The Captains home opener isn’t just another game for Stephanie and Daniel Braford.
These residents of Painesville have made coming to the home opener at Classic Park in Eastlake an adjunct of their wedding anniversary celebrations.
Sure enough, on the eve of their fifth anniversary, the Brafords were in the stands on April 5 as the Captains opened the 2018 season against the Fort Wayne (Ind.) TinCaps.
Flanking the Brafords in the first-base grandstands were their son Joseph, and Stephanie’s mother, Sandra Marien of Chardon.
They all were bundled up against the cold on a night when the first-pitch temperature was announced at 36 degrees.
“This has become our tradition, so of course we were going to be here,” Stephanie Braford said, smiling.
The Captains did their part to give the larger-than-expected turnout some protection against the frigid weather by handing out blankets emblazoned with the team logo to the first 1,500 fans through the gate.
There was the usual home-opener fanfare, from the patriotic bunting hanging on the facade of the suite level to the pre-game introductions of both teams, their managers and coaches.
During the introductions, Captains Manager Luke Carlin was stationed near home plate on the first-base side. Lake County players joined the line as their names were called by the public-address announcer.
The game marked Carlin’s debut as Captains manager, and it was the 17th home opener of his career. He experienced 14 of them as a player in a career that saw him spend parts of four seasons in the major leagues.
This is his third season home opener as a coach or manager in the minor-league system of the Cleveland Indians, the parent club of the full-season, Single-A Captains.
“It’s always an exciting time,” Carlin said of home openers. “For us as a staff, it’s the reward for all the hard work over the last five months getting ready for the season. It’s special for the guys on this team because for most of them, it’s their introduction to a 140-game season.”
The Captains return to action April 7 against the TinCaps. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.
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>> Meet the 2018 Lake County Captains