Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season.
The Washington Nationals announced today that Fauci – a self-described fan of the reigning World Series champions – accepted the team’s invitation to have the pregame honor this Thursday night.
‘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 team said in a statement.
The honor for Fauci is even more significant given that it is usually presidents that throw out the first pitch.
Every president since William Howard Taft in 1910 has thrown their own first pitch except Trump who is the first president to skip the tradition.
During the 2019 World Series, there was a suggestion that Trump might take to the pitcher’s mound, but he shirked the idea saying he would need to wear “a lot of heavy armor”.
“I’ll look too heavy. I don’t like that,” he said at the time.
Donald Trump throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the start of the second game of a day-night double header between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees at Fenway Park.
That didn’t stop Barack Obama, who despite death threats throughout his presidency, still represented the Nationals – Washington’s home town team.
In their statement about Fauci’s role at the opener, the Nationals refer to him as ‘a true champion for our country’ during the pandemic ‘and throughout his distinguished career.’
Fauci, 79, who grew up in Brooklyn was a Yankees fan and looked up to legendary players such as Mickey Mantle and Joe DiMaggio.
However, since living in Washington for the past 50 years he has also become a fan of the Nationals.
He has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases since 1984.
His willingness to criticize the coronavirus response in the U.S. has made him a hero to critics of President Trump and a target to some Republicans.
The Nationals-Yankees contest is one of two games to be played on opening day. The Los Angeles Dodgers host the San Francisco Giants in the other.
Early discussions about baseball starting and the risks about playing the season in the middle of a pandemic, Fauci was consulted and approved of the idea to have the teams play two sites, creating a bubble for them.
Instead, the league is trying to play in their regular cities, a 60-game shortened regular season.