The San Francisco Giants game against the Los Angeles Dodgers scheduled for Wednesday evening was postponed in protest of the Jacob Blake shooting in Wisconsin.
The teams joined the NBA, WNBA and several other MLB teams in calling off games as a statement against racial injustice. The decision on the Giants-Dodgers game came hours after the NBA announced it was postponing the day's playoffs games.
Players from the Milwaukee Bucks earlier in the day did not take the floor for its scheduled game against the Orlando Magic. The Bucks are the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police officers of Blake, a Black man.
On Wednesday night, the Dodgers and Giants issued a joint statement on the postponed game.
“Throughout our country’s history, sport has been a powerful vehicle towards change. The Dodgers and Giants proudly join our players in the shared goal for a more equitable and just society," the statement read.
The conversation started when Mookie Betts said he told the dodgers he wouldn’t play in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin.
The Dodgers said that while the baseball teams practiced at Oracle Park, players and coaches were talking about whether to play or sit it out.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he also planned to protest by not participating, and eventually the entire team decided not to take the field.
“For white brothers to come in and support the Black men in this game is much more powerful,” he said. “We did talk to the Giants as well and they were in lock step with us."
Dodgers player Clayton Kershaw agreed.
“For tonight, I feel like the right answer fur us, for myself as a white man was to sit out with them,” he said.
Giants fans were supportive of the move,
"I hope this is a moment where everybody stands up and pays attention and says, 'this can't go on like this,'" one fan said.
"It's got to come to a stop," said another.
The teams are scheduled to play on Thursday. The Giants manager said he expects the teams to play, while the Dodgers manager said it will be another conversation.
