Gamethread: Mariners at White Sox (Opening Day!)

Welcome to Opening Day, Part III — the one that really counts.

It’s the home opener, pushed a day due to weather. Looks like today is a nice one, by early April standards: mid-40s pushing to 50 during the game, and completely clear. Those of you celebrating the White Sox holiday out at the ballpark, feel free to check in here!

Opening Day lineups!

It’s a righty-heavy mix for the White Sox face NPB veteran and MLB rookie Yusei Kikuchi. Didya see where Seattle is going to pitch Kukuchi as an opener once a month to help preserve his arm? (I may have it wrong, but aren’t NPB rotations usually six-man, and the season a bit shorter?) Anyway, something more to ruffle feathers of traditionalists.

You’ll see on the White Sox side that Yolmer Sánchez is getting a game in the time-out corner, after a truly terrible start to the season, particularly on defense. José Rondón takes the start in Sánchez’s place.

We won’t have to wait any later than the second inning to see Eloy Jiménez’s first at-bat at home. Celebrate the moment with this tasty Eloy-wear, wouldja?

I’d also like to point out that in the SBN offseason simulation, where I GMed the White Sox with help from both SSS staff and readers, we pulled off a coup of a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers: Omar Narváez and Aaron Bummer for Domingo Santana and Chase Anderson. In the real MLB, Seattle pilfered Santana from Milwaukee (to be fair, the acquisitions of Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain bumped him out of the lineup). Santana murdered the ball in spring training, has started the season with a 1.047 OPS in his first eight games, and is controlled through 2021. Anderson would have been, worst-case, Ervin Santana. Anyway ...

Oh, hey, the Mariners have never started a season so hot. Even that year under Lou Piniella when Seattle won like 140 games, they didn’t start as hot as 7-1. So they’re due for a cooling off, eh?

Enjoy the ballgame. It’s on NBCSC and WGN radio, first pitch 1:10 p.m. CT.

Let’s get to .500!