The Milwaukee Brewers celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 at Miller Park on August 25, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
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The Milwaukee Brewers postponed Wednesday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, joining the Milwaukee Bucks and other NBA teams to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Major League Baseball said in a statement.
The San Francisco Giants also confirmed on Twitter that Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers had been postponed.
The Seattle Mariners also tweeted that they will not play Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres.
“Given the pain in the communities of Wisconsin and beyond following the shooting of Jacob Blake, we respect the decisions of a number of players not to play tonight. Major League Baseball remains united for change in our society and we will be allies in the fight to end racism and injustice,” the MLB said in a statement.
All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice.
“The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association today announced that in light of the Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to not take the floor today for Game 5 against the Orlando Magic, today’s three games – Bucks vs. Magic, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Portland Trail Blazers – have been postponed. Game 5 of each series will be rescheduled,” the league said in a statement.
Blake, a Black man, was shot in the back at least seven times by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The incident has sparked protests in Kenosha throughout the week. Blake is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down.
The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks — the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police of Jacob Blake, a Black man — didn’t take the floor for their playoff game against the Magic. The teams were set to begin Game 5 of their series shortly after 4 p.m., with the Bucks needing a win to advance to the second round.
Players had been discussing boycotting games in the bubble after the shooting of Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. More discussions among players on teams still in the bubble were scheduled Wednesday, presumably on how — or if — to go forward with the season, but even before that the Bucks apparently decided they would act.
“Some things are bigger than basketball,” Bucks senior vice president Alex Lasry tweeted. “The stand taken today by the players and (the organization) shows that we’re fed up. Enough is enough. Change needs to happen. I’m incredibly proud of our guys and we stand 100% behind our players ready to assist and bring about real change.”
The NBA Players Association tweeted out in support of players.
—CNBC’s Jabari Young and The Associated Press contributed to this report
