Donald Trump nixes ceremonial first pitch at Red Sox-Yankees game

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The president won't be at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 15, after all.

Donald Trump announced Monday he no longer will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the New York Yankees' Aug. 15 against the Boston Red Sox, citing his "strong focus" on the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump said Thursday that Yankees president Randy Levine invited him to throw out the first pitch at a game this season.

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The President throwing out a ceremonial first pitch has been a Major League Baseball tradition for over 100 years, but Trump has yet to do so since taking office in 2016. If he doesn't get to a game during his tenure, he'd be the first president not to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a major league game since 1910.

Trump promised to throw out a first pitch at a game later this season, but COVID-19 obviously complicates matters. The United States has had over 4.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and nearly 147,000 COVID-19-related deaths as of Monday, both the highest by far of any country in the world.

The Red Sox' first trip to New York is scheduled for Friday, July 31, when they'll begin a three-game series against their American League East rival.

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