Chicago Cubs Home Opener, Everything You Need to Know
The Chicago Cubs are hoping some home cooking can change a dismal 2-7 start on the road. Wrigley Field and a charged up crowd may be just what they need. The weather should be perfect for a home opener, sunny and 63 degrees. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s home opener compliments of the Chicago Cubs:
The game is scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m. CDT, and gates are scheduled to open approximately two hours prior to first pitch. Opening Day pregame festivities will start at approximately 12:40 p.m. CDT.
Opening Day Promotions and Entertainment:
- Promotional item: Cubs Magnet Schedule presented by Giordano’s, up to the first 30,000 early arriving fans
- God Bless America and National Anthem: Wayne Messmer
- Ceremonial Flyover: 90th Flying Training Squadron
- Ceremonial First Pitch: Cubs Hall of Famers Andre Dawson, Fergie Jenkins, Ryne Sandberg, Lee Smith and Billy Williams
- On-Field Recognition: Lee Smith, National Baseball Hall of Fame 2019 inductee
- 7th Inning Stretch: Lee Smith
Pitching Matchup:
Food and Beverage Offerings:
The Chicago Cubs and hospitality partner Levy are bringing a locally sourced focus to Wrigley Field dining locations in 2019. New food and beverage offerings this season include:
- Pork Tenders: crispy hand-breaded pork strips served with Japanese barbecue sauce, cabbage and carrot slaw
- Beer Can Chicken Sandwich: beer-marinated chicken breast served with dijonnaise, shredded lettuce, tomato and bacon on a brioche bun
- Wrigley House Chips: ranch-seasoned chips made in-house, served with Buffalo ranch dipping sauce
- Short Rib Disco Fries: braised beef short rib, roasted garlic aioli, queso fresco and green onions atop crispy fries
- Italian-Seasoned Chicken Sandwich: Italian-seasoned grilled chicken with Controne pepper, pesto aioli, lettuce and vine-ripe tomatoes, served on a split top bun
- Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich: Gruyere, Butterkäse and cheddar cheese with tomato jam, served alongside house-made chips and a creamy pesto dip
- Crispy Pork Sandwich: crispy breaded pork strips on a pretzel bun, topped with house-made pickles and onions, creamy Dijon, lettuce and vine-ripe tomatoes
- Impossible Burger: plant-based meat alternative with the same aroma and juiciness of real beef, served with chipotle lime aioli, American cheese, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun
- Southwest Fiesta Specialty Hot Dog: Vienna Beef hot dog topped with chili lime crema, pico de gallo, tortilla strips and house-made pickled peppers
- Walking Taco: Fritos topped with chili con carne, nacho cheese, pico de gallo and pickled jalapeños
Expanded selection of craft beer and local brews:
Fans can sip new flavors and varieties of beer, cider, wine and spiked seltzer this season. More than a dozen new draft and packaged craft beer selections will be served across the venue from breweries with Chicago and Midwestern roots. Alongside domestic draft favorites, fans will find cream and fruit ales, mango wheats, German style Kölsch, rosé cider and local IPA. Fans can order wine by the bottle served in a souvenir Cubs carafe or sample a rotating selection of seasonal varietals thanks to an expanded partnership with Terlato Wines.
Chicago’s favorite local flavors:
Wrigley Field will once again feature Chicago culinary staples Buona Beef, Garrett Popcorn, Giordano’s, Fannie May, Vienna Beef and more.
Hot Doug’s returns this season with its rotating selections on Platform 14, located behind the center field scoreboard in the Budweiser Bleachers. Served this homestand are the Les Lancaster, a beef and pork thuringer sausage with Goose Island beer mustard, caramelized onions and shredded cheddar cheese; the Ken Rudolph, a Jamaican jerk pork sausage with cumin dijonnaise, smoked gouda cheese and fried plantain chips; and the Rick Reuschel, a spicy Vienna Beef sausage with jalapeño mustard, pepper jack cheese and crispy fried onions.
Below is detailed information on what fans can expect when they visit the Friendly Confines in 2019. For more information on all things Wrigley Field, please visit Cubs.com/Info.
- Broadcast: ABC7, MLB Network, 670 The Score, Cubs.com
New Features at Wrigley Field According to the Chicago Tribune.
