Ranking the best in-game experiences for each MLB team

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 29 : Freeze races during game one of the 2019 Major League Baseball London Series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees on June 29, 2019 at West Ham London Stadium in London, England. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 04: General view of the ball park and scoreboard from the upper level as the Cleveland Indians play a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field on August 4, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland won 6-2. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Cleveland Indians: John Adams and his drum

Progressive Field in Cleveland followed Camden Yards into the league at the very beginning of the retro craze, but it is decidedly not a Camden carbon copy like many of the other stadiums built during this era. Camden Yards never meant to be retro for the sake of being retro, the brick and wrought iron just fit in well with the surrounding area.

Following that line of reasoning, it would have made no sense for Progressive Field to lean heavily on brickwork. Instead, the Indians went for powerful, sweeping white steel and vertical light towers that speak to Cleveland’s past history as a ship-building hub.

There are some unfortunate design features in Progressive Field (or The Jake if you came of age as a baseball fan in the mid-1990s when Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome were leading the Tribe and the stadium was sold out nearly six years running), especially the overabundance of luxury suites and closed concourses.

Progressive Field is short on bells, whistles and fancy stadium concessions, but it does have passionate fans. The standout fan in the park is John Adams who bangs a giant drum from the highest point of the left field bleachers just below the massive scoreboard.

Adams has been going to Indians games with his drum since 1973 and has barely missed a game for close to 50 years. The Indians now pay for season tickets for Adams and his drum and his spot in the bleachers is marked with a plaque. Adams was also honored with a bobblehead and has thrown out a first pitch twice. The drums really do echo throughout the entire ballpark and the crowd always reacts with a noticeable uptick in energy whenever Adams begins playing.

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