It’s opening day in Kansas City: What Royals fans should know

Last Monday wasn’t Opening Day. Not in Kansas City, anyway.

For Royals fans, the real Opening Day arrives today, with a scheduled 3:15 p.m. game against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium.

The gates to the Truman Sports Complex are open, the birds are chirping under sunny skies and unofficial pregame festivities are underway in the parking lots around the K.

Here are a few key things to know as you look forward to first pitch, whether you’re at the K or wishing you could be:

REMEMBERING NO. 30

There won’t be a dry eye in the joint when Marisol Hernandez, mother of late Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, throws out the first pitch alongside her father and Yordano’s granddad, Raul Hernandez. They’ve come all the way from the family’s hometown of Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic, for the pregame tribute to Ventura, who died in a Jan. 22 car crash.

Marisol Hernandez remembers her son Yordano Ventura 

ON TELEVISION

Today’s game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Kansas City. So will the emotional pregame, starting at 2 p.m.

ON THE RADIO

Tune into 610 AM if you’re in market; elsewhere in the region, check local listings to see whether there’s a Royals Radio Network affiliate in your area.

STARTING PITCHERS

Ian Kennedy gets the ball for the Royals. For the Athletics, it’s rookie Jharel Cotton.

GATES OPEN

Gates to Kauffman Stadium open at 1 p.m., and the first 40,000 fans to come through get a Royals schedule.

Kauffman Stadium renovations and additions for 2017 

NATIONAL ANTHEM

Leavenworth, Kan., native Melissa Etheridge will do the honors.

BEST ROYALS COVERAGE

Well, that’d be right here at kansascity.com, of course. Stay with The Star all day as we bring you the sights, sounds and stories behind the scenes as baseball truly gets rolling in KC.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 10:13 AM with the headline "It’s opening day in Kansas City: What Royals fans should know."