In a united front across major sports in multiple American cities, the New York Mets have opted to not play Thursday's series finale at Citi Field against the Miami Marlins. This decision makes the Mets the first New York-area pro team to postpone a game in protest of racial injustice.
Unlike other teams across baseball, the Mets and Marlins did not announce prior to the game that they wouldn't play. Instead, both teams got dressed in uniform before a powerful walk off the field.
The Mets never publicly announced a lineup prior to taking the field Thursday. Scheduled starting pitcher Michael Wacha never tossed a warmup pitch. Both dugouts emptied and all players from both the Mets and Marlins stood with caps off for 42 seconds.
Dominic Smith, who went to left field, led the Mets on to the field. Following the 42 seconds of private reflection, Smith was the first Mets player to leave his position, leading the team off the field. A shirt with the words Black Lives Matter was placed on top of home plate as both teams left the field.
Smith, who was emotional Wednesday night following a Mets win, has become one of the more prominent voices on this issue in baseball this week.
"I think the most difficult part is to see people still don't care," Smith said through tears after the game. "For this to just continuously happen, it just shows just the hate in people's hearts. That just sucks, you know? Being a Black man in America, it's not easy."
Smith's words have been cited as impactful across baseball and within the Mets organization, including general manager Brodie Van Wagenen.
"What's going on is upsetting," Van Wagenen said Thursday afternoon with Joe Beningo and Evan Roberts on WFAN. "What I saw from Dom Smith yesterday upsets me that he's feeling that pain, that black people across the country are feeling that pain, and it's outrageous. It really is. The fact that we are still facing these situations at this point in our society is upsetting."
The Mets are among various pro teams across multiple sports to postpone games amid protests of the shooting at the hands of police officers of 29-year old Jacob Blake in Kenosa, Wisconsin on Sunday. The NBA and WNBA cancelled all games on their schedules on Wednesday, while the NHL did the same for their Thursday slate of games. Despite not starting its regular season until next month, nine of the 32 NFL teams staged walkouts on Thursday from their respective training facilities.
The decision by the Mets has been mirrored across baseball. Also on Thursday, si other MLB games were cancelled when teams decided to not play in support. The Philadelphia Phillies, a division rival of the Mets, postponed their game against the Washington Nationals and cited Smith's emotional words as a contributing factor.
"I watched Dominic Smith's press conference yesterday," Phillies manager Gabe Kapler told area reporters Thursday. "To watch that young man be so emotional about what he's experiencing right now is an indication that we need to listen really carefully. What we're seeing around the country and in sports is that players are taking notice and taking action."
