Yanks, Nats kneel in Black Lives Matter salute; Fauci’s toss

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. 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. Yankees players decided Wednesday they wanted to kneel for 60 seconds before the anthem.