WASHINGTON When Gerrit Cole takes the mound on Opening Day, it will be the first time with the Yankees.
It will also be the first time with “Black Lives Matter” stamped on the mound. What does Cole think about that?
“It is freedom of expression,” Cole said Wednesday. “It is the Bill of Rights. It is what the country was founded on, to express itself freely. So I think it’s a wonderful thing. “
Cole was speaking to reporters after the rain ravaged the outside of the Yankees’ training in the National Park.
Earlier in the day, the team announced their plan for the mound.
“The Nationals, along with Major League Baseball, join the Black Lives Matter movement and will use the platform and the national stage of Opening Day to express their support for the fight against systemic racism and injustice,” the team said in a release.
The league also said that players can put a pair of patches on their sleeves: one that says “Black Lives Matter” or one that says “United for Change.”
Cole said he was not sure what patch he would use, if any. But he left the possibility open.
“We have a team meeting (Wednesday night) to review the protocols and what exactly the patches are and what we are going to do as a team,” the ace said. “I certainly don’t object to using any of the patches. I just want to meet with my team before I give you definitive answers.
As the Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country following the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer, Cole posted a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. on Instagram: “Injustice in any place is a threat to justice everywhere. “
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