1. Expanded upper deck
The upper deck has been extended to include outdoor concourses, roughly four times the size of the old Jim Beam patio, now taken over by the Catalina Club (see below). The new left-field outdoor concourse, overlooking Gallagher Way. The right-field concourse (overlooking Addison and Sheffield) will open Monday, but concessions won’t be ready until May 1. Rice also said they have doubled the number of restrooms (yes,there are troughs) and concessions.
2. Bleacher expansion
The left-field bleachers have been extended with a new deck that has portable concessions and standing-room area with full views of the field. It accommodates roughly 75 people.
3. Renovated visitor’s clubhouse
Mobile Ticketing
New this year, Cubs tickets are available exclusively as mobile tickets via the free MLB Ballpark app. The MLB Ballpark app is your secure and convenient way to instantly buy, share and scan Cubs tickets for entry to Wrigley Field via your mobile device.
To enter Wrigley Field, simply have the Ballpark app open, pull up your ticket barcode for that day’s game and present it to the gate attendant to be scanned. If you’re entering with a group, you have the option to scan multiple tickets on one device or forward tickets to your group in advance to be scanned via the Ballpark app on their individual devices. If you plan to scan multiple tickets on one device, please be sure to enter Wrigley Field with all members of your party present.
Visit Cubs.com/BallparkApp for app features, tutorials and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
New Seat Numbering System
New in 2019, we have implemented a more intuitive seat numbering system to make our ballpark easier to navigate. For additional information about our new Section/Row/Seat configuration, including an updated Wrigley Field seating map, easy-to-use seat converter and frequently asked questions, please visit Cubs.com/SeatRenumbering.
Please note to help fans with seats in the Upper Level (300s and 400s) identify the closest ramp or stairs to their seats, we’ve added an “L” for Left Field and an “R” for Right Field at the end of Upper Level sections. The “L” and “R” designation also is displayed on wayfinding throughout the ballpark.
Transportation and Parking
The Cubs strongly encourage the use of public transportation, including Metra trains, Pace shuttle buses and CTA buses and trains.
The Cubs will continue to offer free remote parking at 3900 N. Rockwell St., just east of the Chicago River and immediately south of Irving Park Road. The lot will be available for all night and weekend games throughout the season. This lot includes free shuttle service to and from Wrigley Field. Services begin two and half hours before first pitch and returning shuttles board postgame and run approximately one hour after the end of the game. Please note the Remote Lot will not be available for our home opener since it is a weekday day game.
Limited parking may be available for purchase in the Toyota Camry Lot, located at 1126 W. Grace St, and the Irving Park Lot, located at 1052 Irving Park Rd.
The Cubs free bicycle valet service will continue during all home games. The service is located in the alley just east of the main entrance for the CTA Red Line stop on Addison Street. The bicycle valet will begin approximately two hours before the start of the game and end one hour after the game ends. The Cubs do not offer luggage or bag storage, so please plan accordingly.
As in the past, we anticipate the Chicago Police Department will close Waveland Avenue from Clark Street to Sheffield Avenue to vehicular traffic one hour before the game begins and reopen one hour after the game ends. Sheffield Avenue from Waveland Avenue to Addison Street is also expected to close to vehicular traffic one hour before the game begins and reopen one hour after the game ends.
For the most up-to-date information on street closures, visit 44thward.org.
Please visit Cubs.com/Transportation for additional transportation and parking information.
Bus Staging Locations
Group charter and coach buses will be asked to unload and pick up guests on Irving Park Road, just east of Clark Street.
Pace buses will be asked to stage on Clark Street between Waveland Avenue and Grace Street.
CTA buses will continue to provide service on Addison Street and Clark Street from the same locations as in prior years.
Ticket Windows
The Wrigley Field Ticket Office, located just north of the Wrigley Field Marquee at the corner of Clark and Addison streets, will be open for Opening Day and throughout the season. The Budweiser Bleacher ticket windows, located on Waveland Avenue by the main bleacher entrance, will be open on gamedays two hours before the start of the game. Hours of operation of all Wrigley Field ticket windows are available here.
Entry to the Ballpark
Wrigley Field gates are scheduled to open two hours prior to game time unless otherwise specified. Be sure to use the entry gate listed on your ticket. Visit Cubs.com/Gates for detailed gate locations.
