Cleveland ? Richard E. Jacobs stepped up along with his brother in the 1980s to rescue Cleveland’s baseball franchise, which was struggling under weak financial backing and poor fan attendance at an outdated, mammoth stadium.

Under his leadership, the Cleveland Indians twice reached the World Series and sold out 455 consecutive games at a new ballpark.

Jacobs, who had been in ill health, died peacefully at the age of 83 on Friday, his real estate company confirmed.

Jacobs and his brother David bought the Indians from the Steve O’Neill estate in 1986 for $40 million. David Jacobs died in 1992.