“I thought it was one of the more likable teams…such a fun team.”

Those were the words of former Jason Kipnis before he and the rest of Cleveland’s 2016 World Series team were honored at Progressive Field on Friday night, nearly a decade removed from one of the most heartbreaking finishes in baseball history.

But for Jason Kipnis, the heartbreak everyone remembers, losing Game 7 in extra innings, feels different. Nearly every time Cleveland’s 2016 season is brought up, the conversation is somber, and rightfully so. To Kipnis, it’s far more personal.

“God, it would mean more to me [to win a World Series],” Kipnis said, following a moment to pause, breathe and think everything through.

He wishes the series had ended differently. Instead of sitting through a rain delay before returning to the field and falling in the final embers of Game 7, he could have been celebrating as a World Series champion.

His Game 7 Moment

It was the kind of game where everything that happened before it, every slump, every hot streak, every triumph and failure, suddenly no longer mattered.

For Kipnis, it birthed one of his favorite memories. One that still brings him goose bumps to speak about.

Late in the game, after reaching base on a bunt single, Kipnis understood the moment immediately. Opportunities like that did not come often, especially against a bullpen as talented as Chicago’s that had been surging the past two games.

When a wild pitch from reliever Jon Lester skipped away from David Ross, who was stationed behind home plate, Kipnis never hesitated. Racing home from second base, he slid across the plate to score alongside Carlos Santana, who was on the base paths ahead of him.

It was just the third time in World Series history that two base runners had scored on the same wild pitch.

For a brief moment, it felt like the championship drought was truly about to end.

“I see it hits the side of his [Ross’s] face and knocks him one way, ball goes back the other,” he said, reminiscing on that specific moment. “Within 0.1 seconds, I was like… ‘it’s happening,’ like I’m screaming, like it’s happening, and I just absolutely rounded it [the bases]. The adrenaline rush, I was like, this is what we needed to get back into this game. It covered the deficit a little bit, and it did. It gave us a momentum boost.

“It kind of brought us back into two-run territory and restarted the game a little bit.”

The Crushing Yet Unforgettable Finish

At the time of Kipnis’ sprint from second, Cleveland was down four runs and seemed to be out of the contest, but from that moment forward, the Indians were able to bring back balance to the contest. They went on to allow just one run, scoring five in the process, down the stretch of regulation.

Kipnis started the comeback, Rajai Davis continued it.

In the eighth inning, with the scoreline sitting 6-4, Davis stepped up to the plate with two outs and a runner on first. Kipnis, who was in the dugout at the time, still watches this moment back to this day.

“‘Ive gone back and watched that one highlight more than anything else,” he said.

Cubs reliever Aroldis Chapman rifled a 98 mph fastball at Davis, who stood in confidently, bashing the ball over the left-field wall at 101.5 mph at a 22-degree launch angle. It barely cleared the towering left field wall, sending Cleveland into screams.

“The noise, the looking around… I have chills right now,” he said, looking down at his right arm. “It was the first time I felt like, oh, that’s what pandemonium is. That’s like this is what the word is.

“Just the noise and everybody going crazy and the momentum shift and just what it meant to us right there. God, you’d run through a wall right then and there.”

Although Cleveland ultimately fell short in extra innings, the emotion from that night has never disappeared. For everyone involved, fans, front office members, players and others, it remains one of the most gut-wrenching losses in the organization’s history.

For players like Kipnis, it also stands as one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives.

Nearly a decade later, moments from that series still live on throughout the city.

Davis’ home run, a moment that likely awoke the entire city, is still recognized to this day. On Saturday, May 16, the first 15,000 fans who enter Progressive Stadium will be given a bobblehead to commemorate such a moment.

But first, a day earlier, the entire squad will be given its flowers before the Guardians’ series-opener against the Cincinnati Reds. And there, on the field, Kipnis can look around at the Cleveland faithful, many of whom had packed Progressive Field nearly 10 years ago, and think back to moments that won’t ever be forgotten.

CLEVELAND — For the first time in U.S. history, a Navy warship will be commissioned in Ohio.

Commissioning a ship is a time-honored naval tradition that formally places a ship into active duty.

The USS Cleveland arrived in its namesake city on Saturday, coasting into Cleveland’s North Coast Yard. It’s the fourth ship in U.S. Navy history to bear the name Cleveland.

“It’s a little bit bigger than a flight deck. About 25% bigger,” said Commanding Officer Bruce Hallett. “And it’s higher up, the water makes it a little easier for pilots to be able to land on it. So they like it.”

Hallett has served with the Navy for more than 20 years.

“There are up and overs. So these flags are actually single flags. So we have quartermasters on board,” Hallett said of the colorful flags seen across the ship. “So they can use these to send signals to other ships. But in this capacity right here, they’re just purely for decoration.”

Inside the ship, the decorations pay homage to Cleveland, with two murals in the waterborne mission zone depicting key landmarks and Cleveland Browns signs in the gym.

“It’s all swagged out with all kinds of Cleveland Browns stuff new,” said Hallett. “We got the colors down there, the flags, the towels. It looks phenomenal. And the crew loves it.”

Sailors have been touring the city throughout the week, and Executive Officer Adam Cline has been coordinating community relations events with the crew. He sent two specific sailors to City Hall.

“We have two members of our crew that are from Cleveland,” Hall said. “That’s where they grew up. So it was real nice to incorporate them into that and to get a great memento from the city, a nice flag for us.”

The USS Cleveland will be commissioned Saturday and then head to its home port of Florida. When the ship eventually retires, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation hopes to bring it back to become a museum.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A U.S. Navy warship will be commissioned in Ohio on Saturday for the first time in 250 years.

The USS Cleveland is docked on Lake Erie ahead of the 10 a.m. ceremony.

Commander Bruce Hallett has commanded the USS Cleveland for more than two years.

“It is extremely exciting to be able to bring the USS Cleveland here to Cleveland and to be able to commission this ship here — obviously to introduce it to the city so that they can see the ship that bears their name,” Hallett said. “This has been a long time coming.”

The ship’s hallways are named after Cleveland streets, including East 9th and St. Clair Avenue.

A mural honoring the city of Cleveland is displayed on board. The Navy says it is rare to see something like this on a warship.

“Amazing mural, right? We’re so proud to have that on board,” Hallett said. “We’re just pretty much in awe when we saw all the stuff that we have in the city, and now we have it as part of the Cleveland. We love it as a crew.”

The ship’s weight room was outfitted by the Cleveland Browns with flags, towels, and mats.

“The Browns came and added their own touches to that weight room,” Hallett said. “So it’s all swagged out with all kinds of Cleveland Browns stuff now.”

The ship carries a crew of about 90, including two sailors who grew up in Cleveland.

The USS Cleveland is the final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship to be commissioned in the U.S. Navy.