Cleveland, Ohio | Home of the Cleveland Guardians

Every Major League ballpark tells you something about its city.

In Cleveland, you can see that connection before you even walk through the gates.

Our next stop on the EARNED MLB Stadium Tour took us to Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Guardians and a downtown ballpark built specifically for baseball.

Progressive Field opened in 1994 as Jacobs Field—still called “The Jake” by longtime Cleveland fans. Its arrival helped usher in a new generation of intimate, baseball-first stadiums and became part of the revitalization of downtown Cleveland.

But one of the most interesting things we learned wasn't about the stadium.

It was about the team's name.

Why Are They Called the Guardians?

Just outside Progressive Field stands the historic Hope Memorial Bridge.

Since 1932, eight massive Art Deco figures known as the Guardians of Traffic have stood on four stone pylons overlooking the bridge. Each Guardian holds a different form of transportation, representing the progress of transportation through history.

When Cleveland changed its baseball team's name in 2021, those iconic statues helped inspire “Guardians.” The name also represented qualities the organization associated with Cleveland—loyalty, resilience and protecting the city and one another.

That's Baseball Culture: a team's identity connected directly to its hometown.

Exploring Progressive Field

Inside, Progressive Field feels like a true baseball park.

The downtown setting surrounds the outfield, while the stadium's angled seating was specifically designed to point fans toward the diamond and create better views of the action.

One of our favorite stops was Heritage Park in center field, where Cleveland's long baseball history is celebrated. The two-level area honors the greatest players and moments in franchise history, including legends such as Bob Feller, Larry Doby and Jim Thome.

There's even a marker commemorating where Thome's incredible 511-foot home run landed.

And Cleveland has plenty of history to celebrate. The franchise dates to 1901, won World Series championships in 1920 and 1948, and has generations of traditions connecting the city to its team.

That's what makes visiting MLB stadiums special.

You're not just watching nine innings.

You're experiencing the history, architecture, fans, traditions and stories that make baseball different in every city.

The ballparks. The history. The traditions. The memories.

It's Baseball Culture.