All Yankees and Nationals Players Kneel for Black Lives Matter, Stand for Anthem

Starting pitcher Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals warms up before the start of the Opening Day game against the New York Yankees at Nationals Park, in Washington, on July 23, 2020. Rob Carr/Getty Images

In a gesture of support for Black Lives Matter, all baseball players from the Washington Nationals and the New York Yankees clutched a long black cloth and took a knee for around 20 seconds on Thursday, before standing for the national anthem.

With no fans in the stands on the official Opening Day of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season, delayed by four months due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the players knelt after a pre-recorded message read out by actor Morgan Freeman was played, calling for players to “lead the charge” and to “level the playing field.”