Baseball is back: El Paso Chihuahuas ready for home opener
EL PASO, Texas -- For the first time in 623 days, El Paso on Thursday evening was set to host a baseball game at Southwest University Park.
After the 2020 Minor League Baseball season was canceled due to Covid-19, the El Paso Chihuahuas were returning to play in their home stadium vs. the Albuquerque Isotopes. Thursday night’s home opener was sold out.
Regardless of the result on the scoreboard, the home opener will be a win for the franchise.
Fans will be allowed in at 70% capacity, with masks required upon entry. Despite the CDC changing guidelines for vaccinated persons, the Chihuahuas will continue to mandate masks for all fans on Thursday night.
In a alteration to the fan experience, Southwest University Park has gone fully cashless to minimize hand-to-hand transactions.
On the field, Thursday night’s home opener is a chance for fans to see a potential ace major league pitcher. MacKenzie Gore, the consensus top pitching prospect in all of baseball, gets the start for the Chihuahuas. Gore is the #6 ranked overall prospect in the Major League Baseball and #1 on the San Diego Padres’ Top 30 list.
El Paso comes into Thursday’s game having already played a series at the Tacoma Rainiers, splitting the series for a cumulative record of 3-3.
The home-opening series vs. Albuquerque runs through next Tuesday, and while Thursday’s game is sold out, tickets are still available for the rest of the home stand but going quickly.
