Cleveland Indians fans are attending more games this year than last year, but WKSU sports commentator Terry Pluto says it doesn’t seem like the team is making it worth their while.
Last year, the Cleveland Indians advanced the World Series and had one of their best seasons when it came to attendance.
Pluto says the Indians had a hard time selling tickets for the last 15 years, but this year came close to beating an old record.
"Now they’ve already sold more tickets this season than they did all of last year, which is 1.6 million is what they drew. They’ve sold that many tickets," Pluto says. "The Indians have not drawn 2 million fans in a season since 2008. Last year, while the Indians were one their way, going to the World Series, they had the best record in the American League."
Despite ticket sales increasing this season, Pluto says the team’s performance might drive fans away. He says the fans are looking for the team to show them potential.
"For their first 75 games, you know, they’re 40 and 35. They’ve had some problems with their starting pitching and they’ve had some erratic hitting," Pluto says. "They just haven’t really found their groove as a team. They’re hoping that this huge comeback Monday night, when they were down 9 to 2 and came back 15 to 9, that that would do it."
In order to keep fans coming back to Progressive Stadium, Pluto says the Indians will have to amp up their performance for the remainder of the season.
Copyright 2021 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU.