Meet The Opponent: Los Angeles Angels Come To Chicago For Opening Day
CHICAGO – After an offseason filled with roster moves and thoughts of the future, Opening Day has finally arrived. For the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels, that means a 3:10 p.m. CT first pitch Thursday at Rate Field in Chicago.
The White Sox went 4-2 against the Angels last season and won all three home games. Both teams finished last in their respective divisions in 2024, and they have two of the three lowest playoff percentages entering the 2025 season, according to PECOTA projections.
Here's a look at the White Sox first opponent of the season.
Series schedule
- Thursday, March 27 at 3:10 p.m. CT; Rate Field in Chicago; TV: CHSN
- Saturday, March 29 at 1:10 p.m. CT; Rate Field in Chicago; TV: CHSN
- Sunday, March 30 at 1:10 p.m. CT; Rate Field in Chicago; TV: CHSN
Angels projected rotation, per MLB.com
- Yusei Kikuchi, LHP
- Tyler Anderson, LHP
- José Soriano, RHP
- Kyle Hendricks, RHP
- Jack Kochanowicz, RHP
The Angels signed Kikuchi to a three-year, $63 million contract in November. Playing for the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros in 2024, Kikuchi finished ninth in AL Cy Young voting with a 4.05 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 206 strikeouts in 175.2 innings. Anderson threw a team-high 179.1 innings for the Angels in 2024 and had a 3.81 ERA. Among Angels pitchers with at least 79 innings last season, Soriano had the lowest ERA at 3.42.
Hendricks signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Angels after 11 seasons with the Cubs, which included a World Series title, two top-10 Cy Young finishes and a 5.92 ERA in 2024. The 6-foot-7 Kochanowicz had a solid rookie season, posting a 3.99 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP in 11 starts and 65.1 innings. The Angels also signed closer Kenley Jansen to a one-year, $10 million deal.
Angels projected starting lineup, per MLB.com
- Taylor Ward, LF
- Nolan Schanuel, 1B
- Mike Trout, RF
- Jorge Soler, DH
- Logan O'Hoppe, C
- Yoán Moncada, 3B
- Luis Rengifo, 2B
- Jo Adell, CF
- Kevin Newman, SS
The Angels return four 20-home run hitters from 2024: Ward, O'Hoppe, Adell and Neto, who's injured and likely won't start on Opening Day. They're also hoping for a comeback season from three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star Mike Trout, who played just 29 games last season. Trading for Jorge Soler should also help the lineup's power as he hit 21 home runs last season, 36 in 2023 and 48 in 2019.
Rengifo led the Angels with a .300 batting average last season and was second on the team with 24 stolen bases. It's a homecoming of sorts for Yoan Moncada and Tim Anderson, who signed with the Angels in the offseason after playing the majority of their careers with the White Sox.
Angels manager: Ron Washington
Washington, 72, enters his second season with the Angels after going 63-99 in 2024 and finishing fifth in the AL West. That ended a 10-year managerial gap as Washington was the Atlanta Braves third base coach from 2016-23 and held various assistant coaching roles with the Oakland Athletics from 2015-16. Washington was previously the Texas Rangers' manager from 2007-14, a stretch that included two division titles, three playoff appearances and back-to-back losses in the World Series in 2010 and 2011. He had a 664-611 record with the Rangers.
Related stories on the Chicago White Sox
- EIGHT ROSTER MOVES: Ahead of Opening Day on Thursday, the White Sox made several changes to the roster, including designating Oscar Colas for assignment. CLICK HERE
- 3 POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS: The White Sox will hope to build on a few strong performances from spring training as the 2025 season approaches. CLICK HERE
- ROADCAST TEAM: Play-by-play announcer John Schriffen and analyst Steve Stone will lead the Chicago White Sox television for a second straight season. Here's the full team. CLICK HERE
- WHITE SOX WIN TOTAL OVER/UNDER: The FanDuel Sportsbook gave the Chicago White Sox the lowest over/under win total projection heading into the 2025 MLB season. CLICK HERE
Jack Ankony is the beat writer for “Chicago White Sox on SI.” He has been with the Sports Illustrated network since 2022. He graduated from Indiana University's Media School with a degree in journalism in 2022. Follow Jack on Twitter @ankony_jack