Guide to Red Wings season opener on Friday against Iron Pigs

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings will begin their 150-game season on Friday. The team will take on the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs at Innovative Field.

Gates open at 2:30 p.m. and the first pitch will be thrown at 4:05 p.m. This season, Milo the bat dog is also expected to make his season debut. Also, Innovative Field will bring in “robotic umpires” this April, an automated system to determine if a pitcher threw a strike or a ball.

The Red Wings have guaranteed that the temperature will be at least 50 degrees for the season-opening game or the organization will give every fan in attendance a free ticket to any game in April or May.

The Red Wings will play 75 home and 75 away games. You can see the full schedule and get tickets here. Here is the home game schedule for March and April:

• Red Wings vs. Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Friday, March 31 through Sunday, April 2 (three total games).
• Red Wings vs. Buffalo Bisons, Tuesday, April 11 through Sunday, April 16 (six total games).
• Red Wings vs. St. Paul Saints, Tuesday, April 25 through Sunday, April 30 (six total games).

First Alert Meteorologist Alex Bielfeld reported live from Innovative Field on News10NBC Today. He spoke with Red Wings General Manager Dan Mason about the toboggan hats that the first 1,000 fans of the season will receive:

He also spoke with Mason about the suite specials at Innovative Field:

Alex also asked about how the “robotic umpires” will change the game: