CHICAGO -- Sean Burke threw what will be recorded as the first strike of the 2025 season for the White Sox with a 93.8 mph four-seam fastball swung through by the Angels’ Taylor Ward Thursday afternoon at Rate Field.

But in reality, it was Chicago native Derrick Rose who fired the first strike in a ceremonial first pitch minutes before the game began. The Bulls icon, whose number will be retired by the franchise during a ceremony next season, took the mound to chants of “MVP” and split the zone with a toss to Michael A. Taylor. He was joined in the moment by his son, London, who also joined Rose for a brief chat with the media.

“It’s surreal. It’s always surreal. But I’m a business man now. And a dad -- just spending time with them and giving them this time to really take in the moment,” Rose said. “I have a few people betting against me -- family members -- that I wasn’t going to pitch the ball the right way. All jokes aside, it’s always great to be in Chicago with my kids, giving them the [chance] to experience things like this.”

Rose couldn’t divulge the business projects being worked on by his group currently, aside from another popup flower shop taking place at Rate Field during this 2025 season opener. The first one popped up in Chicago on Jan. 2 at 350 N. State Street, with fans waiting well around the corner to get their roses and meet the 2010-11 NBA MVP.

Fans at the Rate were able to leave with flowers after getting their first taste of baseball action in the Will Venable managerial era.

“You won’t see perfection without imperfection,” said Rose of his burgeoning business ventures. “Developing, going through my ups and downs, suffering through the developing and realizing where I’m at and the projects we are working on. We are borrowing from people but at the same time putting our own twist on it.

“It’s never old coming here. It’s one thing we wanted to establish, just having an imprint on Chicago. Doing projects like this, like I said, me and my team, it’s something we talked about for a very long time. Shout out to the Reinsdorf family [who own the Bulls and the White Sox] for allowing us to do things like this. I’m very fortunate.”

Fortunate and very accurate, as a laughing Rose made clear to a reporter who asked about that first pitch.

“What do you think? For you to ask, you already know,” Rose said. “I think I did pretty good.”