Nationals and Yankees kneel during moment of silence ahead of MLB's season opener
Ahead of Dr. Anthony Fauci's opening pitch at Major League Baseball's season opener between the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees, players kneeled during a moment of silence on Thursday night. A video clip also played during the pre-game ceremony that featured players such as Aaron Judge and Howie Kendrick, as well as audio of a speech by Morgan Freeman that touched upon racial inequality.
"Equality and unity cannot be until there is empathy," Freeman said in the video, which was shown on the jumbotron at Nationals Park. "Today we stand as men from 25 nations on 6 continents. Today, we are one."
Players were also seen holding a black fabric that spanned both foul lines in a nod to the ongoing protests across the country.
Today, and every day, we come together as brothers. As equals, all with the same goal - to level the playing field. To change the injustices. Equality is not just a word. It’s our right!
— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2020
Today we stand as men from 25 nations on 6 continents.
Today, we are one. pic.twitter.com/vKUGdRfwgQ
During batting practice, players were seen wearing T-shirts in support of Black Lives Matter. The letters "BLM" were also seen stenciled into the back of the pitcher's mound below the MLB logo.
Players stood during a pre-taped rendition of the national anthem. The stadium was empty because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., had been invited to throw the opening pitch and took the mound Thursday night wearing a red Nationals baseball cap and face mask. His throw went wide left of home plate and bounced past Washington player Sean Doolittle.
The Yankees eventually won the game, which ended early due to rain, by a score of 4-1.
Dr. Anthony Fauci helps us get the 2020 season underway.
— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2020
We are grateful to him and all the courageous frontline workers and healthcare heroes who continue to keep us safe and made our return possible. pic.twitter.com/8Ldqy3HTdk
Hours later on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants all kneeled before the game began. Some, including multiple Giants players and the Dodgers' Mookie Betts, continued to kneel during the national anthem.
The Dodgers came out on top, 8-1.
United. pic.twitter.com/ZnFyqyMNm3
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 24, 2020
- In:
- MLB
- Washington Nationals
- New York Yankees
- Anthony Fauci
Peter is a Product Manager for CBSNews.com and its publishing systems. He is a former News and Homepage Editor who has covered everything from breaking news to Sunday night award shows. Peter joined CBS News Digital in February 2017. Contact him at peter.martinez@cbsnews.com.
TwitterDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
