CHICAGO -- The forecast of 51 degrees and partly cloudy on Thursday afternoon for Opening Day between the White Sox and Angels would be considered downright balmy for Chicago at this time of year.
Both teams hope their respective start to the season is as warm or even as hot as the Windy City weather after truly disappointing campaigns in 2024. Disappointing, as in 99 losses for the Angels and 121 losses for the White Sox, setting a single-season record in the Modern Era (since 1901). These two squads have new looks, and the White Sox even have a new manager in Will Venable as they push forward.
¡°Will and the staff have done a tremendous job and look forward to Opening Day,¡± White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a day we haven¡¯t looked forward to coming to the field, and the player energy has been really high. I know they are excited to get the 2025 season going.¡±
Here¡¯s a look at this Opening Day matchup.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. CT/1:10 PT at Rate Field. The game will be televised by the White Sox on Chicago Sports Network (CHSN) and aired on ESPN 1000 radio and Sox Espa?ol (Spanish). It will be televised by the Angels on FanDuel Sports Network West and aired on KLAA-AM Angels Radio AM 830 and the app in Spanish. It will also be available on MLB.TV.
What are the starting lineups?
Angels
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Nolan Schanuel, 1B
- Mike Trout, RF
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Tim Anderson, 2B
- Luis Rengifo, 3B
- Logan O'Hoppe, C
- Jo Adell, CF
- Kevin Newman, SS
White Sox
- Miguel Vargas, 3B
- Luis Robert Jr., CF
- Andrew Benintendi, DH
- Andrew Vaughn, 1B
- Austin Slater, RF
- Lenyn Sosa, 2B
- Korey Lee, C
- Jacob Amaya, SS
- Michael A. Taylor, LF
Who are the starting pitchers?
Angels: LHP Yusei Kikuchi
2024 season: 9-10, 4.05 ERA in 175 2/3 innings
The Angels signed Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million deal in the offseason, and he¡¯ll make his club debut in his first Opening Day start. Kikuchi, 33, is coming off a strong season, especially after he was traded to the Astros on July 29. He upped his slider usage in his 10 starts with Houston and posted a 2.70 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 60 innings. He¡¯ll continue to lean heavily on his slider this season and also added a sweeper to his pitch mix.
White Sox: RHP Sean Burke
2024 season: 2-0, 1.42 ERA in 19 innings
Burke was a surprise Opening Day pick to many people, but not for the right-hander, who operates with the ultimate confidence and bravado on the mound. Burke, 25, was a Top 5 White Sox prospect entering the 2023 season, according to MLB Pipeline, but wasn¡¯t even part of big league camp in 2024. He takes the mound with the fewest number of career innings for a White Sox Opening Day starter (just 19 from last September), with the previous low being 61 from Patsy Flaherty in 1903, per the Elias Sports Bureau. Burke also is a good fit against a right-handed-heavy Angels lineup.
How might the bullpens line up after the starter?
Angels: Veteran closer Kenley Jansen was signed to a one-year deal worth $10 million and is MLB¡¯s active career save leader with 653, including 27 with the Red Sox last year. He joins flamethrower Ben Joyce, whose fastball has reached as high as 105.5 mph, and other top setup options such as lefty Brock Burke and right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn. Their bullpen is heavy on lefties.
White Sox: As of Monday¡¯s final day of Spring Training, the White Sox were still figuring out the direction they wanted to go with their relievers. Mike Clevinger, the veteran former starter in camp as a non-roster invite, could become the team¡¯s closer and has pitched well in relief during Cactus League action. But Venable has not named a closer and might not, focusing instead on late-inning leverage matchups.
Any injuries of note?
Angels: Shortstop Zach Neto is ahead of schedule in his return after undergoing right shoulder surgery in November, but he will open the season on the injured list. He¡¯s expected to return at some point in April. Third baseman Yo¨¢n Moncada sustained a deep bone bruise in his right thumb in a game on Feb. 12, and his status is up in the air. Reliever Robert Stephenson is recovering from Tommy John surgery and should be back by midseason. Third baseman Anthony Rendon underwent left hip surgery and is expected to miss the season.
White Sox: Infielder Josh Rojas (fractured big toe on right foot) and outfielder Mike Tauchman (right hamstring strain) most likely will start on the injured list, although Getz said they are not far off from a return. Reliever Prelander Berroa and starters Drew Thorpe and Ky Bush would have been in the Opening Day mix, but all three have undergone or will undergo Tommy John surgery. Outfielders Andrew Benintendi (non-displaced fracture on right hand) and Austin Slater (left oblique strain) have worked their way back during Cactus League action and will be ready.
Who¡¯s hot and who¡¯s not?
Angels: Soler (.946 OPS in 19 games) had a huge spring offensively, while Trout (.982 in 15 games) also had a solid showing after making some mechanical tweaks to his swing. But the Angels didn¡¯t hit much during their time in Arizona, as several players scuffled offensively such as Adell (.180 batting average) and O¡¯Hoppe (16 strikeouts in 37 at-bats).
White Sox: Left-handed reliever Cam Booser has not allowed a run over eight innings this spring, putting him in line as one of the White Sox late-inning options. Miguel Vargas, ready to bounce back from a dismal stretch during last year¡¯s debut on the South Side, has two home runs and six RBIs over his last 12 games, while Luis Robert Jr. looks good at the plate and feels good physically. Jonathan Cannon allowed 13 runs on 22 hits over 11 1/3 innings covering four starts, but he struck out six over five innings during a Minor League start on Sunday.
Anything else fans might want to know?
? The Angels and White Sox last met up on Opening Day in 2021, but it was at Angel Stadium, with the Angels picking up a 4-3 win. The Angels, however, have lost their first game of the year in 10 of the last 11 seasons. The last time the Halos opened at the White Sox was in 1988, with Chicago coming away with an 8-5 win.
? Trout, who made a club-record 12 Opening Day starts in center field, will make his first Opening Day start in right field, as he¡¯s making the transition to a new position in an attempt to keep him healthy. Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, has had trouble staying on the field in recent seasons.
? Derrick Rose, whose No. 1 Bulls jersey will be retired next season by the franchise, is scheduled to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
? Venable¡¯s first official game as manager makes him the sixth person at the White Sox helm since 2020, following Rick Renteria (¡®20), Tony La Russa (¡®21-22), Miguel Cairo (¡®22, interim), Pedro Grifol (¡®23-24) and Grady Sizemore (¡®24, interim), who is on the current staff as offensive coordinator.