Celebrating D Rose, and an improved Sox team: Takeaways from Opening Day 2025 with the Chicago White Sox
Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose talks throwing out the White Sox's Opening Day first pitch
Derrick Rose is one of the most beloved sons of Chicago. He threw out the first pitch at White Sox Opening Day.
CHICAGO - The Chicago White Sox came into Thursday with a 66-58 record on Opening Day games.
Following a 2024 season where the Sox set the Major League record for most losses in a single season with 121, 31,403 fans still flocked to Rate Field and enjoyed the start of the MLB season.
Chicagoans got to celebrate Derrick Rose, and a White Sox Opening Day win. They defeated the Angels 8-1 as Sean Burke took the win.
Here are our takeaways from Opening Day 2025 with the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field.
This Sox team will be much better in 2025
Plenty of jokes rang throughout the offseason. It can't get any worse than 2024, right?
The good news is, it will not be worse than the 2024 season.
The 2025 Chicago White Sox might not be playoff contenders yet, although the chance to surprise the MLB exists in an extremely slim fashion. It would be one of the surprises of the decade to see this team in playoff contention.
Still, this team hit, fielded and pitched well enough to hold a 3-0 lead into the ninth inning.
Luis Robert Jr. had 33 extra-base hits in the 2024 season. He had the first White Sox hit of the season and the first Sox double of the season.
First-year manager Will Venable had his first Major League challenge of the season. He won, as Korey Lee legged out a ground ball for a single.
New acquisition Austin Slater belted the Sox first homer of the year, giving the Southsiders a 1-0 lead.
Miguel Vargas had a two-run double that made the score 3-0, and Opening Day starter Sean Burke tossed three strikes outs, gave up three hits, didn't allow a run and went six innings. Andrew Benintendi and Lenyn Sosa gave the Sox insurance with home runs in the eighth inning.
It wasn't perfect. The Angels had a bases-loaded threat in the eighth inning, but Mike Clevinger struck out former Cub and current Angel Jorge Soler to end the threat.
The Angels aren't the World Series Champion Dodgers by any means. But the White Sox still got their first Opening Day win since April 12, 2022.
Venable's team looked decent on Thursday. That's a vast improvement from some of the moments the Sox had in 2024.
Fans, who braved the 50-degree overcast skies and mild drizzle, deserve to see a winner. They saw one on Thursday.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 27: Austin Slater #15 of the Chicago White Sox celebrates after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day at Rate Field on March 27, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff
Hello, old friends
When the Angels came to town, so did a few old friends.
Former White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson and former Sox infielder Yoan Moncada returned to Chicago, but this time they were wearing Angels jerseys.
Anderson won a batting title with the Sox. He went 0-3 in his Angels regular season debut after making the team following Spring Training. Sox fans gave Anderson loud praise as he was introduced.
Moncada pinch hit for the Angels and earned a walk.
Two players that were expected to be the long-term future of the Sox are still in the league, and deserve some applause.
Oh yeah. Former Sox infielder Nicky Lopez came in to pitch, too.
It's never a bad time to celebrate Derrick Rose
The first pitch of the 2025 season for the Chicago White Sox belonged to one of Chicago's most beloved sons.
Derrick Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP, former Chicago Bulls star and southside native, tossed out the ceremonial first pitch with his son, London, getting his own toss too.
Rose retired from the NBA in 2024 and was honored on January 4 by the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls also announced they would be retiring his jersey during the 2025-2026 NBA season.
The crowd at Rate Field chanted "M-V-P" before his pitch. There's never a bad time to celebrate what Rose means to the city of Chicago. Rose felt the love.
"It's love, man," Rose said after his first pitch. "Especially coming from here, being from here, having my kids here, and having a hell of an experience."
Rose's retirement meant stepping away from basketball and embarking on a business venture. Now, he's going to open a flower shop much like the pop-up shop he had on Jan. 1 which attracted long lines.
There's no date for that grab opening, but it's one venture Rose has going. He wasn't able to talk about the other ones just yet.
However, you still can't take the apex athlete out of Rose.
Rose threw a perfect strike for his first pitch. Even Rose's brother said it was a good pitch. That was all Rose needed to hear.
"They’re my hardest critics," Rose said. "I think I did pretty good."