Baseball returns for opening day at empty parks with protests the new norm

The world has changed dramatically since the last time major North American sports leagues were in action. Come Thursday, baseball fans will notice the ripple effects of those changes all around the diamond at Nationals Park.

Major League Baseball will become the latest and most popular North American sports league to resume competition after the coronavirus shutdown when the World Series champion Washington Nationals host the New York Yankees at 7 p.m.

It promises to be a major league season unlike any before it. Each team will play just 60 regular-season games at empty ballparks, and both leagues will use designated hitters for the first time and make other changes to rules that will seem…