Cleveland Baseball Superfan Attends 72nd Straight Home Opener, Defying Odds
CLEVELAND — While the Cleveland Guardians celebrated their 33rd consecutive sold-out home opener at Progressive Field on Friday, one devoted fan quietly extended a far more remarkable streak. Edward Lachowski, 83, attended his 72nd straight Cleveland baseball home opener—a tradition that began in 1955 and has survived blizzards, a pandemic, and even a near-miss with no tickets.
A Lifelong Love Affair With Baseball
Lachowski’s passion for Cleveland baseball was sparked in 1948, when, as a 7-year-old, he huddled around a radio with his father to hear the Cleveland Indians clinch the World Series. That memory remains vivid, even as the franchise’s championship drought stretches into its 76th year.
“That’s when I understood what baseball was all about,” Lachowski said, surrounded by memorabilia in his Macedonia home.
But his fandom wasn’t without heartbreak. In 1954, the Indians won a staggering 111 games—only to be swept in the World Series by the New York Giants. “People talk about family tragedies,” Lachowski said. “But that loss? That was my worst heartbreak.”
The Streak Begins—By Accident
The very next year, Lachowski, then a scorecard seller at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, stayed after his shift to catch the home opener. It was the first of what would become 72 consecutive Opening Day appearances.
“We could sit anywhere after our shift ended,” he recalled. “That’s how it all started.”
Close Calls and Family Sacrifices
Maintaining the streak hasn’t been easy. In 1994, when Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) opened, Lachowski and his son scrambled for last-minute tickets. “My son told me to wait by the gate,” he said. “He came back with two tickets. That saved the streak.”
Even COVID-19 couldn’t stop him. With fans barred from the ballpark in 2020, Lachowski’s family wheeled him to the stadium gates—where he sat just outside, hand inside the fence, to keep the tradition alive.
Now relying on a wheelchair due to limited mobility, Lachowski depends on his daughter Kathy Martin, granddaughter Erin, and grandson Kyle to get him to the ballpark.
“We rearrange our lives for this,” Martin said. “It’s been amazing—and hard. But we’ll keep it going as long as he can.”
The Hope of One More Championship
For Lachowski, Opening Day isn’t just about baseball—it’s about hope. The Guardians haven’t won a World Series since his childhood, but he refuses to give up.
“I might have to live to be 100,” he joked. “But I’ll be there when they win it again.”
As the Guardians took the field against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Lachowski settled into his seat, ready to add another chapter to his incredible streak.
First pitch: 4:10 p.m. at Progressive Field.
— Reported by Nexio News
