MLB Teams Strike in Protest of Jacob Blake Shooting

UPDATE 5:05 p.m. PT: The Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, LA Dodgers, and the San Francisco Giants have also decided to sit out their Wednesday night games in solidarity with the Milwaukee Brewers and other professional teams protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday evening, per CBS Sports.

"There are serious issues in this country. For me, and for many of my teammates, the injustices, violence, death and systemic racism is deeply personal. This is impacting not only my community, but very directly my family and friends. Our team voted unanimously not to play tonight," Mariners second basemen Dee Gordon tweeted on Wednesday night. "Instead of watching us, we hope people will focus on the things more important than sports that are happening."

TV Guide's original story is below. 

Following the lead of several teams in the NBA, at least two Major League Baseball teams, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Cincinnati Reds, also decided to sit out their previously scheduled game on Wednesday to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Blake is still in the hospital and is reportedly paralyzed, members of Blake's family and attorneys revealed in a press conference on Tuesday. His shooting has sparked protests in the town of the incident, and on Tuesday night, at least two protesters were reportedly killed, and a 17-year-old has been arrested for those homicides.

"The Reds have agreed not to play as well. No forfeit situation. Both teams have agreed to sit out tonight's game," Wall Street Journal reporter Jared Diamond tweeted on Wednesday afternoon. ESPN reports that other teams are also discussing striking as well, including the Seattle Mariners, which has the most Black players of any team in the league. 

"It's more than sports," the Brewers' star reliever Josh Hader told reporters earlier in the day before an official decision to strike was made, according to ESPN. "This is a time where we need to really not stay quiet and [to] empower our voices."

The Brewers protest follows the news that multiple NBA teams would protest the shooting, forcing the NBA to postpone all three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday night. The basketball protest was kicked off by the Milwaukee Bucks, who were followed by the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trailblazers, and the Los Angeles Lakers. Those games will be rescheduled for a later date. According to ESPN reporter Adrian Wajnarowski, the rest of the NBA season is up in the air following the postponements, and players will meet with the league later Wednesday evening to discuss a path forward.