SAN FRANCISCO _ The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to postpone their Wednesday game in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man who was shot multiple times by police officers in Kenosha, Wis., on Sunday.
In the hours leading up to a scheduled 6:45 p.m. first pitch, both teams cleared the field during warmups. Giants starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Logan Webb emerged to play catch about an hour before game time, but the team waited until 6:19 p.m. to officially announce the postponement.
Giants manager Gabe Kapler opened his Wednesday press briefing with a statement on why he'll continue to speak out against police brutality and systemic racism.
"Some things are just bigger than sports and I don't think it should require athletes needing to boycott playoff games to remind us black lives matter and that police brutality is unacceptable and that systemic racism needs to be eliminated," Kapler said. "What I believe in most is speaking out and taking strong action based on your beliefs."
Minutes before Kapler addressed reporters Wednesday, the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds became the first MLB teams that voted not to play their scheduled game. Shortly after Kapler said he would support a collective action taken by the Giants and Dodgers, the Mariners and Padres chose not to play on Wednesday.
Several Black major league players including Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler and Rockies outfielder Matt Kemp chose not to play in games that their respective teams participated in Wednesday.
The Milwaukee Bucks became the first professional sports team to strike Wednesday as they did not come out of their locker room ahead of Game 5 of their postseason series against the Orlando Magic. The NBA announced all games scheduled for Wednesday would be postponed until further notice.
"I'll always stand with our players and staff on what they choose to do collectively," Kapler said. "My individual actions are to combine both peaceful protesting with meaningful positive action to promote real change. I just don't think my place is to force anyone into doing anything, but rather to share and consistently share what I believe. To have the hard conversations and try to change things where I can."
Within minutes of the Giants' announcement of Wednesday's postponement, Major League Baseball released a statement expressing support for the decisions of players who chose not to play on Wednesday.
"Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight," the league said. "MLB remains united for change in our society & we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice."
Kapler met with a group of Giants players and coaches and then with Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and general manager Scott Harris on the field on Wednesday afternoon before players on both sides retreated to their clubhouses.
Kapler became the first head coach or manager in the four major North American sports to take a knee during the playing of the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality when he did so prior to an exhibition game on July 20 in Oakland against the A's.
He has consistently expressed support for players and coaches who choose to protest or spread awareness about social and racial injustices.
"I'm aware that the Bucks and now some other NBA teams are doing that and I have the utmost respect for the players who are refusing to be silent about issues that are bigger than sports," Kapler said.
"Racism and police brutality are issues that we're not going to be silent about either."
Kapler and several Giants players including Mike Yastrzemski, Pablo Sandoval and Trevor Gott have taken a knee during the playing of the anthem this year and during exhibition games, the Giants sometimes had as many as 10 to 12 players and coaches kneeling in protest.
Kapler addressed the police shooting of Blake prior to Tuesday's game, discussing why it's important to remain focused on pushing for systemic change.
"When George Floyd was murdered, many spoke up and said that our outrage couldn't simply be a thing of the moment but should be sustained," Kapler said. "We should have a push for real change. What happened to Jacob Blake is just another reminder that systemic racism and racial inequality don't go away simply because we lose our focus or because we get tired. We have to keep fighting for the most equal and just society because change is not coming without us speaking up and taking action."
The Giants coaching staff discussed Blake's shooting, but Kapler indicated he did not have a team-wide meeting ahead of a series opener against the Dodgers.
"We continue to think that it's as important to discuss as any other topic, including baseball," Kapler said. "It came up today in our advanced meeting, and it's something that we wanted to bring to the forefront."
