Cleveland Guardians fans filled Progressive Field on Thursday for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay.
Clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s greeted the postseason crowd.
Officials moved the game from its scheduled 6 p. m.
start to 1 p. m.
because rain was forecast later in the day.
The change brought fans to the ballpark earlier than originally planned.
The atmosphere featured loud reactions to key defensive plays, a ceremonial first pitch by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, special postseason food offerings and entertainment outside the stadium.
Guardians and Indians jerseys dominated the scene as the crowd displayed strong support for Cleveland.
An unofficial decibel meter tracked the crowd's reactions as Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams worked through the early innings.
The reading exceeded 90 decibels when Williams recorded the third out in each of the first two innings, according to cleveland.
com.
The meter climbed above 94 decibels when Williams struck out Tampa Bay shortstop Taylor Walls to end the third inning.
The loudest recorded reaction came when Petey Halpin hit a home run into the right-center-field seats, pushing the reading to 98.9 decibels.
Prolonged exposure at that level can cause permanent hearing damage.
Great Lakes Brewing Co. owner Pat Conway also marked the playoff run with a message to Guardians owner Paul Dolan.
Conway said he traditionally shares a pint with Dolan at the beginning of each Guardians season and wanted to continue the ritual during the postseason.
"I think we need another pint to get through the postseason," Conway said.
The exchange came as Cleveland competed in the ALCS and Great Lakes Brewing Co. held its annual First Pour party to launch Christmas Ale.
Support for Cleveland extended beyond Ohio.
Austin Controulis, a member of the Guardians' communications team who traveled south for the series, estimated that 30 percent of the fans at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg supported Cleveland during the first two games.
Mitchell handled the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3.
His father, Donovan Mitchell Sr., works in the front office for the New York Mets.
The playoff atmosphere extended to Gateway Plaza, where 15-year-old Brady Lorince performed pop-rock music with a five-piece band about an hour before the game.
Vendors also set up a beer stand between Progressive Field and Rocket Arena, while a Guardians Gear kiosk operated near the stadium gates.
The Guardians and Delaware North Sportservice introduced two new food options for the series against Tampa Bay.
The offerings included surf 'n' turf, featuring a beef brisket burnt-end sausage topped with lobster salad and spicy Boom Boom sauce, and Korean BBQ chicken served with sweet-and-tangy slaw and pickles.
Proceeds from the stadium's 50-50 raffle benefit Cleveland Guardians Charities.
A worker told cleveland.
com that the raffle had already exceeded $7,000 nearly an hour before Thursday's game, compared with approximately $35,000 during an American League Division Series game against Chicago.
Fans also continued a musical tradition associated with right fielder Chase DeLauter.
His walk-up song, John Denver's 1971 hit "Take Me Home, Country Roads," inspired supporters to sing a version adapted to the player's name.
Meanwhile, a fan wearing Milwaukee Brewers apparel stood out among the predominantly red-and-white crowd.
Nick Cekosh, from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, was visiting Cleveland to meet his girlfriend and predicted that Milwaukee and Cleveland would meet in the World Series.
"That's what I'm hoping for," Cekosh said.
He said Guardians fans had responded positively to his support for Milwaukee against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Brewers had taken a 3-0 lead in that series, according to the report.
Before the top of the sixth inning, Spicy Mustard won the four-dog hot dog race, another part of the ballpark's game-day entertainment.
