Baltimore Orioles Announce Opening Day Pregame Festivities

The Baltimore Orioles will feature many members of the community and have a moment of silence during their Opening Day ceremonies on Thursday.

Mar 26, 2020; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; A general view of the home plate entrance gate on what was / Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles announced its pre-game activities for Opening Day for Thursday, as they will host the Los Angeles Angels at Camden Yards.

Earlier on Wednesday the Orioles announced that David Rubenstein and his ownership group was formally approved to take over the team from the Angelos Family, moving Rubenstein into the chief control officer role for the team.

Rubenstein will participate in the ceremonial first pitch but will not throw it. Aubree Singletary, the child of a Baltimore city postal worker, will throw out the pitch to Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr., who is part of the new ownership group. Rubenstein’s father was a postal worker.

Rubenstein, along with fellow team owners Michael Arougheti, Mitchell Goldstein and Michael Smith will yell the ceremonial “Play Ball” before the game.

With first pitch scheduled for 3:05 p.m., pre-game activities will start at 2:30 p.m. and Orioles play-by-play announcer Kevin Brown will emcee the festivities.

The Morgan State University Choir will sing the National Anthem from the sod farm. In addition, a soloist from the choir will perform “God Bless America” during the seventh-inning stretch.

During the anthem, a 30-by-42 foot flag from Fort McHenry will be lowered from the batter’s eye, a replica of the flag that flew over the fort when Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner.

There will be a moment of silence for the victims and the family part of the Francis Scott Key Bridge tragedy on Tuesday, along with appreciation for first responders who stepped into action.

The Baltimore City Police Honor Guard and the Baltimore City Fire Department Honor Guard will present the colors before the game.

Children from the YMCA of Central Maryland will hold Orioles flags during pre-game ceremonies.

Carter, a 9-year-old Orioles fan that Rubenstein met at the Orioles Team Shop on March 5, will be honored as the Fan of the Year, while Sara Artes, the volunteer executive director of Corner Team, will be recognized as the Birdland Community Hero.

All fans in attendance will receive an Orioles rally towel and there will be an Opening Day auction to benefit the Orioles Charitable Foundation.

Outside the stadium, the Budweiser Clydesdales will be in public from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Gates will open at noon.