Monday Sports in Brief

BASEBALL

WASHINGTON (AP) - Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious disease expert, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season.

The Washington Nationals announced Monday that Fauci - a self-described fan of the reigning World Series champions - accepted the team’s invitation to have the pregame honor Thursday night.

The Nationals host the New York Yankees to open the season nearly four months after it originally was scheduled to begin. Spring training was halted in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak and teams resumed preparing to play this month.

In their new release about Fauci’s role at the opener, the Nationals refer to him as “a true champion for our country” during the pandemic “and throughout his distinguished career.”

ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves have removed a “Chop On” sign that sat near an entrance to Truist Park and are still considering their stance on the fans’ tomahawk chop chant.

The removal of the wooden sign came as the team changed its slogan from “Chop On” to “For The A” for the 2020 season.

A new slogan is customary marketing strategy, but the team’s stance on the chant has been watched closely since last year’s NL Division Series.

St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Ryan Helsley, a member of the Cherokee Nation, said he found the chant insulting. The Braves did not distribute the red foam tomahawks before the decisive Game 5 of the series, won by the Cardinals, “out of respect for the concerns” expressed by Helsley.

The Braves said they would continue to examine the chant after the 2019 season, a process that continues.

Since there will be no fans at Braves’ home games for at least the start of the pandemic-delayed 60-game season, the team may feel no urgency to release a new policy on the chant.

Braves fans began chopping and chanting in the early 1990s. The team has encouraged the chant by playing music and distributing the foam tomahawks.

The Braves open their season at the New York Mets on Friday. Their first home game is July 29 against Tampa Bay.

NFL

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Jets have signed rookie offensive tackle Mekhi Becton, the No. 11 overall pick in the NFL draft, to a four-year, $18.45 million contract.

The deal, based on the league’s rookie slotting system, is fully guaranteed and includes a $10.98 million signing bonus.

The Jets also announced they had signed defensive end Jabari Zuniga, a third-round pick, quarterback James Morgan, a fourth-rounder, and punter Braden Mann, a sixth-rounder, to their rookie deals.

The 21-year-old Becton tweeted earlier in the day that he had landed in New Jersey, fueling speculation he would soon sign. A few hours later, the big O-lineman posted a photo of himself smiling while signing his contract. “IM OFFICIALY A NEW YORK JET!!!!!” he wrote. “LETS GOOOOO.”

Becton is expected to compete with George Fant for the left tackle spot after being taken by the Jets out of Louisville.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The Jacksonville Jaguars signed their final four draft picks, including first-rounder K’Lavon Chaisson.

Fifth-round safety Daniel Thomas, sixth-round quarterback Jake Luton and seventh-round kick returner Chris Claybrooks also signed rookie deals.

Jacksonville now has its largest draft class - 12 players - under contract.

Chaisson, a defensive end/linebacker and the 20th overall pick from national champion LSU, was one of two first-rounders for Jacksonville. Florida cornerback CJ Henderson was the ninth overall selection and signed his contract last week.

Under the NFL’s rookie slotting system, Chaisson was scheduled to get a four-year deal worth $13.3 million that includes a $7.3 million signing bonus. The contract includes a team option for a fifth year.

NHL

NEW YORK (AP) - New York Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux has been suspended by the NHL for the first two games of the team’s preliminary-round series against Carolina because of an illegal check that injured Colorado forward Joonas Donskoi in March.

The league’s department of player safety announced the suspension four months after holding a hearing with Lemieux. The NHL waited until return to play guidelines were in place before making a ruling.

The suspension means Lemieux will miss the first two games of the Rangers’ best-of-five series against Carolina, which opens in Toronto on Aug. 1. He will be eligible to play in New York’s exhibition game against the New York Islanders on July 29.

Lemieux was suspended for a late and blindside hit on Donskoi in the final minutes of regulation of the Rangers’ 3-2 overtime loss at Colorado on March 11. Donskoi entered the Rangers zone and cut into the middle, where he got off a shot on net before being struck from the side by Lemieux.

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