CLEVELAND — On Friday morning, the local professional baseball team will take the next step in transitioning away from being the Cleveland Indians as it becomes the Cleveland Guardians. The first official Guardians merchandise will officially go on sale at the Progressive Field team shop at 9 a.m. on Nov. 19, and on Thursday the world received a sneak peek via the Indians’ official Twitter account — which will also have a new handle come Friday.
The post shows a first glance of what we can expect certain on-field apparel to look like. Interestingly enough, there is not a game jersey shown in the tweet.
Gear is set to hit shelves at other local retailers next Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Additionally, the Guardians Team Store will have free donuts, coffee, raffle prizes and a gift to the first 50 shoppers on Friday. The team store will remain closed through Nov. 18 in preparation for Friday’s launch.
The Indians’ official transition to the Guardians’ name comes more than a year after the franchise first announced that it was exploring a potential name change. After announcing last December that it would, in fact, be changing its name, the team announced in July 2021 that it would be adopting the Guardians’ name following the conclusion of the 2021 season.
The Indians’ transition to Guardians hit a roadblock when the franchise was sued by the city’s professional roller derby team, which is also known as the Cleveland Guardians. Earlier this week, both the baseball franchise and roller derby team announced that they have reached a settlement that will allow both entities to use the name moving forward.