The internet was eager for Dr. Anthony Fauci to throw the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day Thursday, but after seeing the actual throw, many are calling for him to stick to his day job.
The 79-year-old director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ threw out a feeble first pitch, which ended up nowhere near honorary catcher Sean Doolittle’s mitt and bounced weakly past him.
Twitter users, who largely supported Fauci for his handling of the pandemic, were quick to make jokes.
“Is he flattening the curve?” one user asked.
Another said, “That is a man who doesn’t want anyone to catch anything.”
"He social distanced that ball from the catcher," someone else joked.
After the coronavirus pandemic delayed Opening Day, the first game of baseball’s return also ended disappointingly, as a rainstorm cut the game short, lasting only an hour and 43 minutes with the New York Yankees winning at 4-1.
The game was also played without fans in attendance to accommodate social distancing measures.
Fauci happens to be a fan of the Washington Nationals. In June, he was spotted wearing a Nationals-themed face mask during testimony on Capitol Hill.
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