Updated on: April 4, 2025 / 12:52 PM PDT / CBS San Francisco
The San Francisco Giants finally get to host their home opener at Oracle Park Friday afternoon, taking on the Seattle Mariners to kick off the team’s 26th season at the magnificent bayside ballpark.
When is the Giants home opener?
The Giants will be facing off with the Seattle Mariners on Friday, April 4, at 1:35 p.m. for Opening Day. The first game of the three-game series marks the first home contest of team’s 26th year playing at the ballpark. Oracle Park gates will open at 10:35 a.m. Fans are encouraged to get to their seats by 12:45 p.m. to catch a pre-game presentation happening on the field.
Will there be special festivities for the home opener?
The home opener will be celebrated with a special pre-game ceremony that will include appearances by members of the 2000 team to help commemorate the milestone. Those appearing including Rich Aurilia, Mark Gardner, Kirk Rueter, Damon Minor, JT Snow, Marvin Benard, Russ Ortiz, Ron Wotus and manager Dusty Baker.
Addition Opening Day events include the honorary first pitch, this year being thrown out by new San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie. There will also be performances of “Lift Ev’ry Voice” by Ms. Monet and an instrumental take on the National Anthem by Journey guitar great Neal Schon before a ceremonial flyover by the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing
How much are tickets?
While the game is long sold out (as is usually the case with the Giants’ home opener), there are tickets available ranging from $109 for “standing room only” space to a whopping $1,199 per ticket in the Dugout Club on the official MLB site. On resale secondary market ticket sites like Stubhub and SeatGeek, some people are trying to sell the same $109 SRO seats still available directly from the Giants with a $30-$40 mark up. However there are still actual seats available starting at around $146.
Who to watch on the Giants?
The Giants come into their home opener on a hot streak with a 5-1 record as the team starts their second season led by manager Bob Melvin and first under new President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey. The sizzling start included a three-game sweep of the Houston Astros. Despite that impressive record, the team is still trailing their rival Los Angeles Dodgers (8-0) and the San Diego Padres (7-0) in the NL West.
A fresh start was in order after the team fired Farhan Zaidi and hired Posey on the same day last October. While the team lost pitcher Blake Snell when he opted out of the second year of his contract after only one season that included his first career no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds in August (Snell agreed to a $182 million, five-year contract with the World Series champion Dodgers), the team did sign 42-year-old Justin Verlander to a one-year deal. Verlander will be looking for his first win as a Giant when he takes the mound Friday after starting the team’s only loss so far this year to the Reds.
The Giants are already seeing some significant output offensively from centerfielder Jung Hoo Lee — who reached base eight times in his first five games — and DH Wilmer Flores, whose bat has proven the difference in three games with home runs.
How do you get to Oracle Park?
While fans can drive to the ballpark (they should be advised that advanced reservations via SpotHero are required for any Giants-controlled facilities and recommended for other surrounding lots), traffic in the area can be tough. The SFMTA closes eastbound King Street between 3rd and 2nd streets to vehicle traffic two and a half hours before the opening pitch. King Street reopens after first pitch until the seventh inning, when it closes again until post-game traffic dies down in order to reduce congestion on city streets.
Additionally, the northbound portion of the 4th Street Bridge (aka the Peter R. Maloney Bridge) will be closed to all traffic except Muni, taxis and bicycles during the post-game period. Giants fans parked south of Mission Creek Channel who are heading north of the channel are encouraged to exit to the south along 3rd or 4th streets in order to avoid congestion on King and 3rd streets after Oracle Park events.
Oracle Park is easily reached by walking or biking from the Market Street BART stations or elsewhere, or by taking Muni, Caltrain or the San Francisco Bay Ferry. The Oracle Park website has a page devoted to taking public transit to the ballpark from anywhere in the Bay Area.
Dave PehlingDave Pehling is website managing editor for CBS Bay Area. He started his journalism career doing freelance writing about music in the late 1990s, eventually working as a web writer, editor and producer for KTVU.com in 2003. He began his role with CBS Bay Area in 2015.