Fan safety is a top priority for the Cubs and Major League Baseball. The Cubs have security screening at all Wrigley Field gates through the use of metal detectors. This enhanced screening is in addition to bag check stations for guests carrying items that need inspection. Guests entering without a bag, purse or container can use express lanes.
The following items are prohibited at Wrigley Field: Alcohol, bags larger than 16 x 16 x 8 inches, brooms, containers (cans, aerosol spray, glass, hard-sided coolers, thermoses or flasks), illegal drugs, inflatables, laser pointers, luggage or car seats, nets, noisemakers, non-factory sealed plastic bottles, portable stadium seats, selfie sticks, unmanned aerial vehicles, weapons of any kind and any other item deemed inappropriate by ballpark operations personnel. Visit Cubs.com/Security for additional information.
Fan Services Booths and First Aid Station
Fan Services Booths are located on the main concourse directly behind home plate and on the left-field side of the Budweiser Bleacher Gate. Available services include answers to general fan questions, kid-friendly items, ballpark food locations, information about events and services at Wrigley Field, directions and mass transit information. Fans also may share their feedback regarding their experience at Wrigley Field and obtain pocket schedules.
For assistance during the game, fans can text 69050 with the keyword “Friendly” and a description of their seat location and issue, and Wrigley Field personnel will respond to requests as soon as possible. Standard message and data rates may apply.
The Advocate Health Care First Aid station is located behind home plate in the main concourse. Signage identifies this area. An Advocate Health Care physician, registered nurse and emergency medical technicians are on hand for all games. First Aid also includes a family restroom and dedicated nursing mothers’ room.
Elevators
As part of the 1060 Project, we have increased the number of elevators available for our guests throughout Wrigley Field. Below is a list of available elevators for the 2019 season:
- The elevator by the Marquee Gate provides access to the Terrace and Upper levels.
- The elevator by the Left Field Gate provides access to the Terrace and Upper levels.
- The elevator in the left-field corner between the Left Field Gate and Budweiser Bleachers provides access to the Field Box and upper level of the Budweiser Bleachers.
- The elevator in the right-field corner between the Wintrust Right Field Gate and Budweiser Bleachers provides access to the Field Box.
- The elevator by the Budweiser Bleacher Gate provides access to the upper level of the Budweiser Bleachers.
- Two elevators located in the Budweiser Bleacher concourse provide access to the left- and right-field porches.
An additional elevator will be available in the right-field concourse by the Wintrust Right Field Gate beginning this summer.
Budweiser Bleachers
The Budweiser Bleacher Gate is located at the corner of Waveland and Sheffield avenues. Please note for the regular season, Budweiser Bleacher seating is general admission and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival is suggested for better seat selection.
Restrooms
As part of the 1060 Project, we have increased and improved restroom facilities throughout the ballpark. Fans are welcome to use any restroom in the ballpark provided their ticket permits access to the area in which the restroom is located.
ATM Locations
Wintrust automated teller machines are available throughout Wrigley Field for our fans’ convenience. Locations include: inside the Marquee Gate, Gallagher Way Gate, Left Field Gate and Wintrust Right Field Gate; on all ramps from the main concourse to the Upper Level; and in the Budweiser Bleachers near the stairwells and on the ramp.
Concessions
As part of the 1060 Project, we have increased and enhanced concession offerings throughout the ballpark. For the most up-to-date list of all food and beverage options and locations, visit Cubs.com/Food.
For the first hour after gates open, all food and nonalcoholic beverages are sold at a 10-percent discount.
Cubs Merchandise
Several merchandise stores and kiosks are available throughout the ballpark:
- The Cubs Team Store is located behind home plate on the main concourse on the first-base side of the Marquee Gate.
- Cubs Gear stores and kiosks are located at Section 120-121, at Section 133-138 and in the lower level of the Budweiser Bleachers.
- New Era stores and kiosks are located at Section 104 and in the upper level of the Budweiser Bleachers.
The main Cubs Store is located just outside the ballpark in Gallagher Way. This retail shop features authentic Cubs gear, merchandise and memorabilia and items exclusive to this location.
Wi-Fi
An expanded free Wi-Fi service powered by Xfinity is available throughout the ballpark and Gallagher Way using the network labeled XfinityWifi@Wrigley.
