Wed, Jul 22, 2020 page16

• Giants manager Gabe Kapler, players kneel

  • AP, OAKLAND, California
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  San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler plans to use his position to speak out against racial injustice and provide a voice for those who are not heard.

  Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem before their 6-2 exhibition victory against the Oakland Athletics.

  Kapler earlier on Monday shared his plans when he addressed the team, saying that everyone would be supported by the Giants no matter what they decided to do.

  

  San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler kneels during the national anthem prior to an exhibition baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, California, on Monday.

  Photo: AP

  “I wanted them to know that I wasn’t pleased with the way our country has handled police brutality and I told them I wanted to amplify their voices and I wanted to amplify the voice of the black community and marginalized communities as well,” Kapler said. “So I told them that I wanted to use my platform to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with the way we’ve handled racism in our country. I wanted to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with our clear systemic racism in our country and I wanted them to know that they got to make their own decisions and we would respect and support those decisions. I wanted them to feel safe in speaking up.”

  Right fielder Jaylin Davis and first base coach Antoan Richardson also took a knee, as shortstop Brandon Crawford stood between them with a hand on each of their shoulders.

  African-American Davis held his right hand over his heart, while Richardson, who is Black and from the Bahamas, clasped his hands in front of him.

  Much discussion went into each person’s choice and Kapler said that some of the Giants reached out to other organizations.

  Kapler said the Giants would continue to have such important discussions together as a team and “make them a part of the fabric of our clubhouse.”

  “We’ve had a lot of conversations about the anthem over the course of the past 72 hours and when I say ‘we,’ I mean our coaching staff and our players,” Kapler said. “We connected with small groups of players, we connected with players individually and had meaningful conversations about this topic.”

  FAUCI FIRST PITCH

  Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, is to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the first game of Major League Baseball’s pandemic-delayed regular season.

  The Washington Nationals on Monday announced that Fauci — a self-described fan of the reigning World Series champions — accepted the team’s invitation to have the pre-game honor tomorrow night.

  The Nationals host the New York Yankees to open the season nearly four months after it originally was scheduled to begin.

  Spring training was halted in March because of the COVID-19 outbreak and teams resumed preparing to play this month.
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