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Dodgers' Mookie Betts: I Wasn't Playing Wednesday vs. Giants 'No Matter What'
August 27, 2020
While Wednesday's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants was postponed, Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts said he would not have taken the field if the contest went on as scheduled.
"For me, no matter what, I wasn't going to play tonight," he said, per Andy McCullough of The Athletic.
Molly Knight of The Athletic noted pitcher Clayton Kershaw said the team will not play Thursday either if Betts does not want to in the wake of the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
"Black people have been fighting this same fight for centuries and we haven't gotten anywhere," Betts said, per Knight. "Having the white players help push it, I think change can be made."
Betts also said he appreciated his teammates taking a stand with him.
"I know, for me, I was already tight with everyone in the clubhouse," he said, per J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group. "But now that everyone has my back more than I already thought, means a lot. I'll always remember this day and I'll always remember this team having my back. This organization has been amazing."
Major League Baseball also issued a statement after games between the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners, and Dodgers and Giants were postponed:
Elsewhere, the St. Louis Cardinals announced that "Dexter Fowler and Jack Flaherty have decided to stand in solidarity with other players throughout Major League Baseball. Dexter Fowler is a healthy scratch from tonight's game. The Cardinals organization supports their decisions."
Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported Chicago Cubs right fielder Jason Heyward sat out his team's game against the Detroit Tigers but encouraged his teammates to still play.
The decisions from baseball players and teams came after the NBA announced its three playoff games were postponed when the Milwaukee Bucks said they would not play. The WNBA also announced its games were postponed Wednesday.
Police shot Blake in the back multiple times, and he remains hospitalized and is paralyzed from the waist down.