by Chris Ball
Cincinnati, Ohio – The 148th Opening Day in Cincinnati presented by GE Aerospace is Thursday, March 28 when the Reds take on the Washington Nationals at 4:10 p.m. at Great American Ball Park. Gates open to the public at 2:10 p.m., with pregame ceremonies starting at 3:30 p.m.
11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Reds Community Fund Charity Block Party at The Banks presented by GE Aerospace
• Free pregame Opening Day Block Party kicks off at 11 a.m. at The Banks on Joe Nuxhall Way, Freedom Way and Walnut Street.
• Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Anheuser Busch, Coca-Cola, LaRosa’s, Boone County Distilling, Jim Beam and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
• Live music and entertainment will be provided by Naked Karate Girls & dj etrayn.
• All proceeds benefit the baseball and softball outreach programs of the Reds Community Fund.
Noon – Findlay Market Opening Day Parade
• Grand Marshals: Reds greats Dmitri Young and Pokey Reese will serve as the Grand Marshals of the 105th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade.
2:10 p.m. – Gates open to Great American Ball Park
• Reds Magnetic Schedule: Fans will receive a 2024 Reds magnetic schedule and City Connect car magnet, presented by PNC, while supplies last.
3:30 p.m. – Pregame Ceremonies Begin
• Ceremonial First Pitch: Reds Hall of Famer Sean Casey will throw out the Ceremonial First Pitch.
• Game Ball Delivery: Reds Hall of Famer & 1977 NL MVP George Foster will deliver the Official Game Ball.
• Honorary Captain: Reds Hall of Famer Marty Brennaman will serve as the Honorary Captain of the Game, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut as a Reds broadcaster in 1974.
• National Anthem: Marlana VanHoose from Denver, Ky. will perform the National Anthem.
• Flyover presented by GE Aerospace: The pregame flyover will be performed by two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters from the U.S. Army Reserves 8-229th Assault Helicopter Battalion out of Fort Knox, Ky. The helicopters feature GE T700 Turboshaft engines.
• American Flag: A giant 300’ by 150’ American flag will be unfurled during the singing of our National Anthem by members of the Cincinnati Firefighters Local 48.
• Honor Guard: Members of the United States Marines Corps, Navy, Coast Guard, Army & Air Force will present colors in our traditional “Parade of Colors.”
• Rosie Reds: Representatives from the Rosie Reds organization will make the traditional presentation of Opening Day plaques to Reds manager David Bell and Nationals manager Dave Martinez.
• Findlay Market Basket: Representatives from Findlay Market will make their annual Findlay Market Basket presentation to Reds manager David Bell.
• Player Introductions: Rosters of both teams will be announced, and players will line the first and third base paths for introductions.
4:10 p.m. – 148th Opening Day game – Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals
• TV: Bally Sports Ohio and WLWT-TV 5 NBC (John Sadak, Barry Larkin & Jim Day)
• Radio: 700WLW and stations on the Reds Radio Network (Tommy Thrall & Jeff Brantley)
• Scheduled Starting Pitchers: Reds RHP Frankie Montas vs. Nationals RHP Josiah Gray
• Kroger First Responder: Cincinnati Police Officer Ben Williamson will be recognized as the Kroger First Responder of the game at the end of the first inning.
• altafiber Hometown Hero: US Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Jay Collars will be honored as the altafiber Hometown Hero of the game at the end of the second inning.
• God Bless America: Retired Cincinnati Firefighter John Winfrey will perform “God Bless America” during the 7th inning stretch.
Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.
