Thousands of Fans Cheer the Indians in Downtown

by Michelle Faust

The Cleveland Indians lost game 5 of the world series Sunday, 3 to 2, against the Chicago Cubs.

Thousands of Clevelanders gathered downtown to watch the game. Fans say they’re hungry for another championship after the Cavaliers’ NBA Finals win this summer.

Bill Repas, 22, says he’s not disappointed in the team’s Sunday loss at Wrigley Field. “I mean, you can’t expect us take all three there. So, I’m just happy to see us bringing it back home.”

26-year-old Ben Kipp is a Chicago native who now calls Cleveland home. He says Sunday’s loss isn’t the end. “Well, we’ll just win it at home. It’ll be that much better.”

He was among many other fans who look at the Indians’ getting to the World Series as a follow up to the Cav’s summer NBA Finals win and as a metaphor for the city’s progress.

“Ever since the Cavs won, it's like the whole town’s changed. Everything’s different for Cleveland. It's not just like this run of the muck city, the mistake on the lake, it's not that anymore. It's like a city, like we earned this. you know, we deserve it,” Kipp says.

Orlando Santiago agrees. The 28-year-old photographer was capturing the fans’ emotions while watching the game.

“We haven’t had much when it comes to winning in sports, but we all rally together. Thick and thin. Through all the years of losing, we still believe. So, now it's our just do time to have that belief manifest into a reality,” says Santiago.

Cleveland is up 3 to 2 in the World Series with game 6 scheduled at Progressive Field on Tuesday.