The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Dr. Anthony Fauci will throw the first pitch since baseball was delayed due to the coronavirus shutdown.
A statement from the Washington Nationals regarding Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/iejxXeAA4V
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) July 20, 2020
Facui, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will throw the first pitch in the season-opening game between the defending World Series Champion Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees, per a statement from the Nationals on Twitter. (RELATED: Report: Vaccine In Experimental Stage Shows Promise By Prompting Immune Response)
“Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the Covid-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career, so it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title,” the Nationals said in the statement.
Dr. Anthony Fauci wears a Washington Nationals face mask as he and other members of the White House coronavirus task force arrive to testify before a House committee. https://t.co/T4P7GkPkTF pic.twitter.com/OiHAEHVOFt
— ABC News (@ABC) June 23, 2020
Fauci has shown his fandom of the Nationals, wearing a face mask covered in team logos and names.
When speaking on the Snapchat show Good Luck America in April, Fauci described how sports could continue without fans and how he personally feels about play resuming. “I think you’ll probably get enough buy-in from people who are dying to see a baseball game, particularly me,” Fauci said, “I’m living in Washington, we have the world champion Washington Nationals. I want to see them play again.”
The MLB announced July 6 that baseball would be returning for a 60-game regular season starting July 23.