Cleveland Christens Its Brand New Era With a 4-3 Victory : Baseball: President Clinton watches the Indians rally to defeat Mariners on Kirby’s single in the 11th inning during debut of new home stadium.

The new Jacobs Field is 1.3 miles from old Municipal Stadium in the downtown district here, but it is more a separation of eras than of areas.

Burdened with what General Manager John Hart described as “40 years of baggage,” the Cleveland Indians began to unload on Monday, officially opening their impressive new stadium, a promising new era and the 1994 season in befitting style.

Overcoming 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, the Indians defeated the Seattle Mariners, 4-3, in 11 innings before 41,459. The crowd included an Arkansas basketball fan named Bill Clinton and Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, whose statue graces an entrance to Jacobs Field.

Clinton and Feller delivered the ceremonial first pitches on a bright, mid-40s afternoon that provided a proper showcase for the $167-million stadium, centerpiece of the $425-million Gateway redevelopment that will also include a neighboring new arena for the Cleveland Cavaliers, returning from the suburbs.

“Clearly, Cleveland is off the rocks and on a roll,” Ohio Gov. George Voinovich said during a pregame news conference.

Said Mayor Michael White: “The story is not just the stadium, but what’s behind it. I’m talking about the spirit and tenacity of a city that for too long was the brunt of unkind jokes and said 15 years ago it was going to go down a different road.”

The Indians have been traveling a different road since Richard Jacobs and his late brother, David, bought the team in 1986 and made Hart the general manager in 1991.

They rebuilt the farm and scouting departments. They traded only for young players. They used creative financing to avoid arbitration and sign multiyear contracts with the best of those young players.

They now have a powerful lineup augmented by a winter foray into free agency and clearly stimulated by the new environment.

“I think it’s one more thing to help us turn the corner,” pitcher Chuck Nagy said of the new stadium. “Atmosphere is everything in the workplace. The old stadium was cold, dismal, depressing.

“The empty seats were a reminder of how bad we were. The result was we’d drag to work as late as possible. Now it’s going to be just the opposite. Now we can’t wait to get here. It’s really exciting.”

The Indians, who seldom sold more than 6,000 season tickets in their 73,000-seat former home and drew more than 2 million only twice after 1948, when they last won a World Series, have sold 21,000 season tickets in 1994 and might draw 3 million for the first time.

Eleven Indians now make Cleveland their full-time home, attracted in part by the amenities of the new stadium, including a clubhouse steam room, sauna, weight room, hydrotherapy area, swim-in-place pool and indoor batting cages.

There is luxury elsewhere as well, including 119 suites costing $45,000 to $100,000 a year, the most expensive at ground level behind the plate. There is a children’s play area, a picnic plaza and the largest free-standing scoreboard in the United States.

Designed by the architects of Camden Yards and Comiskey Park and squeezed into 28 acres, there are quirky dimensions, angles and wall heights, with the city skyline providing a backdrop in left and center fields.

Financed in large measure by an alcohol and cigarette tax and named after the team owner, who paid $13.8 million to the stadium commission for that honor, Jacobs Field can be seen as different things to different people, but Hart said he saw in it a positive impact on his promising team.

“It’s about hope and optimism,” he said of the stadium. “There are some charming old ballparks like Wrigley and Fenway, but there was nothing charming about Municipal Stadium and it’s been a long time since there were any memories there.”

The Indians provided some for their opening day crowd. Held hitless by Randy Johnson through seven innings, they gained a 2-2 tie in the eighth on a double by Manny Ramirez, tied the score again, 3-3, on a double by Jim Thome in the 10th, then won in the 11th on a Wayne Kirby single after Eddie Murray doubled.

One of the key acquisitions of the winter, Murray appeared in his 2,369th game at first base, a major league record. Dennis Martinez, another important addition, gave up only two runs in seven innings.

A new era?

“I’m not Jimmy Johnson. I can’t guarantee a pennant, but we do have a chance to win--and not just this year, but through the rest of the decade,” Hart said. “It’s probably been since the 1940s or ‘50s that there was that kind of feeling in this town.”