MLB Opening Day: Washington Nationals Schedule Here

WASHINGTON, DC — The crack of the bat, but not the roar of the crowd, will mark the sound of Major League Baseball returning in 2020.

And instead of the traditional late March or early April opening day madness with fans tailgating and pouring into the stands of ballparks nationwide, this year’s opener comes in late July and in front of largely empty stadiums due to the shortened season forced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Diverting from the normal 162-game slate, all MLB teams in 2020 — including the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals — will play only 60 in the regular season. The playoff format, with five teams advancing from both the American and National leagues, will remain the same.

Find the Nationals' full regular season schedule here.

Things get started Thursday with two night games. First, the New York Yankees will visit the Nationals. That will be followed by a contest between two West Coast rivals, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

For all other teams, the season starts Friday.

The Nationals' game against the Yankees, scheduled to start at 7:08 p.m. ET, will be broadcast on ESPN. Nationals ace Max Scherzer is expected to take the mound to face the Yankees and their probable starter, former Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole, who signed a 10-year, $324 million deal with New York in free agency last winter.

Surely, the 2020 season will look a lot different from seasons past, with fans prohibited from entering the ballparks for at least the start of the season. Some teams, such as the Chicago White Sox, have responded to the fan ban by filling their ballpark seats with cardboard cutouts of their fans' likenesses.

Having no fans in the stands might take some adjusting to for most teams, but there’s one squad in particular that might welcome the temporary change. Fanless stadiums in 2020 will likely save the Houston Astros from hearing it from visiting crowds after punishments came down in connection with the sign-stealing scheme they conducted during their 2017 World Series run.

Empty stadiums won’t be the only noticeable change for those who follow baseball closely, however. The 2020 season will also bring the designated hitter to National League ballparks for the first time and a new extra-inning rule in which each frame will begin with a runner on second base.