Among those that have been eyeing logistics: The Cleveland Guardians, who will, in a delightful coincidence, be hosting the 2024 home opener that day against the Chicago White Sox after an 11-game road trip scheduled to accommodate renovation work at Progressive Field.
The lingering question has been how the Guards would schedule around the eclipse, which will begin at 2 p.m., reach peak darkness at 3:13 p.m., and end at 4:29 p.m.
As The Athletic reported recently:
Over the past few months, the Guardians have consulted with everyone from local authorities to NASA scientists as they tried to determine the best Opening Day approach. The Guardians have slated seven of their last eight home openers (in which fans were permitted) for 4:10 p.m. ET, but that time will fall in the partial eclipse window, and trying to barrel a 90 mph slider while sporting solar-filtered glasses is a tall order. If they choose a late-afternoon start time, fans could potentially view the eclipse from ballpark seats that have a view of the midday sun. Even if they opt for a night game, there will still be traffic-related challenges to sort through.
Would they start and hope to finish the game before the big moment? Take a break and let the fans and players enjoy it all together?
Today, we finally know a partial answer: First pitch won't happen until at least 5:10 p.m., according to an email from the team to fans. A firm time is still being finalized, and likely involves planning with the city of Cleveland, where public safety officials will be tasked with keeping downtown and the hordes descending on it by car, foot and bus, in proper order.
After all, events scheduled around downtown, including at the Great Lakes Science Center, are expected to draw historic crowds.
“People are going to descend on Cleveland like we’ve never seen,” Scott Vollmer, VP of education and exhibits for the Great Lakes Science Center, told The Athletic.
First pitch and other game-day activities likely involving the eclipse have yet to be announced.
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