In a joint demonstration of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, players, managers and coaches of the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals knelt in unison before the opening game of the 2020 baseball season, and then performed the national anthem Thursday night.
“We wanted to do something together, something together,” said Aaron Judge, Yankees slugger, after New York’s 4-1 win in the sixth inning because of rain in the National Park.
“We have a lot of guys in this clubhouse with different beliefs, different feelings, different lifestyles and from different countries,” said Judge. “And we want to respect all of that and, as a team, we made the decision to kneel just before the anthem.”
Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle called the moment “powerful.”
It was part of a pre-game opening ceremony in the nation’s capital that also featured references to the coronavirus pandemic, including a first offside pitch by Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the home team championship in 2019.
Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, was invited by the Nationals to launch the first ceremonial launch, an appropriate choice during the current medical crisis. With a mask on the mound, Fauci sent his shot far from home plate, and the ball bounced past his “catcher”, Doolittle.
Afterward, Fauci and Doolittle struck the gloves, instead of shaking hands.
With no spectator present to appreciate the celebrations, the flags signaling the Nationals’ first title were raised beyond right field and above the scoreboard, and “World Champions 2019” was written on a red carpet that was wrapped around batter’s boxes during pregame introductions.
Players from both clubs wore Black Lives Matter jerseys during batting practice in Washington, and the letters “BLM” were stamped on the back of the mound in the center of the diamond.
Then, in a poignant reference to the racial trial occurring in the U.S., the players and other members of both teams held up a long black ribbon as they were separated along the two foul lines. After placing the tape on the floor, everyone knelt down.
“We know there are problems in this country and we need changes. We need changes to improve. All these guys understand that,” said Nationals manager Dave Martinez. “This was for an important cause, we believed in it and we did what we could.”
Hours later, in Los Angeles, the Giants and Dodgers also held a black ribbon that wound along the base lines.
Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts, who signed a 12-year, $ 365 million contract Wednesday, and some of the Giants knelt when hymn singer Keith Williams Jr. stood in the new center field seat at the Dodger Stadium instead of the usual place near the plate. In one video, Rachel Robinson, 98, whose husband Jackie broke the big league color barrier in 1947, made the traditional call: “It’s Dodger Baseball Time.”
The Yankees players decided Wednesday that they wanted to kneel for 60 seconds before the anthem.
“We’ve had conversations as an organization. We’ve had conversations as a team. We’ve had conversations in smaller groups. Conversations between us,” said New York manager Aaron Boone. “And we have decided … as a team, we will have our own demonstration on the field.”
New York officials then asked Washington if that time could be added to the pregame script.
The Nationals decided they wanted to join the Yankees.
“It was important to us and to the Yankees that everyone bought and we had full participation and we presented a united front during that time,” Doolittle said. “Holding the tape, kneeling down, to show their support for the other athletes who have done it in other sports … to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement and to end police brutality, racism and injustice.”
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