White Sox Postpone Home Opener Ahead Of Stormy Forecast For Thursday
CHICAGO (CBS)--The Chicago White Sox announced a decision Wednesday to postpone Thursday's home opener against the Seattle Mariners, due to a chilly and rainy forecast.
The Sox were scheduled to open the 2019 baseball season at Guaranteed Rate Field at 1:10 p.m. on April 3, but pre-emptively rescheduled for Friday afternoon at the same time due to Thursday's forecast.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 3, 2019
Thursday's forecast calls for temperatures in the 40s and rain most of the day, but sunny skies and near 60-degree temperatures are expected to move into Chicago by Friday.
The team will honor all tickets, Stadium Club passes and parking passes that were purchased for Thursday, the White Sox said. Fans will not need to make any exchanges, the team said.
Parking lots open at 10 a.m. and gates will open to fans at 11 a.m.
The game will kick off with a ceremonial first pitch, thrown by former White Sox slugger Harold Baines, who was recently inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
"Hamilton" star Miguel Cervantes will sing the national anthem, and all Sox players and coaches will arrive on the field for the opening game in 2019 Ford Mustangs.
U.S. servicemen will also be invited on the field before the game to present the American flag, and the U.S. Navy will host a flyover with Strike Fighter Squadron 213 F/A-18 Hornet jets.
The first 20,000 fans to attend Friday's game will receive a free 2019 commemorative Opening Day t-shirt, and there will be a guaranteed Sox Split jackpot starting at $50,000.
On Saturday, April 6, the first 15,000 fans who enter the ballpark will get a White Sox hoodie.
Sunday, the White Sox will host "Coca-Cola Family Sunday," when tickets will be sold for as low as $5 in the Upper Level areas and $15 in some Lower Level areas. Kids can run the bases before the game starts and the kids menu will be priced 50 percent off.