Mets, Marlins walk off the field after moment of silence as a powerful statement

With questions abound over whether or not the Mets and Marlins would play their Thursday night game, both teams did take the field before observing a moment of silence and walking back into their clubhouses in a powerful moment at Citi Field. 

As the original 7:10 p.m. start time approached, players from both teams took the field, but neither starting pitcher warmed up. The Mets then all took the field, with the infielders and outfielders warming up.

Miami’s Lewis Brinson was announced as the leadoff hitter, when both teams in their entirety came out of the dugouts and removed their hats. Both teams observed a moment of silence of 42 seconds and then walked off the field.

The Mets and Marlins later announced there would be no game Thursday as part of a wave of sports teams protesting racial inequality by not playing — from the NBA to the NHL to the WNBA.

“Jeff Wilpon called Commissioner Manfred this afternoon to notify him that our players voted not to play. They discussed the challenges of rescheduling the game. Jeff proposed an idea of playing the game an hour later. I misunderstood that this was the Commissioner’s idea. In actuality, this was Jeff’s suggestion. The players had already made their decision so I felt the suggestion was not helpful. My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded. I apologize to the Commissioner for my disrespectful comments and poor judgement in inaccurately describing the contents of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon.”

As of now, the Mets are scheduled to play the Yankees five times over the weekend, with doubleheaders scheduled for Friday and Sunday.

Other teams around Major League Baseball have also decided not to play on Thursday, though the league has not officially postponed all games.

As MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo points out, the Marlins are scheduled to finish their season against the Yankees in New York on Sept. 27, meaning a Mets-Marlins makeup game (if necessary for playoff implications) could potentially work on Sept. 28, the day after the regular season is supposed to conclude.

SOURCE: https://www.w24news.com