Indians fans score World Series gear

Your Cleveland Indian fan photosFull Cleveland Indians coverage PERKINS TWP. — A tribe of Cleveland Indians fans stormed Dick's Sporting Goods on Milan Road (U.S. 250) Thursday morning to spot a sight they haven't seen in 19 years.They scooped up real licensed merchandise proudly proclaiming Cleveland's improbable journey in capturing the American League pennant, marking the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1997.It made the dozens of shoppers flash a smile bigger than Chief Wahoo's wide grin."Tribe baby!" Sandusky resident Mike Frey shouted from the parking lot.Frey anxiously waited for a FedEx employee to unload scores of fresh merchandise — including hooded sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, blankets, pennants and more — so he could purchase items for himself and his grandson, Preston."I love this team: Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller, all of them," Frey said. "Every game this playoffs was better than the last one."Other shoppers felt just as confident about Cleveland's chances to secure baseball's ultimate prize for the first time since 1948."They are going to win the World Series," Marblehead resident Jack Collins said.Before snapping a 68-year title drought, the Indians must win four more games against the National League participant. Both those teams, still playing against one another, have also experienced similar misery: The Chicago Cubs last won in 1908, and the Los Angeles Dodgers last won in 1988. The best-of-seven series round starts Tuesday in Cleveland."Chicago is not going to do it, and neither are the Dodgers," Collins said.Wendy D'onofrio caught glimpses of Wednesday's game — in which the Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 to win the American League Championship Series in five games — during her shift at LongHorn Steakhouse.But two of her children, 9-year-old Brayden and 5-year-old Gabryella, stayed home and cheered in delight after Carlos Santana squeezed a pop up in his mitt, representing the final out of Wednesday's clinching game, to ensure Cleveland's sixth World Series appearance.To reward their dedication and fandom, D'onofrio, who's a huge Coco Crisp fan, bought both of them T-shirts."This is so exciting," D'onofrio said. "I've waited my whole life to win." Where to buy Indians gear?Several Sandusky Mall-area stores carry licensed 2016 American League and World Series merchandise featuring the Cleveland Indians, including:• Champs Sports• Dick's Sporting Goods• JCPenney• Lids Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOurielSandusky resident Mike Frey wears his new 2016 Cleveland Indians "American League Champions" hat he purchased Thursday morning at Dick's Sporting Goods in Perkins Township. Several fans, including Frey, waited for the first shipment of merchandise to buy, commemorating the Indians first trip to the World Series since 1997.A vast selection of Cleveland Indians merchandise, including American League Champions hats, was on sale Thursday morning at Dick's Sporting Goods in Perkins Township. A FedEx truck, filled with Cleveland Indians merchandise, is parked in front of Dick's Sporting Goods Thursday morning in Perkins Township. The truck arrived one day after the Indians clinched the American League pennant. Several people anxiously awaited for the items — T-shirts, hats and the like — to be unloaded so they could purchase them. Marblehead resident Jack Collins takes a break from shopping Thursday morning at Dick's Sporting Goods in Perkins Township, where he perused the store. Several fans visited the store to buy items commemorating the Indians' first trip to the World Series since 1997.