MLB Teams Take Field, Then Abruptly Walk Off, in BLM Protest

There is a quote that has been floating around over the course of the last few weeks that really seems to put our national situation into perspective, at least as it pertains to sports and hardship.

The quote came from Sean Doolittle, a closer for the Washington Nationals, who said that “sports are the reward of a functioning society”.  In that, we take him to mean that baseball is the icing on the cake.  If we keep the nation running correctly, then we get to kick back and watch the boys and girls play.

Today, with a pandemic bearing down on us, millions out of work, and racial unrest sweeping the nation, our society appears to be barely functional, and sports stars have begun abstaining from play on account of it.

On Thursday night, the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins chose a unique and grandiose way of showing it.

 As team after team announced they would refuse to play games in protest of Jacob Blake’s shooting, the New York Mets and Miami Marlins still decided to take the field on Thursday.

And then they walked off.

After rumblings of a potential player protest, the Mets took their places on the field as scheduled. However, starting pitcher Michael Wacha did not throw a warm-up pitch, and the teams did not exchange lineup cards.

Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson stepped into the box and both teams seemed in position to start playing, but only 42 seconds of silence, likely in honor of Jackie Robinson, followed. Both teams then exited the field, with Brinson leaving a “Black Lives Matter” shirt at home plate.

Video of the moment soon went viral:

After a moment of silence, the Mets and the Marlins have left the field.

The only thing remaining on the field is a Black Lives Matter shirt. pic.twitter.com/t7QfWwofOS

— SNY (@SNYtv) August 27, 2020

The gesture came one day after teams from the NBA, MLB, MLS, NFL, and NHL all refused to participate in games and practices in protest of racial inequality.