Before debuting with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a day after signing the second-largest contract in MLB history, Mookie Betts made a great statement by kneeling down during the national anthem.
Several representatives of the San Francisco Giants, including Pablo Sandoval, Mike Yastrzemski, Hunter Pence, and manager Gabe Kapler, also knelt during the anthem.
The demo followed the previous game between the Yankees and the Nationals, in which the entire rosters of both teams knelt in a pre-game “moment of unity” before Thursday’s opening national anthem unveiled.
As first reported Thursday by Lindsey Adler of The Athletic, the players lined up at the first and third base lines and held a long piece of black fabric that traced around the diamond.
According to Adler, the screen, which is described as “player-driven,” is said to have been run by Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
“This moment is important for all MLB players to come together and show mutual support as the 2020 baseball season begins. Our composition of the league is unique, with nearly a third of the foreign-born players,” McCutchen said in a statement to The Athletic: “No matter where we come from, we all face battles for social justice and equality, the concerns of keeping our families and communities safe in times of a global pandemic, and facing the same challenges with a return to Baseball. This is our time to unite as one before hitting the field as competitors. “
In the run-up to the 2020 MLB season, several players from across MLB knelt during the national anthem, including members of the Giants and Reds.
Kapler was one of the members of the San Francisco organization who knelt down and explained in a statement, in part, that “I told them I wanted to use my platform to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with the way we handle racism in our country.” I wanted to show my dissatisfaction with our clear systemic racism in our country. “
Just hours before the start of the 2020 regular season, the Major League Baseball Players Association reportedly approved a deal with MLB to extend its postseason this year to 16 teams.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, launched the first ceremonial launch in the National Park to open the contest on Thursday.
.
