Didi Gregorius watched over the top of his mask as his drive off Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer sailed into empty outfield seats.
Fake cheers — meant to encourage the hometown Nationals — accidentally piped through the stadium as the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop rounded the bases. After touching home plate, he pantomimed high-fives to teammates.
“This is 2020 baseball,” Scherzer said. “Embrace it and have fun with it.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
Exhibition games in Washington, New York and Pittsburgh on Saturday gave the MLB its first look at COVID-19-era games — cardboard cutouts for fans, sound effects for crowds and more.
Still, for clubs limited to practices and intrasquads in their own ballparks for the past two weeks, Saturday stood as an important marker as the sport tries to start a shortened 60-game season on Thursday amid a pandemic.
“In some ways, this is very much a dress rehearsal for the new world we’re in,” New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before an exhibition game against the New York Mets.
No fans rushed off the 7 train in Flushing at Citi Field and no masses hurried over the Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh — not with MLB planning to start the season at empty stadiums. At Nationals Park, several people watched from a building balcony far beyond the left-field wall.
Umpires wore masks, as did some players. Backups watched from the stands to maintain social distancing in dugouts. They all tried to follow safety protocols, including a ban on licking fingers or spitting.
Gregorius drilled a three-run homer in the first inning in Washington, the first big fly by a player in any of Saturday’s games.
The 30-year-old Phillies newcomer is one of a handful of players who has said he will wear a mask full-time this season. Gregorius has a chronic kidney disorder that makes him high risk for COVID-19.
Scherzer is expected to throw the first pitch of the regular season when the Nats host new ace Gerrit Cole and the Yankees on Thursday. The right-hander struggled in his final tuneup, also allowing a three-run shot to former teammate Bryce Harper.
The Cleveland Indians loaded into three buses on Saturday for the more than two-hour drive to Pittsburgh.
Manager Terry Francona said that the team adhered to social-distance guidelines and staggered arrival times for the team’s first trip since camp reopened.
“I think it’s a good experience for all of us,” he said. “We’re not used to getting on a bus and get your temperature taken and things like that, so it’s good to go through that.”
Cleveland won 5-3.
In Washington, there was a moment of silence for late civil rights trailblazer John Lewis before the Yankees won 9-3.
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