ST. LOUIS — Two members of the Cardinals have opted to stand in solidarity with other teams and players around the sports world on Wednesday and not play in scheduled games after police shot a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
The Cardinals announced outfielder Dexter Fowler and pitcher Jack Flaherty decided to sit out of Wednesday night's game against the Royals. Fowler and Flaherty are the only two Black players on the Cardinals' active roster.
"Dexter Fowler and Jack Flaherty have decided to stand in solidarity with other players throughout Major League Baseball. Dexter is a healthy scratch from tonight's game. The Cardinals organization supports their decisions," the Cardinals tweeted.
Fowler was in the original lineup for Wednesday night's game. Tommy Edman was moved from third base to right field and Matt Carpenter entered the lineup playing third.
Flaherty was not scheduled to pitch Wednesday night.
Fowler and Flaherty's decisions come after a notable day around sports, with multiple teams and individual players protesting the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The Milwaukee Bucks were the first team who opted not to play in light of the recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin by a police officer. The Bucks did not play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic in the NBA bubble, and the NBA eventually postponed all games on Wednesday.
The WNBA also postponed Wednesday games.
The Milwaukee Brewers were the second Milwaukee area team that chose not to play Wednesday. Their game against the Reds has been postponed along with the Mariners and Padres game.
Blake, 29, was shot by a police officer seven times in the back as he leaned into his SUV Sunday in Kenosha, with three of his children inside the vehicle.
