Yordano Ventura’s family will take part in ceremony at Royals home opener

First pitch for the Royals’ home opener Monday against the Oakland A’s is at 3:15 p.m.

But the Royals are encouraging fans to arrive at Kauffman Stadium early if they want to see the team’s tribute to pitcher Yordano Ventura, who died in January in a car accident in the Dominican Republic.

“We know a lot of fans will want to see that,” said Toby Cook, the Royals’ vice president of publicity. “There will be a moment of silence for Yordano and a video tribute, and his family members will be taking part in a ceremony honoring him and throwing out the first pitch.”

Cook said the Truman Sports Complex will open at 9 a.m. on Monday for tailgaters. The gates will open at 1 p.m.

Because the game is sold out, traffic likely will be heavier than usual, so Cook advised fans to plan accordingly.

“We always encourage people to be in their seats at 2:30 if they want to see all of that (pregame activities),” Cook said.

The Royals, like the rest of Major League Baseball, started having fans walk through metal detectors when entering the stadium last year. But this season, there will be express lanes at Gates B and D at Kauffman Stadium. Fans not carrying a bag will be able to get in while just being checked with a wand.

Interested in attending the game? While it’s sold out, some single tickets are likely to become available in the next few days, Cook said. There are various reasons for this, so there is no set time when they will be put on sale.

Cook said to keep checking the team’s website (Royals.com) over the next few days.

This story was originally published April 6, 2017 at 10:18 AM with the headline "Yordano Ventura’s family will take part in ceremony at Royals home opener."