The Cleveland Indians’ 2016 season home opener against the Boston Red Sox was postponed from Monday until 1:10 p.m. ET Tuesday due to inclement weather.
Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reported the news Monday. The Indians will now host the Red Sox for three games in as many days. Boston was supposed to start pitcher David Price against Cleveland’s Corey Kluber for Opening Day, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com.
Tom Withers of the Associated Press captured a shot of the scoreboard at Progressive Field that seemed appropriate under the circumstances:
Cleveland.com reacted to the situation as cold temperatures and snow hit the city in untimely fashion:
Although fans will be disappointed not to witness the game as scheduled, they can still look forward to a captivating pitching duel between two former American League Cy Young Award winners.
Price arrived in Boston as a massive free-agent addition and will be playing for his fourth club since 2014, most recently serving a brief stint with the Red Sox’s AL East rival Toronto Blue Jays.
The Indians posted a third straight winning record under manager Terry Francona in 2015 yet failed to qualify for the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Kluber had a letdown from his 2014 Cy Young Award campaign last season. His ERA rose from 2.44 to 3.49, which isn’t horrible, but a dearth of run support resulted in Kluber posting a 9-16 record as a starter. He has his work cut out to limit an opposing lineup headlined by slugger David Ortiz, who’s in the midst of his final season.
“I don’t feel any different yet,” Ortiz said Sunday about Opening Day, per Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “Knowing it’s your last one, I’ll try and enjoy it. I’m just going to play the game, man. You have to move forward.”
Francona managed the Red Sox to two World Series titles during his tenure in Boston. His counterpart, current Sox skipper John Farrell, also has a championship on his resume.
Farrell’s return to the dugout for the 2016 opener is notable after he underwent cancer treatment and received news it went into remission this past October.
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