Winning Brings Indian Fans Back to Park : Fans Are Lining Up to Cheer the Surprising Leaders of the A.L. East

The Indians are hot, the fans are back and baseball is a joy again in Cleveland.

“When you’ve lived here all your life and you were two years old the last time they played in the World Series, you want to be part of it, too,” said Robert Pomeroy, standing in a long line during lunch hour to buy tickets for Tuesday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals.

Pomeroy, who is a regular at the downtown gift and ticket shop, had some unexpected company: Fans who are discovering what it’s like to watch a winning team. The Indians not only have been winning, eight in a row going into Tuesday night’s game, but they were winning enough to be in first place in the American League East.

They lost 102 games last year and had record low attendance at Municipal Stadium. Monday’s 5-4 victory in the 10th inning over the world champion Royals drew 27,118 fans.

A routine crowd for some baseball cities, the new fans were like manna for the Indians’ front office. The stadium drew an average of 8,736 last year and the low of 3,004 this year set on a frigid April night.

The only threat to Tuesday night was the possibility of thundershowers, but in the gift shop the sun shone brightly on the cash register.

“This is slightly above normal,” said Kevin Lynch, the manager, making it clear as he restocked shelves with Indians merchandise that he was making an understatement about the customers. “Indians shirts and hats are jumping off the shelves.”

“We expected a large crowd, but nothing like this,” he said. “This has been going on for two days. There’s no indication there’s going to be a letup.”

He said a lot of the regular fans were getting discouraged from waiting in line. “It’s something they haven’t had to do before,” he said.

Among the newcomers was Sue Meagher, who recently moved to Cleveland from Rochester, N.Y.

“I’m a new fan, I just moved to the city,” said Meagher, an accounting supervisor at a downtown law firm. “It’s my first professional game, and the excitement of the last few days . . . “

“I dragged her here,” joked her fiance, Mark Mansour. “I’m a fair-weather fan. Actually, I went to one game last year.”

He said the winning streak inspired him, but he’s also concerned about the franchise. “I don’t want the Tribe to move out of Cleveland,” he said.

The team has been officially on the market since the death of majority owner F.J. O’Neill in 1983. His nephew, Patrick J. O’Neill, is chairman of the team, and the family is trying to keep the team in Cleveland. Problems with home attendance, however, have caused the baseball community to doubt whether Cleveland can support a major league franchise.

The concerns have deepened because a domed stadium project could depend on whether the Indians come or go.

“There’s a groundswell,” said Carol Adrine. She was exchanging tickets held by fans in her office for better ones. “All of a sudden everybody wants to go. I’m getting six tickets, box seats, the best in the house. They want to be closer to the action.”

Because 15,000 fans jammed the gates Monday night at 6:45 p.m, the regular 7:30 start was delayed and many would-be spectators left in disgust before buying tickets. Team spokesman Bob DiBiasio said it appeared Tuesday that people learned a lesson.

“We’ve got five windows open and they’re packed,” he said early in the afternoon from the stadium offices. “As of right now, we’ve got no idea on advance tickets.”

Among those holding tickets was Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste, a native Clevelander who was in the city to vote in a primary election.

Celeste, running unopposed in the Democratic primary, planned to watch a couple of innings before making an election-night appearance and returning to the Statehouse in Columbus.