REPORTS: Guardians’ 2024 Home Opener To Start Later Due To Eclipse
The Cleveland Guardians had their game times for the 2024 season revealed just over a month ago.
One game that did not have a set time, though, was the team’s first home game of the year.
On Wednesday, some clarification was reported regarding when the game will commence.
Per reports from The Cleveland Scene, WKYC 3News, News 5 Cleveland, and Cleveland’s Fox 8 News, the Guardians have confirmed that their 2024 home opener on April 8 will begin no earlier than 5:10 p.m. This is because of a total solar eclipse that is also set to take place that day.
According to NASA, Cleveland is one of at least 13 U.S. cities in the path of totality for the eclipse. A partial eclipse is set to begin in the city at 1:59 p.m. Then, the eclipse is set to begin totality at 3:13 p.m. and reach its maximum at 3:15 p.m. The eclipse’s totality in Cleveland is set to end at 3:17 p.m., and a partial eclipse is set to eventually end at 4:29 p.m.
In a recent article, The Athletic’s Zack Meisel describes how the event will bring people from across the globe to Cleveland, and that the city will not be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse again for another 420 years.
Seven of Cleveland’s last 10 home openers have been scheduled for 4:10 p.m., which includes their postponed 2016 home opener. This, however, will not be the case this year.
The exact start time for the Guardians’ 2024 home opener has yet to be announced.