Oakland A's, Houston Astros Players Walk Off Field In Jacob Blake Shooting Protest
HOUSTON (CBS SF) -- The Oakland A's and Houston Astros players walked off the field at Minute Maid Park Friday evening, moments before the teams' scheduled game was set to start in the latest sports protest over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The game in Houston was reportedly the only Major League Baseball game impacted as baseball celebrated its league-wide Jackie Robinson Day. The two teams took the field with each player wearing a No. 42 jersey in honor of Robinson, observed a moment of silence, then exited.
The A's official Twitter account posted video of the walkout at about 6:15 p.m. Friday, not long after the game was scheduled to begin.
The team also posted photos from the powerful silent protest on the field. One of the photos showed a "Black Lives Matter" t-shirt placed on home plate between two Jackie Robinson jerseys, one for each team.
The team had also postponed its Thursday game in Oakland against the Texas Rangers, releasing a statement that read, "We will not take the field tonight to help raise awareness for these social issues, not just tonight, but for our collective future. This is the first step in our relentless pursuit for meaningful change."
Teams from the NBA, WNBA, MLB and MLS all announced their refusal to play Wednesday, including the San Francisco Giants and the San Jose Earthquakes. The protest began after NBA players said they would boycott their Wednesday playoff games to protest racial injustice.
According to MLB.com reporter Martin Gallegos, the two teams will make up the game with a double header on Saturday.
