A longtime drummer who has provided a steady, rallying beat during baseball games in Cleveland since the 1970s has been honoured with induction into the team’s Distinguished Hall of Fame.
The tribute is to recognise John Adams, who first toted a bass drum that he bought at a garage sale for 25 dollars (£21) into the bleacher seats as a 21-year-old at Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium on August 24 1973.
He has attended more than 3,700 games while supporting the team.
As part of the tribute to Mr Adams, the club commissioned local sculptor David Demming to craft a replica bronze drum affixed to a bench that will reside in the team’s Heritage Park behind the centre field wall at Progressive Field.
The heartbeat of Progressive Field has been forever immortalized at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.
We have inducted John Adams into the Cleveland Guardians Distinguished Hall of Fame. A replica bronze drum affixed to his bleacher seat will be on display in Heritage Park. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4aFtDpGOYcAdvertisement— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 24, 2022
There will also be a plaque mounted on the wall next to his seat atop the left-field bleachers.
The team plans to show a video tribute of Mr Adams on the ballpark’s giant scoreboard during two upcoming games.
Mr Adams’ health has kept him away from the ballpark for the past few seasons.
At the home opener in 2021, Patrick Carney, drummer for The Black Keys, the Grammy Award-winning rock duo from Akron, sat in for Mr Adams.
