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Major League Baseball to Make Coronavirus-Delayed Debut

VOA News

   After a four-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, Major League
   Baseball kicks off its regular season Thursday with a 60-game schedule
   set to be playedsolelyin U.S. stadiums.

   While many fans are anticipating the return of the game nicknamed the
   national pastime, there are widespread concerns about the safety of
   resuming a major sports league at a time when the United States is in
   the midst of a surge in coronavirus infections with several of the
   hotspots home to multiple teams.

   Among the top ten states with the highest per-capita increases in new
   cases in the past week are Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and
   California, which together host11of the 30 MLB teams.

   Dr. Anthony Fauci,director of the National Institute of Allergy and
   InfectiousDiseases, is set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch in
   Washington as the defending World Series champion Nationals host the
   New York Yankees in the league's opening game. Fauci has been seen
   often in recent weeks wearing a Nationals mask.

   "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 a statement.

   The Nationals had to get a waiver from the District of Columbia in
   order to be allowed to host games because local coronavirus
   restrictions would otherwise not allow such an event to take place.
   There will be no fans in the stands, something that will be a common
   sight throughout the league.

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