Cleveland Guardians could share home opener spotlight with solar eclipse in 2024
The Cleveland Guardians could begin next year’s home schedule in the dark – at least for a few moments.
The team’s home opener lands on the April 8, 2024 the day of a solar eclipse in North America and Northeast Ohio will experience the eclipse in totality for several minutes.
It’s rare when advance notice of newsworthy events is given, but thanks to math and science, predicting heavenly happenings is fairly common.
And the math and science are giving notice that the eclipse - beginning at 1:59:20 p.m. - in its totality will hit the area at 3:15:37 p.m. on that day, giving organizations in the area to take advantage of it.
Fist pitch for the home opener in 2024 hasn't been set yet. This season it was at 4:10 p.m.
But given that it’s the Guardians' home opener, a day that’s consistently been a day of celebration in Northeast Ohio, the fact a celestial rarity happens on the same day heightens the anticipation and reason to party.
In a report, the Guardians organization said they plan to take advantage of the opportunity. But they won’t do so alone.
Cleveland Guardians schedule: See the 2024 schedule, Opening Day opponent and date
Such an event tends to mobilize various organizations in Northeast Ohio. Logically, the Great Lakes Science Center and NASA Glenn Research Center should lead.
The Guardians actually benefit, at least in this regard, from a 10-game road trip to open the start of the season which will allow them to take advantage of the phenomenon. With renovations on Progressive Field slated to begin right after the end of the 2023 season, the schedule makers apparently erred on the side of caution providing a cushion at the start of the season so that should be completed.
The team, however, recognizes it’s a unique occasion and plan to work with those organizations to maximize it.
How to do so remains to be seen.
“We know we will play a role in the planning of this unique and rare opportunity,” said Curtis Danburg, vice president of communication and community impact, “but hard to know at this point the level of involvement that will be needed leading up to it.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians could lose the sun for part of 2024 home opener
