Nationals Opening Day Game Against Mets Postponed Due To COVID-19

WASHINGTON, DC — The 2021 Major League Baseball season was scheduled to get underway for the Washington Nationals Thursday night. But then at least one Nationals player tested positive for the coronavirus, throwing the day into disarray for both the Nationals and the visiting New York Mets.

First pitch at Nationals Park was scheduled for 7:09 p.m., with a national television audience on ESPN.

ESPN reporter Buster Olney was the first to report that the game had been postponed. The teams also do not plan on playing a make-up game on Friday "out of an abundance of caution," the Nationals said. In fact, the positive test of at least one Washington National could lead to Major League Baseball postponing the entire opening three-game series against the Mets.

On Wednesday, the Nationals said that they would be without five players who made their opening day roster after one of them tested positive for the coronavirus and the other four were in close contact with him. The team has not disclosed which players were in quarantine.

Once the Nationals do play their first home game of the season, they will re-raise the 2019 World Series championship flag in Center Field Plaza, where an empty pole currently stands. In other pre-game ceremonies, outfielder Juan Soto will be presented with the 2020 National League batting title and Silver Slugger awards.

Opening day for the Nats was supposed to feature a marquee pitching matchup, with future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer taking the mound for the 2019 World Series champions against the Mets' Jacob deGrom. Both pitchers have won multiple Cy Young Awards.

The 2021 MLB season will look different from any other year, at least in the stands, since fans will be allowed inside all 30 ballparks after a 2020 regular season that was played entirely without fans in the stands because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Teams have varied greatly in the attendance capacity rules set forth before the season. The Texas Rangers are allowing a 100 percent capacity return, which could mean more than 40,000 fans at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. No other squad is allowing more than a 50 percent capacity.

The Boston Red Sox and the Nationals are the teams allowing the fewest number of fans, only permitting 12 percent to start the season, according to The Athletic.

The Nats begin the 162-game season with a three-game home series against the Mets followed by another three-game home series against the Braves.

The team then heads west to play the Dodgers in a three-game series starting Friday, April 9 at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles followed by a three-game stand in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Visit the Nationals website to see the team's season schedule.

Bob Carpenter and F.P. Santangelo return to the broadcast booth for their 11th season together to provide fans play-by-play and color analysis during the Nationals telecasts on MASN. All regular season games on MASN will be preceded by a 30-minute “Nats Xtra” pregame show, with a 30-minute “Nats Xtra” postgame show immediately following each game

And the popular team of Charlie Slowes and Dave Jageler are back on 106.7 The Fan to provide radio play-by-play for each game.

See Also: Baseball Fans Split On Going Back To The Ballpark In 2021

At Nats Park, the District of Columbia will allow 5,000 fans inside the stadium to start the season.

Face coverings are required for all those ages 2 and older inside Nats Park. Bandanas, gaiters or masks with an exhalation valve will not be permitted. Disposable face coverings will be available at the gates for those who arrive without one, or who have a face covering that does not meet requirements.

The only time the removal of the face coverings is permitted is when fans are eating or drinking at their seating pod. If fans do not follow the face-covering policy, they will receive a verbal warning and then can be removed from the stadium.

Seats are being sold at Nats Park in pods of one to six people, not including suites, and there are a maximum of three pods per row spaced out by at least 6 feet.

Fans can purchase tickets by calling 202-675-NATS (6287), or emailing ticketinfo@nationals.com. The team is prioritizing season plan ticket holders while the seating capacity remains extremely limited at the start of the season. For ticket information, visit nationals.com/2021ticketinfo.

At the concession stands, all payments are cashless and can be made through the Ballpark app. Options for purchases include ordering from the seats and picking up at concession stands, where there will be dedicated pickup lines for mobile orders. Fans also can pay for orders at portable concession stands (smartphone required), or order in real time in socially distanced lines with touchless payment options.

Fans are permitted to bring single-serving food items that are either carried by hand or in an approved bag inside Nats Park. Clear water bottles will be allowed, and they can be filled at stations with nanoseptic self-cleaning surface covers located around the stadium.

Most teams, like the White Sox and Cubs in Chicago and Yankees and Mets in New York, have set limits below 25 percent capacity.

The Nats have lost some key players from their 2019 World Series team, including Howie Kendrick, who announced his retirement in December, and Kurt Suzuki, who signed with the Angels during the off-season. A year ago, the Nats lost superstar 3B Anthony Rendon, who signed a mega-deal with the Angels.

But the Nats did not sit idle this off-season. They added some major offensive pop to offer protection in the lineup to Juan Soto, who many baseball observers are predicting will win the National League MVP. Josh Bell from the Pirates and Kyle Schwarber from the Cubs are expected to hit dozens of home runs for their new team.

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