Advertisement

Astros, A's walk off field on Jackie Robinson Day

For the third straight day, MLB has seen a game postponed after players refused to play in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake.

The lone game to see a player protest on Friday, the day MLB celebrated its league-wide Jackie Robinson Day, was between the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics. Both teams took the field in No. 42 jerseys in honor of Robinson, observed a moment of silence, then exited.

Soon, the only things left on the field were No. 42 jerseys from both teams and a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt.

Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the teams will play a doubleheader Saturday to make up the game.

The Astros later released a statement of support for their players and said they would celebrate Jackie Robinson Day again on Saturday.

MLB seeing widespread protests after Jacob Blake shooting

The protest was quite similar to the walk-out of the New York Mets and Miami Marlins on Thursday. Like the Astros and A’s, both teams took the field as if they were ready to play, observed a moment of silence, then exited, leaving only a “Black Lives Matter” T-shirt.

Player walkouts have swept MLB and the rest of the sports world since the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks refused to play a playoff game on Wednesday in protest of Blake’s shooting. 21 of 30 MLB teams have seen games postponed due to protests, with three games postponed on Wednesday, seven on Thursday and two on Friday. The A’s had previously had a game against the Texas Rangers postponed on Thursday.

The MLB Players Alliance, a group of Black MLB players including Andrew McCutchen, Aaron Judge and Mookie Betts, also announced they would donate their salaries from Thursday and Friday to combat racial inequality and aid Black communities.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 24: A general view of Minute Maid Park as teams take batting practice during Opening Day at Minute Maid Park on July 24, 2020 in Houston, Texas. The 2020 season had been postponed since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
The Astros joined a wave of protests in MLB on Friday. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

More from Yahoo Sports: