CHICAGO — The White Sox home opener is here and the team is set to take on the Seattle Mariners at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Originally the home opener was supposed to happen 12 days earlier, but the Major League Baseball lockout changed those plans. So instead of starting their home schedule on March 31, the White Sox and their fans had to wait until Tuesday to play their first game of the year at home. But the wait figures to be worth it for everyone involved as the start of a much anticipated season on the South Side continues.
Tony La Russa’s team will play the first of 81 home games when they face the Mariners at 3:10 p.m. with temperatures around 60 degrees without any precipitation expected. The White Sox come home after winning two of three games against the Tigers in their opening series in Detroit.
This will make the first time that the venue can have full capacity for the home opener since 2019 when they also hosted Seattle. In 2020, there were no fans allowed in to see the White Sox face the Twins due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the virus limiting the number of people in the stadium last April against the Royals.
Tuesday’s contest will be a part of a six-game homestand to start the 32nd season of play at Guaranteed Rate Field as the club looks to make the playoffs for a third-straight year. Pitcher Vince Velasquez will get the start for the White Sox in his first game with the club after signing as a free agent in the offseason while Matt Brash takes the mound for the Mariners.
Fans who are coming to the game can begin to park at lots around Guaranteed Rate Field three hours before the first pitch with gates opening two hours before the beginning of the contest. This is a half-hour earlier than the typical gate opening for the rest of the season, which will occur 90 minutes before the scheduled start of a game.
Fans who arrive later are encouraged to park at the McCormick Place lot which will have a free shuttle service to the stadium.
All tickets for games will be mobile with the ballpark being cashless as well, which is similar to the 2021 season. Bags won’t be allowed in with the exception of medical bags, small clutch purses (under 9” x 5” x 2” in size), and diaper bags when an infant is present.
As part of the home opener festivities, the White Sox are also donating the proceeds from their “Sox Split” 50/50 raffle to Ukraine relief efforts through UNICEF and World Central Kitchen. Tickets for the raffle will be sold through the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game.