NEWSLETTER
I want to share some additional post-game context on Jason Heyward’s decision to sit out tonight following the events in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as well as the other players around baseball who made similar decisions tonight, and the player-led boycott in the NBA.
Notably, only Heyward sat down tonight on the Cubs. Many people wondered why Heyward’s teammates did not join him – six other teams around baseball together decided not to play – and I also wondered how things played out.
So, now here’s some of that additional context, both for Heyward’s decision and that of his teammates:
Heyward: "Tonight, I needed to be a part of what’s going on in my community." Said teammates discussed not playing, but he encouraged them to play." Added he got full support of team, said Mookie Betts reached out
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) August 27, 2020
Rizzo on Heyward talking to team and eventual decision to play:
“Just seeing the pain, man, it’s so real. It’s tough. It kind of felt weird. But J-Hey wanted us to play; he was encouraging us to play. So we went out there and played a baseball game.”
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) August 27, 2020
Ross said multiple players came in office and to dugout, expressing that they were willing to stand with Heyward and not play. Heyward "was adamant" that his teammates took the field.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) August 27, 2020
I think if you know how Heyward has handled himself, that shouldn’t surprise you at all. He’s the ultimate teammate. I completely respect his decision to sit tonight AND his decision to encourage his teammates to play. He’s earned that respect.
But if I can say it without wholly judging a situation I was not, myself, there and a part of, something doesn’t sit quite right about this all falling to Heyward. That is to say, it still just feels hard not to wish Heyward’s teammates had instead decided to proceed like the Dodgers did with Mookie Betts:
#Dodgers Mookie Betts: "For me, no matter what, I wasn't going to play tonight." Thanks his teammates for backing him up.
Clayton Kershaw: "Once Mookie said he wasn't going to play, that started a conversation. … We made a collective decision not to play tonight."— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 27, 2020
Mookie Betts, Dave Roberts, Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen are standing side by side in San Francisco addressing the media. Betts said he wasn’t going to play regardless. Once that was the case, Kershaw said, the team rallied around him.
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 27, 2020
Mookie Betts: “I was already tight with everybody in the Dodger clubhouse, but now that I know that everybody has my back even more than I already thought means a lot. I’ll always remember this day, and I’ll always remember this team.”
— Alden Gonzalez (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 27, 2020
Good on the Dodgers for supporting Betts in the way that he felt was best. Good on the message they sent that tonight, other things were higher on the ladder of focus.
Let me (try to) amplify one point here, in case it’s not clear: I have zero doubt Heyward feels supported by his teammates. They all have that bond, and I don’t think we can really know what goes on in that clubhouse. I’m saying only that, as an outsider, as someone observing what’s going on in the world, the Cubs all standing together tonight could’ve been powerful.
Again, I know how easy it can be to make decisions for other people while sitting on the outside. And I know these guys truly care about each other.
Lester: "We're all family." "I'm all behind J. Whatever he decides to do, we fully support him and know he fully supports us."
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) August 27, 2020
Ross choked up when asked about relationship with Heyward and sympathizing:
"I can't even imagine what he's going through."
(ended interview)
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) August 27, 2020
