Yankees to open 111th season on Monday, April 1
Lou Piniella to throw out ceremonial first pitch
The New York Yankees will play their 111th Opening Day game in franchise history on Monday, April 1 vs. the Boston Red Sox at 1:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium.
Gates will open to fans with valid tickets beginning at 11:00 a.m., with festivities slated to begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. with the introduction of both teams on the baselines. The Yankees ask their fans to please budget ample time when planning their trip to the Stadium and urge their fans to use public transportation.
Lou Piniella, who will be honored with the “Pride of the Yankees Award” at the 2013 Homecoming Dinner following the Opening Day game, will throw out the Opening Day ceremonial first pitch. He will become the 12th former Yankees player to receive the Opening Day honor. A Tampa native, Piniella played his final 11 Major League seasons with the Yankees (1974-84) and was a pivotal piece of their World Series Championship teams in 1977 and 1978. He also managed the Yankees from 1986-87, and took over as the Yankees’ general manager for the 1988 season and also resumed his manager’s role in June of that year.
As previously released, the Yankees and the Red Sox will stand together in dedicating the 2013 Opening Day game to the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, their families and the greater community of Newtown. Pregame ceremonies will feature joint honor guards of Newtown police and firefighters, along with a moment of silence, during which a list of the Sandy Hook victims’ names will be recognized on the center-field video board.
The Yankees and Red Sox will also wear a special ribbon on their uniforms for Opening Day to honor those lost and those affected by the tragedy.
Constantine Maroulis, Tony nominee and star of the Jekyll & Hyde Broadway musical scheduled to open on April 5, will sing the national anthem. In addition, a giant American flag will be unfurled by 75 West Point Cadets.
During the seventh-inning stretch, Alli Mauzey of the Broadway hit Wicked will perform “God Bless America.”
For information on parking and public transportation options to Yankee Stadium, please visit yankees.com and click on the Yankee Stadium tab at the top of the page.