Some Cardinals players join protest of racial injustice by not playing, standing with other pros for ‘something bigger than the game’
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ST. LOUIS (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) — Standing up to draw awareness to “systemic racism” and standing beside other players and teams making a statement about “larger issues” in our country, Cardinals outfielder Dexter Fowler and pitcher Jack Flaherty stepped aside from Wednesday’s game and declined to play in protest of social injustice and the shooting of a Black man by police in Wisconsin.
“Tonight I decided to take a stance alongside the Black community and athletes across the country in our continued fight against police brutality and systemic racism,” Fowler explained in a text message to the Post-Dispatch. “While this is an extremely personal issue, I am hopeful that my small action can shed light on the larger issues that are ongoing throughout the country.
“I’m forever grateful and lucky to be a Major League Baseball player,” his message continued, “but tonight, I needed to use my platform for something bigger than me and bigger than the game.”
The Cardinals held what a player called a “mini-meeting” immediately before Wednesday’s series finale against Kansas City to discuss whether they would play the game at all.
That conversation was held so close to game time that first pitch had to be pushed back, Dakota Hudson had his warmup delayed by a few minutes, and manager Mike Shildt was not present on the field during the National Anthem. At that moment he was talking with his players about the decision by two of their teammates not to play and awaiting guidance from the clubhouse on whether the team would continue on. He said he was not in the room for the final decision. Players said they decided to play for Flaherty and Fowler, infielder Kolten Wong said.
“They asked my opinion,” Shildt said after the Cardinals’ 6-5 victory. “And I said I will stand behind anything this clubhouse decides.”
The team officially considered Fowler and Flaherty healthy scratches for the game, though only Fowler was scheduled to play, starting in right field.
The Cardinals released a statement asserting their support for the two players, and Major League Baseball and the union issued statements that were also supporting of the individual players who elected not to play Wednesday night and the six teams who decided not to play their games as a way to draw awareness to the shooting of Jacob Blake Jr. on Sunday in Kenosha, Wis.
The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their NBA playoff game Wednesday afternoon and sparked a similar reaction that spread first through the NBA, then to MLB ballparks and clubhouses, and also the MLS. The Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds decided not to play their game at Miller Park.
“The most impactful thing we could do is not play our baseball game and to not distract from what’s going on in the country,” Brewers outfielder Ryan Braun told the media in Milwaukee while wearing a black T-shirt that read, ‘Justice Equality Now.’
That same message was on the Miller Park scoreboard as players from the Reds and Brewers spoke on the field about not playing.
On Sunday, Blake Jr. was shot seven times in the back by a police officer, according to officials and media accounts in Wisconsin. Months after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the shooting prompted protests in response and Kenosha has been engulfed in unrest all week.
In addition to peaceful demonstrations, there have been flashpoints of violence, vandalism, and apparent looting in the Wisconsin town. A curfew has been imposed on the city. On Tuesday two people were killed and another person shot by a gunman on a Kenosha street, according to video and media reports from Kenosha. A teenager was arrested Wednesday in Illinois for allegedly murdering two people, police announced.
Blake survived the shooting, but may never walk again, his lawyer and family told reporters in Wisconsin.
Blake’s three children were in the car where he was shot.
During a press conference Wednesday, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation officials presented the media with details of the shooting. An official identified the officer who shot Blake as he returned to the driver’s side of his vehicle. The DCI also said Blake told officers that he had a knife in his possession, and that investigators “recovered a knife from the driver’s side floorboard.” The attorney for the Blake family told CNN there was not a weapon in the car. The investigation of the event is ongoing and some details were withheld, officials said.
In the hours after the Bucks’ decision, the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres mutually decided not to play. Dee Gordon, of the Mariners, wrote on Twitter that his team voted unanimously not to play Wednesday because “the injustices, violence, death and systemic racism is deeply personal. This is impacting not only my community, but very directly my family and friends.” The Giants and Dodgers also agreed not to play Wednesday and had their game postponed. Gavin Lux, a high-watt prospect currently at the Dodgers’ alternate site camp, is from Kenosha, Wis.
Outfielder and former Cardinal Jason Heyward removed himself from the Cubs’ lineup. Colorado Rockies outfielder Matt Kemp also decided not to play Wednesday’s game.
“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,” Major League Baseball said in a statement released Wednesday evening. “Major League Baseball remains united for change in our society and we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice.”
The NBA announced the postponement of several playoff games. In the MLS, multiple games were postponed as part of the players’ protest.
On Monday, after his start against Kansas City, Flaherty turned a baseball question into a message on the shooting in Wisconsin, and the need to continue, even force, the conversation about racial injustice in the country.
Flaherty has been warming up this season wearing a T-shirt that reads, “Black Lives Matter,” and he has been outspoken on social media about the deaths of Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He and Fowler both left the ballpark to return home — part of the team’s protocols with COVID-19 to create distance between players when possible — and during the game, Flaherty tweeted videos of other professional athletes discussing the events or commenting on news from Wisconsin.
“I just wanted to say what happened to Jacob Blake, it is so unfortunate. It continues to happen,” Flaherty said Monday. “You continue to ask questions, continue to wonder. There are things to be done. There are changes to be made. It starts in a lot of places. It starts with voting. I saw where Chris Paul, he urged all of the guys on his team to get out, make sure they’re registered to vote. There are so many things that have to happen. Just waking up this morning and seeing that was really hard to watch. Thoughts and prayers with the Blake family, and with all of them. Praying he makes a recovery. Yeah, just unfortunate. Unfortunate what happened. There is not really much that needs to be said. I think a lot of people have come out and said all the things that need to be said. Just adding on to it — thoughts and prayers are with the family.”
Shildt spoke privately with each player.
First with Fowler, shortly before game time.
“Tough decision for Dex,” Shildt said. “I know he took it very serious. We talked about it. ‘Look, man, I support you completely with your decision and I appreciate the solidarity, and we are behind you.’ ”
Shildt said he spoke with Fowler later and the outfielder assured his manager he would be back Thursday for the doubleheader vs. Pittsburgh.
The players who spoke to the media late Wednesday night described the timing of their talk as a team and how it pressed up against first pitch. Some players were already on the field. Most were ready to play. Others saw Fowler dressing to leave and realized a decision had to be made, then. Tyler O’Neill described how the group weighed how many doubleheaders they have yet to play — one Thursday, and seven scheduled for September — and whether a postponed game would cram another one to their schedule. Wong said they spoke so close to game time that they hadn’t approached the Royals.
A majority of the players missed the anthem as they came to a consensus even as the Mariners and Padres decided not to play, and batting practice in San Francisco went silent.
“We stand behind Dex. We stand behind Jack,” Wong said. “Those are our teammates. Those are our brothers. We love those guys. This is bigger than baseball. A lot of things are happening now that are not pretty. A lot of injustices. We respect you guys. We respect your decision. We understand the circumstances that are happening in the world right now, and we’re going to go out there and play for Dex and Flaherty, and that’s what we did.”
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