#Nationals’ Eric Thames prepared for MLB season by playing cornhole

After spending what felt like forever in quarantine, Nationals’ infielder Eric Thames has only one thing to thank for keeping his underhand steady, and that is cornhole.

The backyard beanbag-tossing game was the perfect fill-in for pitcher fielding practice in which the pitcher covers first base.

“Hours of quarantine cornhole definitely paying off in PFPs!” Thames wrote captioning an Instagram post of him perfectly executing an underhand toss at Nationals’ camp. “Only a few weeks to go til it’s game time.”

While pro athletes across the globe tried to stay in shape in unconventional ways amid the pandemic, baseball players were only able to do so much on their own.

Thames will get a chance to show off his honed skills when the defending World Series champion Nationals open the shortened 2020 MLB season with an evening matchup against the New York Yankees on July 23.

Despite the growing number of obstacles and concerns that COVID-19 has raised with sports, Thames remains confident and optimistic that America’s pastime can be successful.

“All of us are ready,” he said. “All the players, America needs to see baseball. We all need it, as players, the fans and the world. It definitely needs something to watch right now. So, we’re chomping at the bit.”