It appears that the temporarily-proud Cleveland baseball franchise is now in the "come see the guy from the other team" mode when it comes to attendance. Sad but true. And less sad when you get to play host to Stephen Strasburg in his second major league start. Even if it means Jhonny Peralta might strike out 6 times in 4 at bats. From the AP: His appearance is giving a needed attendance bump to the Indians, who are in last place in the AL Central and only averaging 15,527 fans at home game.
The team has sold 4,000 tickets since last week, when it appeared Strasburg would face Cleveland in his second game. The Indians have sold 1,400 tickets since Monday morning and more than 1,000 since midnight — shortly after Strasburg ended his opener.
Strasburg's stop in Cleveland is expected to draw the Indians' second-largest crowd this season, along with 91-year-old Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, whose entrance into the majors as a 17-year-old in 1936 created a similar national stir.
The Indians, who once had 455 consecutive home sellouts, were only sold out on opening day this season. Their second-biggest crowd was 25,531 in the 43,000-seat ballpark.
"It's creating a fan buzz around baseball," Indians spokesman Bob DiBiasio said, adding the team will provide a further update on ticket sales later. "It's something we're excited about, to be able to play host to the young man's first road start."
Also, please note that image is one of MANY "Strasburgers" being marketed and sold in the D.C. area. Who saw that coming?
