{"id":662404,"date":"2026-04-04T07:23:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/662404\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T07:23:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T07:23:57","slug":"white-sox-fans-optimistic-at-home-opener-despite-seasons-rocky-start-hope-never-dies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/662404\/","title":{"rendered":"White Sox fans optimistic at home opener despite season’s rocky start: ‘Hope never dies’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite years of ineptitude and a rough start this year, many White Sox fans who showed up for Friday\u2019s home opener arrived with a mix of nostalgia for the past and hope for the future.<\/p>\n

Brothers Michael and Steve Malczewski began attending Opening Day as young boys, when their father would pull them out of school \u2014 a tradition they later passed down to their own children. <\/p>\n

On Friday, the brothers carried on that legacy, standing outside Rate Field grilling with family and friends, sharing a sense of optimism about the season ahead. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get it right this year,\u201d said Michael Malczewski, 53, of Homer Glen. <\/p>\n

The season\u2019s first home game against the Toronto Blue Jays, originally scheduled Thursday, was pushed back<\/a> a day due to heavy rain. The Sox were already off to a rocky start to the season with a 1-5 losing record, but Michael Malczewski, like many other fans, were excited to see what the team\u2019s new slugger, Munetaka Murakami<\/a>, could bring to the team. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People tailgate at the White Sox\u2019s home opener outside Rate Field in Bridgeport, Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a steal for the [franchise],\u201d Michael Malczewski said of the 26-year-old first baseman from Japan. \u201cThere will be some adjustments for the team but he\u2019s our bright spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, White Sox TV announcer John Schriffen ruffled feathers within the organization<\/a> after bestowing Murakami with the nickname \u2018South Side Samurai.\u2019 When asked about the controversy on Friday, most fans weren\u2019t aware of it.<\/p>\n

Dan Kozlowski, of Crown Point, Indiana, said he was just excited to see Murakami in person, calling this season his first \u201ctrue test\u201d in Major League Baseball. He said he has been impressed with what he\u2019s seen so far, but added that only time will tell.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully Sox fans are welcoming to him,\u201d said Kozlowski, who was attending his 20th home opener. \u201cHe\u2019s already given us three home runs which is what we want to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The White Sox\u2019 Munetaka Murakami bats against the Milwaukee Brewers in the seventh inning during his MLB debut on Opening Day at American Family Field on March 26, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. <\/p>\n

Patrick McDermott\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Otherwise, the team\u2019s brutal road trip to start the season<\/a> has looked a lot like the past few years. In their first six games, the Sox have been outscored 52-21, with a team batting average of .192 sitting fifth-worst in baseball and an MLB-high .319 batting average against their pitchers. They\u2019ve also been charged with six fielding errors.<\/p>\n

But on Friday, the home team gave the 33,171 in attendance a reason to cheer, rallying in the tenth inning<\/a> to defeat the Blue Jays 5-4.<\/p>\n

Win or lose, Kozlowski said Sox fans would continue to show up for their team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHope never dies,\u201d he said while wearing a white Papal hat and a jersey with Pope Leo on the back. \u201cWe\u2019re still here. We\u2019re going to be here every year.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Christina Ashley of Oak Park, being a Sox fan means sticking together through the good times and the bad times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping for a better season but we\u2019re still the best team,\u201d said Ashley, 46, a nurse who called out of work to attend the opener. \u201cThis is home.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Mary<\/p>\n

Mary John Rodriguez and Cynthia Rodriguez bring their baby to the White Sox\u2019s home opener outside Rate Field in Bridgeport, Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n

However, many fans agreed it was time for owner Jerry Reinsdorf<\/a> to sell the team.<\/p>\n

Reinsdorf, 89, reached an agreement with minority owner Justin Ishbia last year that would establish a framework for Ishbia to obtain a future controlling interest in the franchise. Reinsdorf will have the option to sell that interest to Ishbia starting in 2029 until 2033.<\/p>\n

Kozlowski said the team may be blessed by Pope Leo XIV, a South Sider and Sox fan, but it was time for a new owner to take over.<\/p>\n

\u201cPope Leo says sell the team, sooner rather than later,\u201d Kozlowski jokingly added.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

David Gutierrez speaks to a reporter while his son Cameron, 6, clings onto him while tailgating before the White Sox\u2019s home opener outside Rate Field in Bridgeport, Friday, April 3, 2026. Gutierrez said it was a late celebration for his son\u2019s birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to see progress, but until we change ownership, that\u2019s when we really are going to start seeing change,\u201d said David Gutierrez of Naperville.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need an owner who cares about winning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Gutierrez, 39, has attended every home opener since 2010, a tradition he\u2019s maintained since his sons, Cameron and Jacob, were born. Friday\u2019s game was made a little more special for the family who were celebrating Cameron\u2019s 6th birthday.<\/p>\n

Cameron and Jacob, 4, are learning to be White Sox fans, and Gutierrez said he wants his two boys to grow up watching a winning team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping when they\u2019re a little older this team will finally be doing better,\u201d he said. \u201cI know there\u2019s better days ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Brothers<\/p>\n

Brothers Jacob Gutierrez (right), 4, and Cameron Gutierrez, 6, stand on their dad\u2019s truck before the White Sox\u2019s home opener outside Rate Field in Bridgeport, Friday, April 3, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite years of ineptitude and a rough start this year, many White Sox fans who showed up for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":662405,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2379],"tags":[5,138,49,2561,4,396,2562],"class_list":{"0":"post-662404","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-white-sox","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-white-sox","11":"tag-chicagowhitesox","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-white-sox","14":"tag-whitesox"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116345250474873629","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=662404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/662404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/662405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=662404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=662404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=662404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}