A’s, Astros postpone series opener to protest
Hours before the scheduled first pitch at Minute Maid Park, the Houston Astros told the Oakland A’s they’d be postponing Friday’s game as part of the protests sweeping the sports world against racial injustice in response to police shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis.
“Houston wasn’t able to voice their opinion on this,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We had an idea something like this would happen this series, and we certainly understand it.”
The Astros had to reschedule their previous two games against the Los Angeles Angels due to Hurricane Laura’s impending wrath. On the new Jackie Robinson Day, they had the space to voice their opinion. And the A’s happily obliged their American League West foe.
Minutes before what would have been first pitch, the A’s and Astros crowded their dugouts wearing their No. 42 jerseys and stood side-by-side on their respective lines for the playing of the national anthem. Then, the Astros took their defensive positions — Lance McCullers, Houston’s starter, took the mound and picked up the ball — and promptly returned to the dugout. That cued the A’s and Astros teams to stand sideby-side again for 42 seconds in a moment of silence.
Astros manager Dusty Baker — he and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts are the only two Black managers in baseball — was the first to turn back to his dugout and into the halls of Minute Maid Park. Both sides followed suit, and the game was officially postponed.
On each side of the batter’s box, the A’s and Astros left a jersey of their own with ‘42’ emblazoned on the back. A ‘Black Lives Matter’ T-shirt was left over home plate.
Remember, the last time these two teams saw each other was in the haze of a brawl that saw Ramon Laureano and Astros hitting coach Alex Cintron suspended. But, A’s American League West foes crossed enemy lines to share their plans for protest, and the A’s participated.
“Baseball is a brotherhood,” Melvin said. “And no more so than right now. So, no thought about when we played them last time. Just sympathy for the situation and total understanding.”
The holiday baseball celebrates every April 15 — in a normal year — hit not only a different day, but a different light in the scope of this wave of injustice and protest.
“I woke up this morning, and I always knew the story of Jackie Robinson. But I had a different view today,” Melvin said. “I was angry today. I was sad. I was all the above. I was looking forward to putting this jersey on. I have the utmost respect for No. 42 and his plight.”