President Joe Biden will not throw out the first pitch before the hometown Washington Nationals take the field for opening day.
The baseball team, which starts its season with an away series against the New York Mets, invited Biden to throw out the first pitch in November 2020 on the day most media outlets projected him to be the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Every president since President William Howard Taft has thrown out the first pitch at one point in his presidency during the years in which there was a team in the city until former President Donald Trump.
“Well, first, let me say I know the president is eager to get out to Nationals stadium,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “[There will be] many beautiful days, many beautiful baseball games ahead this spring. It’s not on his schedule this week, but I certainly expect that baseball fans will be hearing from him in the next couple of days.”
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A Nationals spokesperson confirmed that the president will not be taking the mound on Thursday but said, “We look forward to welcoming President Biden to Nationals Park in the future.”
Trump never threw out the first pitch during his term in office, and he was critical of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s first pitch at 2020’s season opener. The 80-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former coronavirus task force member missed outside during his throw.
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Last year, instead of MLB’s regular 162-game season from April through September, which is what the league will be doing in 2021, it created a condensed 60-game season played without fans in the stands. For the playoffs, each conference played in a bubble, with teams not being allowed to leave until they were eliminated.
The World Series, which the Los Angeles Dodgers won, was played in the Rangers stadium, with the stands at 25% capacity.
