The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
UConn community mourns loss of former star
Game halted by downpour, lightning; Nats lose Soto to COVID-19
WASHINGTON — The Nationals and Yankees knelt in unison before the first game of the baseball season as part of an opening day ceremony Thursday night that featured references to the Black Lives Matter movement, the coronavirus pandemic — including an off-the-mark first pitch by Dr. Anthony Fauci — and the home team’s 2019 championship.
Once the game got started, the Yankees’ Aaron Judge got the first hit of the season and moments later teammate Giancarlo Stanton tagged Nationals’ ace Max Scherzer for the first home run of the season.
In the bottom of the first, Adam Eaton homered off prized Yankees newcomer Gerrit Cole.
The game went into a rain delay in the sixth inning with the Yankees batting while leading 4-1.
Highlighting the pitfalls of beginning the baseball season amid a pandemic, Washington slugger Juan Soto tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on the injured list just hours before the 2019 World Series champions were scheduled to face the Yankees.
Major League Baseball is the first of the four major North American team sports playing regularseason games amid the coronavirus outbreak, which is getting worse in some parts of the U.S.
“You feel bad for him. He’s a great player. The fans want to see him. And it affects our lineup,” Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said.
“But what can you do about it?” Rizzo added. “You’ve got to play ball. … We’re going to have to win without our best guy. It’s a challenge.”
Soto, a 21-year-old left fielder who was a breakout star of last October after producing 34 homers and 110 RBIs during the regular season, will be sidelined until he can come up negative on two consecutive coronavirus tests.
Players from both clubs wore T-shirts saying Black Lives Matter during batting practice at Nationals Park, and the letters “BLM” were stenciled into the back of the mound at the center of the diamond.
In a poignant reference to the racial reckoning happening in the U.S., players and other members of both teams held a long black ribbon while standing spaced out along the two foul lines. After they placed the ribbon on the ground, everyone then got on their knees.
They all then rose for a taped performance of the national anthem.
Yankees players decided Wednesday they wanted to kneel for 60 seconds before the anthem. New York officials then asked Washington
if that time could be added to the pregame script. The Nationals decided they wanted to join the Yankees.
On Thursday, Yankees second baseman DJ LeMahieu was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list as New York set its roster before playing Game 1.
Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and starter Masahiro Tanaka begin the season on injured lists — Chapman on the COVID IL, and Tanaka on the 7day IL after getting hit in the head by a batted ball.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on July 4 that LeMahieu and righthander Luis Cessa tested positive for the coronavirus before traveling to New York for the team’s summer camp and said they were self-isolating at home.
LeMahieu signed with the Yankees before last season and hit .327, setting career highs with 26 homers and 102 RBIs. He was not in Thursday’s starting lineup; Tyler Wade was playing second and batting ninth.
The Yankees also recalled infielder Thairo Estrada and righty pitchers Ben Heller and Michael King from the alternate site Thursday. That trio is part of a group of eight Yankees making their first career opening day active roster, along with starting third baseman Gio Urshela, outfielder Clint Frazier, infielder Mike Ford, catcher Kyle Higashioka and right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga.