Mets, Marlins walk off field after 42-second moment of silence

Jack Baer
·Staff writer
Updated ·2 min read

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.

The protest had been preceded by Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen getting caught on a hot mic discussing a brewing protest among players, along with some criticism of MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

Lewis Brinson walks away after placing a Black Lives Matter shirt on home plate.
Miami Marlins center fielder Lewis Brinson walks away after placing a "Black Lives Matter" shirt on home plate as teammates and the New York Mets walk off the field at the start of their baseball game on Thursday. The teams jointly walked off the field after a moment of silence as they chose not to start their scheduled game. (John Minchillo/AP)

Another day of protests for MLB

MLB saw its first wave of protests on Wednesday when the Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Marines, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants opted to not play, following a trend sparked by the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks in protest of Blake’s shooting.

That continued into Thursday, with games featuring 14 other teams having to be postponed due to player protests, including the Mets and Marlins.

After playing Wednesday, Mets slugger Dominic Smith delivered the league’s most emotional response. Through tears, Smith lamented the treatment of Black men in America:

“I think the most difficult part is to see people still don’t care. For this to just continuously happen, it just shows the hate in people’s heart. That just sucks, you know? Black men in America, it’s not easy. Like I said, I just wasn’t there today, but I’ll bounce back, I’ll be fine.”

As the Mets walked off Thursday, Smith was seen with his arm around his teammates.

New York Mets third baseman J.D. Davis, left fielder Dominic Smith (2), center fielder Billy Hamilton (21), and right fielder Michael Conforto (30) walk off the field with teammates and the Miami Marlins before a baseball game Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in New York. The Mets and the Marlins jointly walked off the field after a moment of silence, draping a Black Lives Matter T-shirt across home plate as they chose not to start their scheduled game. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
The Mets and Marlins became the latest team to refuse to play on Thursday. (John Minchillo/AP)

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