MLB players are taking a stand against racism and police brutality by postponing games. At least three games have already been postponed.
Wednesday MLB players chose to postpone a number of central and west coast games in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake. For many players, taking a stand for one night wasn’t enough.
The first team to stand up Wednesday was the Oakland Athletics who came to an agreement with the Texas Rangers to postpone Thursday’s game.
Not long after that, the Philadelphia Phillies joined in taking a stand. According to Jim Salisbury of NBCSN Philadelphia, the Phillies’ players voted to postpone the game.
The Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics game tonight is going to be postponed, sources tell ESPN. Additionally, @JSalisburyNBCS is reporting the Phillies and Nationals will not play tonight. And the Red Sox will be having a meeting to determine whether they're playing Toronto.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 27, 2020
I'm told the Phillies' decision not to play tonight was made by players and not in concert with the Nationals players.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) August 27, 2020
They were followed by the Minnesota Twins voting to postpone their game with the Detroit Tigers.
Twins have voted not to play their game against the Tigers tonight, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 27, 2020
They aren’t the only teams discussing whether or not to play. St. Louis Cardinals ace Jack Flaherty is reporting that the New York Mets are also discussing whether or not to play.
Jack Flaherty, ace pitcher and apparently ace newsbreaker, reports that the Mets are deciding whether to play today.
— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) August 27, 2020
Wednesday night, Mets left fielder Dom Smith took a knee during the National Anthem. He was the only one on the team to do so and he did so alone without any teammates around him. Smith then gave an impassioned and emotional press conference where he talked about the various issues surrounding racism and police violence in America.
Smith was alone. He had just one teammate say he supported him after his press conference. That teammate then went on to explain why he didn’t feel right kneeling or standing with Dom Smith.
Now the team is at least having a discussion. Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen explained that Luis Rojas was holding a discussion in the clubhouse about what the team should do. It’s not clear whether or not the Mets will play Thursday’s game.
The least they could do is stand with one of their team leaders and present a united front on the issue.
It’s also worth noting that MLB is the only American sports league playing Thursday. the NBA, NHL, and MLS all postponed games. Multiple American tennis tournaments also postponed matches.
Update
According to Julian McWilliams of the Boston globe, The Boston Red Sox have chosen not to play Thursday night. Their game against the Toronto Blue Jays has been postponed.
Source: the Red Sox have decided not to play tonight.
— Julian McWilliams (@byJulianMack) August 27, 2020
