 1994.
The Indians removed several thousand seats in the renovation, which will include the home and away bullpens stacked together beyond the center-field wall. Cleveland drew just 1.4 million fans last season -- ranking second-to-last in the majors -- and the club hopes the changes at the ballpark will help bring more fans downtown.
Cleveland averaged 18,428 fans per game in a ballpark that was once sold out for 455 consecutive games.