Washington Nationals ready to take field as defending champs amid coronavirus pandemic

WASHINGTON - The Washington Nationals are ready to take the field as defending champs.

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The fans won't be there, but the ballpark will reflect the team's proud status.

A general view of National Park in an 18 frame High Dynamic Range composite image as the Nationals work out during Summer Camp on July 4, 2020, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Nationals are planning to raise a new 2019 World Series champions flag before Thursday night's opener against the New York Yankees. Other festivities include a ceremonial first pitch thrown by Dr. Anthony Fauci and a previously recorded Presidents Race to be shown during the fourth inning.

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"We definitely feel a connection with the fans so we're really going to miss them and we'll be thinking about them. We'll be pumping in crowd noise to try to make up the difference," reliever Sean Doolittle said.

"I think opening day, like I said, we've got that patch on our uniform sleeve that says world champs. Going out there to start to defend our championship is something we've been looking forward to since the end of October," he added.

The Nationals also say a Black Lives Matter stencil will appear on the pitcher's mound during games on opening weekend.

The Yankees plan to wear a uniform patch this season to honor Hank Steinbrenner, the team's co-owner who died in April.