ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Angels reliever Keynan Middleton on Monday kneeled with his fist in the air during the national anthem at Petco Park, joining several other players around the league in protest of racial injustice and police brutality.
The right-hander, who gave up one run in the 10th inning of an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres, was not available after the game to discuss his gesture. Fox Sports West, which broadcast the game, did not show Middleton kneeling until he entered the game in the 10th inning.
Manager Joe Maddon said Middleton first brought up taking a knee during the anthem in a videoconference in June, when the team and other Angels employees met to discuss the Black Lives Matter movement among other racial and social justice topics after the death of George Floyd.
Middleton, who is 26 and the father of two daughters, stood out during the meeting. Maddon said Middleton was upset that he didn't make his views known sooner and described Middleton as "passionate" about his beliefs.
"That's what he showed you tonight," Maddon said. "He's a wonderful young man and he's among a lot of wonderful young people in our country that are gonna demonstrate in that way."
Middleton addressed his decision to kneel during the anthem, a gesture that first garnered widespread attention when former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick did it in an NFL game in 2016, in a social media post Tuesday morning. He wrote that everyone "should take this fight against racial injustice seriously" and he wanted to use his platform as a major league player to affect change.
"Racism is something I've dealt with my whole life," he said in part of the statement. "As a Black man in this country, it is my obligation to want to better the future for generations to come. Over the past few months, I've been out in the community taking part in peaceful protests and having the difficult conversations that are needed for change. Before, pioneers like Jackie Robinson, a Black man, didn't have a voice in the game of baseball. The foundation laid down and sacrifices made by Jackie and others is the reason why I have the platform I do. I will not allow that to go to waste."
He concluded the post with the words, "Through this, I strive to be a voice for unity."
"I'm very proud he stood up for his beliefs tonight," Maddon said. "I really am. It's not easy to do that, a young man like himself, the only one out here doing that."
Elsewhere in California, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler joined players and coaches in taking a knee during the anthem around the same time as Middleton. Video of the act swirled around social media for hours. Major League Baseball's Twitter account sent the message to its 8.5 million followers and defended the actions of the Giants when fans pushed back.
"Supporting human rights is not political," the account wrote in response to a tweet that asked MLB to keep politics out of baseball.
No Angels followed Middleton's lead, but Maddon said the team as a whole was supportive of Middleton.
"I have totally been impressed by our guys and their interaction," Maddon said. "The fact is, a big part of it is everybody's seeking more information. You want to be able to, when asked the question, be able to give an answer that you thought about, and thought all the way through.
"And that was the purpose of this. That's why I wanted to do these Zoom meetings in advance because it is an uncomfortable subject and situation. And a lot of people won't know exactly what they feel, or how to express it. So I thought it was important that we got together as a group to help each other understand our positions, and then be able to move forward in an intelligent manner that represents us well."
Angels general manager Billy Eppler also backed Middleton, saying, "I support Keynan in his pursuit of equality and I also support peaceful efforts to make the world a more just place."
Maddon doesn't know if Middleton, who was vocal about condemning systemic racism before Monday's actions will continue to kneel during the anthem when the regular season begins Friday.
"It is his choice," Maddon said. "And I promise you it will be well thought out."
