Jerry Reinsdorf officiated Ron Kittle’s wedding to Barbara at Guaranteed Rate Field as the White Sox scored a 10-run third inning Friday night, turning a milestone into a ballpark scene. The same day, the Sox optioned David Sandlin to Triple-A Charlotte, recal
The celebration happened in the middle of the game—right when the White Sox were erupting.
Friday night, in the bottom of the third inning, the Sox plated 10 runs. In the middle of all that noise at Guaranteed Rate Field, one of their former sluggers was stepping into a new chapter of his own. Ron Kittle, officiated by Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, was married to his new wife, Barbara.
Reinsdorf was in his suite for the wedding. So was Kittle’s former White Sox community: Harold Baines and Greg Walker were there, along with their spouses.
“He’s so superstitious [Reinsdorf] might marry somebody today in the bottom of the third,” Kittle quipped before Saturday’s game.
Kittle’s connection to ballpark weddings isn’t a one-time story. Last August, he officiated a 60-second ceremony during a game against the Guardians, during a night honoring former owner Bill Veeck.
“Now I’m the only player to marry someone at the park and get married at the park,” Kittle said.
Saturday’s reunion at the park carried its own weight. Kittle and many of his old colleagues were at Guaranteed Rate Field for a reunion of the 1983 AL West champions. They were introduced before the game, and the group included manager Tony La Russa. Richard Dotson threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Even with the ceremony part of the day, the talk quickly turned back to baseball—the 2026 team, the mood in the clubhouse, and what’s changed.
Kittle said he likes this group more than its recent predecessors.
“Some of these guys get out of their car in the parking lot and they are already dirty,” he said. “They stop balls, they dive. They don’t put their head down when they make a mistake. They got rid of a couple of guys who never hustled, which I was so happy about.”
The personnel work continued immediately after that reunion, too.
As expected, the Sox optioned right-hander David Sandlin to Triple-A Charlotte. With Sandlin sent back down, it opened a spot in the Sox rotation.
That vacancy could go to Noah Schultz.
Schultz has been on the injured list since May 26 with right knee patellar tendinitis. He struck out seven over 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start Friday for Charlotte. The Sox’ first-round pick in 2022 threw 52 strikes out of 74 pitches.
Sox manager Will Venable didn’t commit to Schultz rejoining the rotation next turn, but he left the door open.
“Noah’s lined up; he’s certainly going to be an option there,” Venable said. “We haven’t made any decisions yet. But he’s lined up and will be under consideration for sure.”
In eight big-league starts, Schultz has a 5.82 ERA and has walked 22 batters in 38 2/3 innings.
To take Sandlin’s place on the roster for now, the Sox recalled left-hander Tyler Schweitzer from Charlotte.
Back on the field, the day carried another kind of urgency—one not measured in innings.
There’s only so much Venable and the Sox can do to ease the minds of Venezuelan players Luisangel Acuña and Everson Pereira in the wake of the country’s earthquakes. The tragedy has killed over 1,400 people, injured scores more, and damaged Venezuelan infrastructure.
Venable said he’s been communicating to make sure the players are okay.
“It’s a terrible situation, it’s awful and obviously very devastating,” he said. “Those two guys and a number of guys that we know who are potentially impacted by that, so just checking in on your people.”
Pereira, in particular, remains sidelined. He was put on the 7-day concussion IL on June 18 but has not resumed baseball activities. Pereira got hurt June 17 at Yankee Stadium when he crashed into the outfield wall while making a catch on a Ben Rice fly ball.
For a club that spent Friday building a lead the hard way—10 runs in the third—Saturday’s schedule still carried the same blend of joy and responsibility: a milestone marriage at the ballpark, roster decisions that could reshape the rotation, and the quiet work of checking on family back home.
Ron Kittle Jerry Reinsdorf White Sox Guaranteed Rate Field Noah Schultz David Sandlin Tyler Schweitzer Will Venable Venezuelan earthquakes Luisangel Acuña Everson Pereira