Chicago alderpeople and Chicago Police Department officers are trading City Hall and squad cars for cleats and bats next Thursday, when the CPD Knights and the Chicago Alders meet in a rematch at Rate Field on Aug. 27, 2026. The exhibition baseball game, aimed at raising funds for children returning to school and children's programs, moves the annual matchup from a neighborhood diamond to a Major League ballpark for the first time.
The first meeting between the two squads took place at Kerry Wood Cubs Field on Chicago's North Side in July 2025, bringing together city officials and law enforcement officers for a youth sports fundraiser, according to FOX 32 Chicago. That inaugural game drew support from multiple city leaders, including 23rd Ward Alder Silvana Tabares and Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas alongside 36th Ward Alder Gilbert Villegas, as reported by WGN-TV at the time. This year's rematch, first reported by WGN-TV, gives the event a much bigger stage.
Villegas, the 36th Ward alder, and CPD Knights Vice President Marco Acevedo joined WGN's Evening News at 4 p.m. on Friday to preview the game. Villegas said sports is very important right now and described the event as an opportunity to build camaraderie, show CPD in a different light, and let people see that officers are human. Acevedo serves as vice president of the CPD Knights Baseball Club, a registered non-profit led by Chicago Police Officer Eric Bermudez as president, an organization founded to build community trust and mentor Chicago youth through sports, per the same account.
A Fundraiser Timed to the School Year
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 27 at Rate Field, with the game expected to start at 6:30 p.m. Parking is free, and organizers are asking for a suggested $10 donation. Proceeds from that donation will directly purchase school supplies for local children and fund free neighborhood youth baseball clinics, according to a Facebook post from Villegas, with the timing designed to coincide with the start of the Chicago Public Schools academic year.
The game will also feature a taste of White Sox history. Former Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillén, who led the franchise to its 2005 World Series championship, is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, Villegas announced on Facebook. Guillén remains one of the most popular figures in White Sox franchise history, and his appearance adds a dose of star power to what began as a modest neighborhood exhibition.
How a City Softball Match Landed at a Major League Park
Rate Field, the 40,615-seat ballpark in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood, is managed by the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority, a state-created entity that regularly donates facility usage for government, non-profit, and civic outreach initiatives. The authority, created in 1987, has made the stadium available for other law enforcement charity events as well, including the annual CPD's Finest vs. CFD's Bravest charity baseball game organized with the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation to assist families of fallen and catastrophically injured officers, which includes pregame tributes and postgame fireworks.
The CPD Knights' community work extends well beyond marquee stadium showcases. In August 2025, the club hosted its Back to School Camp at Michael Madigan Sr. Park, a free clinic offering fielding, hitting, and pitching instruction for children ages 7 to 12, according to Chicago Knights Baseball. The organization also fields an adult competitive team in the Midwest Suburban Baseball League, with a roster consisting primarily of active sworn law enforcement officers who have previously played exhibition games at venues including Wrigley Field and Wintrust Field, per the Midwest Suburban Baseball League.
Rooted in a Decades-Old Chicago Tradition
The department's ties to bat-and-ball sports run deep. CPD's internal softball league has operated for more than 70 years since launching at Grant Park in 1950, reflecting Chicago's long-standing 16-inch softball tradition that dates back to the 1920s, according to the 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame. That history helps explain why softball and baseball have become a central tool for CPD community outreach, connecting today's alderpeople-versus-officers exhibition to a much older civic pastime.
With doors opening at 5:30 p.m. and free parking available, organizers are hoping the bigger venue draws a bigger crowd than last year's neighborhood park debut. Whether the Alders can avenge whatever happened in the first matchup remains to be seen, but the real scoreboard for organizers is how much gets raised for school supplies and youth baseball clinics before Chicago Public Schools students head back to class.
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