Per team release...
(UPTOWN CHARLOTTE, NC) – After a record-breaking inaugural
season at BB&T Ballpark -- the most visited venue in Minor League Baseball
in 2014 -- the Charlotte Knights will open the 2015 campaign in Uptown
Charlotte with an exhibition game against their parent club, the Chicago White
Sox, on Friday, April 3 at 6:05 p.m. Charlotte Knights General
Manager of Baseball Operations Scotty Brown, along with White Sox Director of
Player Development Nick Capra, made the joint announcement at BB&T Ballpark on
Tuesday.
"This is a great way to kick off our second season at
BB&T Ballpark," said Knights Executive Vice President/Chief Operating
Officer Dan Rajkowski. "We are very pleased to welcome the Chicago White
Sox to Uptown Charlotte. This is an opportunity for our fans to see some former
Knights who are now playing for the White Sox and to see a competitive game
against our parent club.”
The White Sox and Knights last faced off in exhibition play at Knights Stadium in Fort Mill, SC on April 1, 2010. In all, the Knights and White Sox have played two exhibition games over the course of their 16-year affiliation. The Knights hosted the White Sox during the first season of their affiliation in 1999.
“We are very excited for the Chicago White Sox to travel to
Charlotte and help open the second season of BB&T Ballpark, one of the
finest facilities in Minor League Baseball,” said Rick Hahn, White Sox senior
vice president/general manager. “Charlotte is a first class city with a
first-class venue and the Knights have served as an outstanding Class AAA
affiliate to our major-league club since 1999. Every spring, we explain
to our roster that it takes far more than 25 men for any team to win a
championship, and for the White Sox much of that talent comes through Charlotte
each summer.”
Since 1999, Chicago has supplied the on-field talent to
Charlotte, making it the fourth longest current affiliation agreement in the
Triple-A International League behind the Pawtucket Red Sox (1973 first year
with Boston), the Toledo Mud Hens (1987 first year with Detroit), and the
Durham Bulls (1998 first year with Tampa Bay). The Knights and White Sox
extended their affiliation for an additional six seasons on December 10, 2013.
The Knights and White Sox partnership will stay intact through the 2020 season.
The Charlotte Knights opened their inaugural season at BB&T Ballpark on Friday, April 11, 2014 to a sell-out crowd of 10,231 fans. It was the first professional baseball game played in Charlotte for the Knights since the final home game of the 1988 season on August 31, 1988. The 2015 exhibition game will be the first time a Major League team will play in the city limits of Charlotte since April 12, 1984 when the Charlotte O’s hosted the Baltimore Orioles.
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