ANAHEIM (CNS) - Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Los Angeles Angels' home opener Friday evening when they face Guerrero's son, Vladimir Jr., and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Pregame activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a "Red Carpet Event" at the Home Plate Pad near the big red hats outside Angel Stadium. Players will appear from 1 to 3 p.m. while alumni and members of the team's Strike Force, the all-female interactive squad that performs various tasks at home games, will appear from 3 to 4 p.m.
The event also includes food trucks and a live radio broadcast.
Stadium gates will open at 4 p.m.
"The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada" will be sung by Jill Marie Burke, a former Miss Anaheim who was the principal vocalist for Norwegian Cruise Lines. A 150-foot by 300-foot American flag will be unfurled by 150 active duty local military members and veterans during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner."
There will be a flyover by F-15C Eagles from the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing.
Guerrero is the lone member of the Hall of Fame wearing an Angels cap on his plaque. He played for the team from 2004-09, is its franchise leader in batting average (.319) and second in slugging percentage (.546) and on-base plus slugging (.927) among players with 3,000-or-more plate appearances, both behind Mike Trout, who has a .587 career slugging percentage and 1.203 career on-base plus slugging.
Guerrero was the 2004 American League MVP when he helped lead the Angels to the first of their five AL West division titles in his six seasons with the team. The Angels have won one division title since he left the team via free agency following the 2009 season.
The Angels went 4-2 on their season-opening road trip, winning two of three games against both the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, and share the AL West lead with the Texas Rangers. Toronto is 4-3, including victories in each of the final three games of a four-game series against the Kansas City Royals, and are third in the AL East, 2 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays.
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval (1-0) will make his second start of the season for the Angels. Right-hander Chris Bassitt (0-1) will make his second start of the season for the Blue Jays.
Sandoval limited the Athletics to one run and two hits over five innings in a 13-1 victory Saturday. The 2015 Mission Viejo High School graduate will be facing Toronto for the second time. He allowed six runs, tying a career high, and five hits in three innings in an 11-10 loss at Angel Stadium May 29, 2022, he did not figure in the decision.
Bassitt allowed nine runs and 10 hits, including four home runs, in a 9-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday. The 33-year-old Bassitt is 6-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 12 career appearances, including 10 starts, against the Angels, mostly recently in 2021 when he pitched for Oakland.
Trout has a .412 average with one home run and five RBIs in 17 career at-bats against Bassitt while Shohei Ohtani is hitting .182 with one home run and two RBIs in 22 at-bats.
The 6:38 p.m. game will be televised by Bally Sports West.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok
Related
Related
